"And it was, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Pelishtim... " (Shemot 13:17) This verse, which introduces the parasha, depicts the Exodus as possessing two aspects.
Parashat Beshalach (especially as interpreted by the Gemara) and its haftara both present differing responses by men and women to oppression and deliverance.
In this sicha, we discuss a number of elements in the parsha, including the camp at Ba’al Tzafon, the four groups among Bnei Yisrael, the prominence of the related words yira and re’iya in the story, and the connection between the splitting of the sea and the akeida.
