1996/5756
Despite Moshe's initial reluctance to become the leader of Bnei Yisrael, and his use of Aharon as a spokesman, by this week's פרשה he appears to be perfectly comfortable speaking for himself even at such tense moments as when the Jews are sandwiched between the Egyptians and the sea. Why does he suddenly go back to using Aharon as a spokesman in טז:ט, when the people complain about their lack of food?
פרק טז discusses the arrival of the מן. In טז:טז,יח We are told both that the people gathered the מן each according to what he could eat (seemingly a subjective amount) and one עומר per person (an objective measurement). How do we resolve this contradiction? b) We are told in טז:לג-לד that a container of מן was placed לפני ה' למשמרת. At what point did this happen, considering that the משכן was not yet built?
The Torah states (טז:לה) that Bnei Yisrael ate the מן for forty years until they reached ארץ נושבת... קצה ארץ כנען. Precisely where and when did this happen (see יהושע פרק ה)?
The parsha ends with the battle of Bnei Yisrael and Amalek. Following the battle, Hashem commands Moshe, כתב זאת זכרון בספר ושים באזני יהושע כי מחה אמחה את זכר עמלק מתחת השמים, that he should write "this" in a book and tell it to Yehoshua, for Hashem will destroy Amalek. What is the "this," and why must it be told to Yehoshua (who had not yet even been selected as Moshe's successor)? If Hashem will destroy Amalek, why must Moshe write it in a book for future generations of Jews? Is there a conflict between Hashem's promise of מחה אמחה את זכר עמלק, that He will destroy Amalek, and the command in פרשת כי תצא to Bnei Yisrael of תמחה את זכר עמלק, which places the burden of destruction on them? What is the meaning of ה' נסי, the title which Moshe gives the מזבח he builds after the battle