B'shalach 5772

When the waters came crashing together, and the Egyptians drowned, and the Israelites were at last completely saved, Moses burst into song:

[Exodus 15:1]  I will sing to YHVH, for He has triumphed gloriously; horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.  [2]  YHVH is my strength and might/He is become my deliverance.  This is my God and I will enshrine Him; the God of my ancestors, and I will exalt Him.  [3]  YHVH, the Warrior—YHVH is His name!

God as a warrior?  Astounding!  We who “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14) have trouble accepting such an aggressive image.  It seems completely at odds with our expectation for a loving, present God.

But there are times when it helps to think of God as a warrior:  focused, determined, targeted, powerful.  Sometimes, we need a warrior for Peace and Justice on our side—a God like the Freedom Riders, able to withstand the onslaught for what is right.  Sometimes, we need a warrior on our side to attack our illness, fighting the “bad guys” inside our bodies and cells—a God like a surgeon, able to cut in order to save.  Sometimes, even lovers of peace need a warrior.

Later in our parsha, God is called a “healer” (15:26).  Perhaps Healers and Warriors have something in common.