Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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בלה תובשחמ
will follow my instructions” (16:4). Similarly in Devarim it refers to the purpose
of the man as being “in order to teach that man does not live on bread alone,
rather, man lives by whatever God commands” (Devarim 8:3).
(4) Refidim – once again the Jewish nation runs out of water and the complaints
come piling in to Moshe. Moshe is told to go to Chorev and hit the rock that will
bring forth water. Am Yisrael are forced to travel from Refidim to Chorev, which
is the future site of Har Sinai and Matan Torah. Matan Torah becomes not only
the source for spiritual sustenance but the source of even the most basic physical
existence.
(5) The War with Amalek – The young, battered, tired nation is attacked by
the mighty nation of Amalek. Moshe Rabbeinu is commanded to ascend the
“hill” (according to Ibn Ezra this hill is Har Sinai) and to raise his hands. The
Jewish people learn from this: when they look up at the hands of Moshe they have
salvation and when they look down they are defeated (17:11). As the Gemara in
Rosh Hashana (29a) teaches, when we look up to God for salvation it will come,
but when we look to man for salvation there will not be salvation. This is the final
lesson in the Midbar regarding “Ani Hashem,” the lesson that we could not learn
in Mitzrayim itself.
We should all be zocheh to see through the smallness and shackles of slavery and
to obey and live with the message of “Ani Hashem!”