EN ROUTE FOR SINAI

 On The Banks Of The Red Sea

They were not yet completely out of danger

The next stage brought them to Rephidim (probably Wadi Refayid, to the north-west of Jebel Musa) an immense plain surrounded by mountain peaks of curious shape. Here the Wadi Feiran and Wadi Aleyat unite; in the rainy season these irrigate this very varied region.

Unfortunately, when the caravan reached Rephidim, the springs at which they had counted on watering their flocks after the arduous journey across the wilderness of Sin, had dried up. ‘Give us water to drink,’ shouted the men, and as their leader called on them not to put YAHWEH to the test once again, they resorted to insults and to threats. ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt?’ they asked. ‘Was it so that we should die of thirst with our children and our cattle?’ Mosheh then appealed to YAHWEH, informing him of the situation. ‘How am I to deal with this people?’ he asked. ‘A little more and they will stone me!’ On YAHWEH’s orders Mosheh struck the rock and water gushed out.

They were not yet completely out of danger. A group of Amalekites, warlike Canaanite nomads, who normally settled in the north of the peninsula but preyed on the caravans throughout its whole length, thought that the moment had come to attack the column of fleeing Yisraelites. They foresaw a profitable raid. At the end of the day the throng of assailants appeared in the distance: there was no longer any doubt; the attack was to take place the next day.

Mosheh was not a war leader; he never took part, effectively at least, in the various battles that the Yisraelites fought on their interminable way to the Promised Land. Mosheh’ role was quite different. Among the young warriors, all full of spirit, whom he had noticed on the recent stages of the journey, was a man of the tribe of Ephraim, later to be known by the name of Joshua, the son of Nun; at this time he was called Hoshea (salvation); later, at Kadesh, Mosheh changed this primitive name into Jehoshua -of which we have made Joshua that is, ‘YAHWEH is my yeshua’.

On the eve of the battle, Mosheh said to Joshua: ‘Pick out men for yourself, and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek.1 I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of YAHWEH in my hand.’ All the time that Joshua (he is here given his name in its final form by anticipation) was engaged in battle in the valley, Mosheh from his lofty observation post, was following the vicissitudes of the struggle. To implore the help and protection of YAHWEH he held his arms raised up to heaven. And so long as Mosheh had his hands raised up to YAHWEH the advantage was with Yisrael and Joshua cut his enemies in pieces; but when Mosheh grew weary and let his arms drop the advantage then went to the Amalekites. Aaron and Hur, who had accompanied Mosheh to the mountain, at once realized what had happened; they hastened to seat Mosheh on a large stone and held up his arms as before. This scene has traditionally been interpreted as an illustration of the efficacy of prayer. Soon Joshua had put the Amalekite hordes to flight. At this place Mosheh built an altar which was given the name of YAHWEH-nissi (‘YAHWEH is my banner’), and here the interview with Jethro occurred.

Meeting with Mosheh’ father-in-law, Jethro

At that time, very probably, the Midianite chieftain’s camp was in the pastureland near the Horeb massif. News traveled fast on the steppes. On receiving news of Yisrael’s presence in the region Jethro made his way to the Hebrew camp. He brought his son-in-law’s wife, Zipporah, and her two sons. There were the usual ceremonial greetings and congratulations; Mosheh showed marked deference towards his father-in-law. Jethro, a man of certain age and experience, had serious criticisms to offer about Mosheh’ system of administering justice. ‘It is not right’ he said, ‘to take all this on yourself.’ And he suggested reforms.

From the strictly social sphere we pass at once to the religious. Jethro, father-in-law of Mosheh, offered a sacrifice and offering to YAHWEH; and Aaron came with all the elders of Yisrael to share the meal with the father-in-law of Mosheh in the presence of YAHWEH.

Some historians have reasoned as follows on the basis of this text. Mosheh, Aaron his brother and the elders were present at the offering and set apart meal offered by the priest Jethro. We know enough of the Yisraelite leaders to be sure that they would have categorically refused to be present at an idolatrous sacrifice. Quite obviously, then, Jethro must have offered to YAHWEH. Subsequently this YAHWEH spoke to him in the Burning Bush of Sinai when he was watching Jethro’s sheep. On his return to Egypt Mosheh revealed to bene-Yisrael the existence and power of this YAHWEH who intended to deliver them from their slavery. Mosheh, returning to the land of Goshen from exile, was able in the end to persuade the sons of Yacob to accept the protection of this ABBA who desired to adopt them as his children. Thus everything appears to be explained: Mosheh, Aaron and the elders had no reason to refuse to take part, with Jethro as the offering priest, in a Yahwistic rite.

Despite the logic of this reasoning the thesis may be questioned. In the first place, it may well be that Jethro, Abraham’s grandson by the concubine Keturah, kept a more or less attenuated set apart tradition about the existence of the ABBA of the patriarchs. On the other hand, it is difficult to accept that the Yisraelites of the land of Goshen, who remained always attached to the promises of YAHWEH the ABBA of Abraham, Yitschaq (Isaac), The extraordinary social and set apart revolution carried out by Mosheh is inconceivable if it was not effected in the name of YAHWEH the ABBA, it was the only way that it came about. Finally, there is the close relationship, which was shortly to emerge, between the spirit of the two Covenants -the Covenant granted to Abraham under the Oak of Mamre and the Covenant that very shortly was to be formulated before the people on Sinai.

Soon after these incidents indeed they arrived at Sinai. The way is fairly short between Rephidim and Horeb.

YISRAEL’S JOURNEY TO SINAI

After the passage of the Red Sea, the column of Yisraelites set out for Sinai.

1st stage. Marah. Ain Musa (Spring of Mosheh) or perhaps Ain Howara. At all events the caravan journeyed for three days without having water available.

2nd stage. Elim and its oasis with twelve springs and seventy palm trees in the Wadi Gharandel.

3rd stage. On the shores of the Red Sea. The place has not been identified.

Following stages. Crossing the fearful desert of Sin: Dophkah and Alush.

Rephidim. Battle with the Amalekites.

Arrival at the foot of Jebel Musa (Sinai-Horeb). Establishment of the camp. They stayed there about a year. Important events: the Ten Commandments, the Covenant, the golden calf, the renewal of the Covenant.

1 Amalek the Amalekite tribe is designated here under the name of its eponomous ancestor. Scriptural scholars think that Amalek was the grandson of Esau that is, the son of Eliphaz by Timna the Horite

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