Parashat BiShalach

And the Angel of Elokim that walked in front of Machane Yisrael traveled and walked from their rear, and the pillar of clouds traveled from in front of them and stood from their rear.

Shemos 14:19

After six days of exhausting travel, Machane Yisrael finds itself in a worse predicament than when they initially left. The sea blocks any movement forward, and the Egyptian army is right on their tails, already hurling projectiles at them, according to the Midrash. Hashem sends the nation two forms of protection, an angel and a pillar of clouds.

“And walked from their rear” to separate between the Egyptian and Jewish camps and to intercept the Egyptian projectiles… “and the pillar of clouds traveled” when it became dark and the pillar fully transformed into a pillar of fire, the clouds did not ascend, as they normally would, but rather traveled from their rear to darken the Egyptian camp.

Rashi, Shemos 14:19

Rashi explains that the angel was designated to intercept the Egyptian projectiles whereas the clouds were sent to block the light of the Amud HaAish from reaching the Mitzrim. The pasuk conveys Hashem’s feelings of obligation towards the preservation and protection of His chosen nation. As Hashem states in Parashat Yisro, “I lifted you upon the wings of eagles and brought you to Me.” Rashi there explains the metaphor: “just as an eagle carries its young on its back… to protect them from manmade projectiles below… so too Hashem protected us… and when the Mitzrim threw projectiles, the clouds intercepted them.”

But as solid as Klal Yisrael’s relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu seems, the dispatching of this Malach simultaneously indicates exactly the opposite:

Normally the verse states “Malach Hashem,” but here it states “Malach Elokim,” and Elokim invariably refers to Din. This teaches Klal Yisrael were judged at that moment [when the Malach passed behind them] whether to be saved or to be destroyed with Mitzrayim.

Rashi, Shemos 14:19

On one hand, Hashem here unconditionally protects His nation, and on the other, He judges whether they deserve annihilation. The notion that Hashem would ever consider destroying the entire nation is itself absurd, given Hashem’s need to uphold His promise to Avraham Avinu.

“Speak to the Bnei Yirael, and they should travel,” the merits of their forefathers and that they believed in Me and left [Mitzraim] are enough to split the sea for them.

Rashi, Shemos 14:15

Notably, Hashem refers to the merits of the Avos, but only associates this Zechus to the splitting of the sea; whether the sea would remain split for all of Klal Yisrael to cross is another matter altogether.

Several of the Mefarshei Rashi read an undertone of doom and punishment into this episode. The Bnei Yisrael cry out to Moshe how their lives would have been better had they only stayed slaves in Mitzrayim, so it’s only plausible that their cries anger Hashem and He executes a judgment against them.

The fact remains, however, that Klal Yisrael did cross the Yam Suf and the Mitzrim drowned, so whatever judgment Hashem carried out had negligible effect on the Jews. Instead, it seems more plausible that Rashi calls on the presence of Din within this episode as a necessary measure by which to deal with the Mitzrim. The sea didn’t open on the Mitzrim’s behalf (rather, it opened on Bnei Yisrael’s merits) but Hashem’s Din caused it to close on them.

Interestingly, the Malach Elokim walked from the rear of Machane Yisrael whereas the cloud stood at their rear. Perhaps Rashi is stressing that while Klal Yisrael spent the night crossing the sea, the cloud hovered shoreside over the Egyptian camp so they could not see that the sea was split or that the Jews were traveling, whereas the Malach walked out to the sea to execute its Din against Mitzrayim. Upon the Ashmores HaBoker, eight hours later, the cloud lifted and the Mitzrim discovered that the sea had split. They ran out into the sea for a few hours, but before they could reach the other side, the Malach executed Din, the waters returned to their normal state and submerged the Egyptian army. The next morning, Bnei Yisrael sang Az Yashir.

This understanding may also explain why in this week’s parasha Rashi claims the Malach intercepted the Egyptian projectiles, whereas in next week’s parasha he claims the clouds did so. According to the Levush HaOrah, the Malach assumed its position behind Klal Yisrael while it was still daylight. The cloud did not arrive until nightfall, when the Amud HaAish took its place (as Rashi explicitly states). This explains why the pasuk separates the two when stated how they moved to the rear of Machane Yisrael, for the moves are ordered chronologically. Therefore, the Malach intercepted all the projectiles during the day, but once it moved out onto the sea to perform its Din there, the cloud, which hung back with Machane Mitzrayim, took up this role in the Malach’s stead.

It is true that Hashem judged Klal Yisrael when the Malach passed behind. The placement of the Malach between the two Machanot was itself a manifestation of this Din. Those in front of the Malach would be saved and those behind would be killed. But the real danger for Yisrael was not this Din, for there is really no indication here that Hashem ever considered killing His nation. Rather, Yisrael needed more than just a good Din to split the Yam Suf to begin, that feat required their Avos and their own Zechuyot.