JANUARY 13 • 2022 | 35

authorities, he and his son 
Eliezer hid in a cave with a 
stream and a carob tree, pro-
viding all their needs for years 
(Talmud Shabbat 33b). 
 The Mishnah treats the 
carob as a tree that produces 
food for humans (Peah 1:5 and 
elsewhere) although much of 
the crop was used for animal 
fodder. Rabbinic literature uses 
the expression “eating carob” 
to mean “living in poverty” 
(Lev. Rabbah 13:4). 
An old man planting carob 
trees appears in several rab-
binic stories (Rabbi Burton 
Visotsky counts at least eight 
versions). In rabbinic litera-
ture, the carob famously takes 
years to reach maturity. In one 
version, the Roman emperor 
challenges the old man, “Will 
you live to eat the fruit of 
these trees?” And the old man 
responds, “Early or late, I do 
what pleases my Master in 
Heaven.
” The emperor mock-
ingly offers the man a basket 
of gold if he lives to bring 
the fruit to the palace. Many 
years later, the man brings the 
fruit, and the emperor gives 
him a basket of gold (Leviticus 
Rabbah 25:5). 
In a parallel story, early 
scholar Honi challenges the 
old man, who says, “I found 
carob trees in the world; as my 
forefathers planted these for 
me, I, too, plant these for my 
children.
” (Talmud Taanit 23a).

Author Miriam Feinberg 
Vamosh notes a grove of carob 
trees grows at Yad Vashem, 
which honors the memory of 
“righteous gentiles,
” those who 
heroically saved the lives of 
Jews during the Holocaust, by 
planting carob trees in memo-
ry of each hero. Vamosh won-
dered, “Why carob trees?” 
She found her answer when 
a guide at the Rothschild 
Gardens in Zichron Ya’akov 
explained why the carob trees 
in that garden bear no fruit. 
The Rothschild Gardens car-
obs get too much water, the 
guide said: “Because we water 
the lawns regularly, the carobs 
get too much water and they 
don’t bear fruit — carobs only 
bear fruit under stress, where 
no other fruit will grow.
” 
Vamosh writes, “Right then 
and there, I connected to the 
Yad Vashem carobs: They 
symbolize the people who 
‘bore fruit’ in a desert of evil 
and immorality.
” 
So, on Tu b’Shevat, we can 
celebrate the coming of spring 
and our connection to the 
land of Israel by eating olives, 
pomegranates and dates, and 
drinking wines, but perhaps 
we might also want to chew on 
a carob fruit. 

Louis Finkelman is a professor 

at Lawrence Tech and a rabbi at 

Congregation Or Chadash in Oak 

Park.

Lessons In Trust
T

his Torah portion covers 
the seven-week period 
between the departure of 
the Jews from Egypt and receiv-
ing the Torah at Mount Sinai. 
This was a critical time, 
which included the splitting 
of the Red Sea. In fact, this 
Shabbat is called Shabbat Shira, 
the Sabbath of Song, which 
commemorates the 
“
Az Yashir,
” which was 
sung by the Jewish 
people when the sea 
engulfed the Egyptian 
army and obliterated 
them.
The text relates that 
at that moment the 
Jews “believed in God 
and in Moses His ser-
vant” (Exodus 14:31). 
The Talmud explains 
that they reached an 
awareness of God that enabled 
them to point to and identify a 
particular lofty level of Divinity.
The Torah portion also 
reveals some weaknesses in 
their response to stressful situa-
tions. When the Egyptians tried 
to crush them at the Red Sea 
or when they were in desperate 
need of water and food, the 
response was one of fear and 
complaint.
Although they had witnessed 
the miracles of the plagues and 
the other wonders, bad habits 
persist; as slaves in Egypt, they 
had gotten used to complaining.
The Torah portion describes 
the miraculous food known as 
the manna. They were never 
given more than a one-day 
supply (except for Fridays when 
they received a two-day supply, 
for Friday and Shabbat; thus, 
they would not have to work on 
the Sabbath to gather it). This 
was not an easy test: Would 

they put their trust in God and 
not worry about the next day 
or would they live lives of fear, 
always worrying about tomor-
row?
The final section of 
Beshallach details the battle 
with the nation of Amalek. In 
describing this, the Torah uses 
the Hebrew phrase asher kor-
cha baderech, which means 
literally “they met you on 
your way out of Egypt” 
(Deuteronomy 25:18). The 
Chasidic masters interpret 
korcha to mean “cooled you 
off.
” The Jews came out of 
Egypt all fired up. They were 
on their way to Mount Sinai 
to receive the greatest gift 
in God’s treasure chest, the 
Holy Torah. Then Amalek 
attacked with the purpose 
of trying to extinguish their 
excitement. The battle against 
Amalek continues forever, as 
there is a personal Amalek with-
in each one of us that attempts 
to throw cold water over the 
soul’s natural desire to have a 
love affair with the Almighty.
Despite the complaints the 
people expressed on a number 
of occasions, the prophet says in 
the name of God, “I remember 
the kindness of your youth, your 
following Me into the desert” 
(Jeremiah 2:2) On the whole, 
God gives us a good grade for 
our behavior in the desert.
This Shabbat of Song is a 
time to nurture and express our 
excitement about the special 
relationship we enjoy with the 
Almighty as chosen people, 
thereby dealing a defeat to our 
internal Amalek. 

Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg is a rabbi 

at Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center 

in West Bloomfield.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi 
Elimelech 
Silberberg

Parshat 

Beshallach: 

Exodus 

13:17-17:16; 

Judges 

4:4-5:31.

