Beshalach: Acting on Instinct and Asking for Guidance

Beshalach 5785

Translations my own.

In the Parashah this week, Moshe gives bad advice to B’nei Yisrael as they express their concern about the Egyptians pursuing them during their flight from Egypt.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶל־הָעָם֮ אַל־תִּירָ֒אוּ֒ הִֽתְיַצְּב֗וּ וּרְאוּ֙ אֶת־יְשׁוּעַ֣ת ה’ אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם כִּ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר רְאִיתֶ֤ם אֶת־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם לֹ֥א תֹסִ֛פוּ לִרְאֹתָ֥ם ע֖וֹד עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃

Moshe said to the nation: “Fear not; stand by and see the LORD’s salvation which (the LORD) will do for you today, for you will no longer ever see the Egyptians as you see them today.”

ה’ יִלָּחֵ֣ם לָכֶ֑ם וְאַתֶּ֖ם תַּחֲרִשֽׁוּן׃{פ}

ה’  will battle for you; you hold your peace!”
Ex. 14:13-14

Immediately, God corrects Moshe:

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה’ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְיִסָּֽעוּ׃

Then the LORD said to Moshe: “Why are you crying out to Me?  Tell the Children of Israel to move!
Ex. 14:15

Clearly, Moshe’s advice to the people should not have been “be still” but “get going.” Setting aside the interesting question of what was wrong with Moshe’s advice and what might have led Moshe astray, I want to take a look at the fact that Moshe gives this advice without talking to God first as well as how God responds.

This is not, by the way, the only time when a prophet gives advice with which God eventually disagrees. One of my favorite examples of this is my Hebrew namesake, the prophet Nathan, when David asks about building a temple to God.  Nathan immediately gives David the go-ahead

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר נָתָן֙ אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לֵ֣ךְ עֲשֵׂ֑ה כִּ֥י ה’ עִמָּֽךְ׃

Nathan said to the king, “Go and do whatever is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
2 Samuel 7:3

וַיְהִ֖י בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֑וּא{ס}      וַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־ה’ אֶל־נָתָ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃

לֵ֤ךְ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֙ אֶל־עַבְדִּ֣י אֶל־דָּוִ֔ד{ס}      כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר ה’ הַאַתָּ֛ה תִּבְנֶה־לִּ֥י בַ֖יִת לְשִׁבְתִּֽי׃

כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָשַׁ֙בְתִּי֙ בְּבַ֔יִת לְ֠מִיּ֠וֹם הַעֲלֹתִ֞י אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם וְעַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וָאֶֽהְיֶה֙ מִתְהַלֵּ֔ךְ בְּאֹ֖הֶל וּבְמִשְׁכָּֽן׃

It was that same night; and the word of the LORD came to Nathan saying:
“Go and say to My servant, to David: ‘Thus said the LORD, would you build a house to make me dwell?
For I have not dwelled in a house from the day I brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt until this day, rather I moved in tent and tabernacle.
2 Samuel  7:4-6.

Following this, God tells David that David’s son would build the temple rather than David.

Quite notably, even though Moshe and Nathan apparently err in their advice, at no point does God criticize them for speaking out of turn or for giving advice before consulting with God.  It appears that part of the prophetic role was to respond to inquiries based on their own intuition, subject to God’s correction in case they got something wrong.

To be certain, there are other times when a prophet asks God before giving advice, examples include when Moshe consults with God about the claim of Tzelofhad’s daughters (Numbers 27:1-11) or when Jeremiah waits 10 days to hear from God before providing any counsel to the leaders who had sought guidance after the Babylonian destruction (Jeremiah 42:1-7).[1] There are also times when, a prophet might come to a conclusion as to the right course of action but still await divine confirmation before acting.[2]  But other times prophets take the initiative in leading the people religiously.  For instance, also in this week’s parashah, neither Moshe nor Miriam (notably here described as a prophet) await divine guidance before leading the Israelites in songs of praise for God after the parting of the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1, 20-21), during which, interestingly, the Talmud tells us that God at least disapproved of the angels’ celebration (BT Sanhedrin 39b).  The Babylonian Talmud in Yevamot (62a) list three particular occasions where Moshe acted based on his own reason and God subsequently agreed with his actions.[3]

I think the lesson to be learned here is that while it is certainly often wise and good to consult with others, there are also times where it is OK, and maybe even best, for one to act on one’s own initiative, even if one has access to an advisor and even when that advisor is literally infallible.

Interestingly, the idea that sometimes consultation is not necessary is also indicated in the Torah’s teaching that is taken as the paradigm for one seeking rabbinic guidance.  There, in telling people how to handle matters of legal dispute, the Torah leads with the phraseכִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֨ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט  – If a case is too baffling for you to decide (Deut. 17:8), implying that when one is capable of coming to one’s own reasonable and informed conclusion about an issue, asking someone else the question is not necessary.

No doubt, there is much wisdom to be gained by asking for guidance from others.  But it is also important for us to recognize our personal ability and, often, responsibility, to act on our own counsel.  No matter how much advice we might get, ultimately we are personally responsible for the actions we take.  Also, the time taken to consult is not without its own set of costs, especially, though not only, in the most urgent situations.  For instance, Shulhan Arukh teaches that one who asks whether the Sabbath may be violated in response to a medical emergency is considered to have spilled blood (Orah Hayyim 328:2)!  Therefore, it is also important for us to learn and practice making good decisions on our own, at least when that is necessary.

I’ll close with a riff off Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer: God, grant us the humility to seek guidance from others in the moments we need it, the courage to act based on our own wisdom in the moments where Your values call for it, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Personal note: My wife, Melissa, will be speaking at the Center for Jewish History in New York on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm about The Civil War Diary of Emma Mordecai, a project of the late Professor Dianne Ashton z”l which Melissa completed.   You can register to attend in person or online here.

[1] Other examples include Moshe waiting for guidance on how to deal with the blasphemer (Leviticus 24:10-23) or the woodchopper (Numbers 15:32-36).

[2] See Hakham Isaac Sassoon, An Adventure in Torah – A Fresh Look Through a Traditional Lens (2022) on Deut. 31:2 (p. 435).

[3] Thank you to Rabbi Robert Pilavin for suggesting pointing me to this passage.