Questions on Parshas Beshalach to think about and discuss:

1. Who jumped first into the waters of the Yum Suf?
2. What is the special name given to Parshas Beshalach and what special minhag is associated with it?
3. What is a major lesson from the falling of the Mon?
4. When do we say each day parts from Parshas Beshalach?
5. When during the year do we read from Parshas Beshalach?
6. How was the shira sung by the Jews?
7. What was the youngest age of people who sang the shira?
8. In many shuls the reader sings some of pesukim of the shira in a tune. What guides which verses are sung?
9. The men sang the shira with Moshe while the women sang it with Miriam. How could the men listen to the women singing? Why did they not sing it all together – why separate?
10. At the end of the Parsha we are told to annihilate Amolek. Why single them out more than any other nation?
11. Why did the Jews upon leaving Mitzrayim not go the straightest route through the land of the Philishtim? Why the need for a round about route?
12. What were the different groups amongst the Jews and how was this seen when they were pushed into a corner?
13. Ba’al Tzefon was the only idol left standing. Why and was this singled out?
14. Did any of the Egyptians survive the drowning of the Yum Suf?
15. What miracles happened by the Yum Suf?
16. How did the Jews travel together in the sea?
17. What is the significance of the Egyptians being killed in such a manner, drowned in the sea? Why not kill them in some other form or manner without the need for the chase through the water and all the miracles?
18. Moshe put aside a sample of the Mon for future generations. What happened to it? Where is it now?
19. At the end of Parshas Beshalach it brings the battle against Amolek. Why did Yehoshua lead the physical battle and not Moshe?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. The Gemora in Sota 37a brings an argument. According to R’ Meir it was the whole tribe of Binyomin while according to R’ Yehuda it was Nachson Ben Aminodov from the tribe of Yehuda.
2. Shabbos Shira after the shira sung in our parsha. The minhag is to give food to the birds. This is because Moshe said no mon would fall on Shabbos. Dosson and Avirom planted early Shabbos morning mon to disprove Moshe. However, by the time the people came out to see nothing was left since the birds had already eaten it! To remember and thank the birds the minhag is to put out food for them.
3. The Jews in the desert lived a miraculous life. The falling of the Mon was meant to only be enough for each day and was not allowed to be stored. It shows us our constant dependency on Hashem, especially for our food and livelihood.
4. The Shira is said in Shachris and some people say after davening Parshas HaMon.
5. Parshas Beshalach from the beginning is read on the seventh day of Pesach which is when the shira took place. The very end of Parshas Beshalach is read on Purim.
6. The Gemora (Sota 30b) brings three opinions what the Jews said in response to Moshe’s words: R’ Akiva says that they answered the Roshei Perokim. R’ Yossi Hagleli says that they repeated each phrase as Moshe had said it. R’ Nechemia says that they all joined in together after Moshe had started them off.
7. The Gemora in Sota 30b brings that even the nursing babies and R’ Meir says that even babies in the womb sang!
8. I think the pattern is that only the pesukim where Hashem’s Name appears are sung.
10. There is something unique to Amolek. They were the first to attack after the miracles of the Yum Suf and came to remove the impact of fear of the Jews and Hashem that engulfed the whole world.
11. The Tagrum Yonason (14:7) brings that it was in order that they should not see the dead Bn’ei Efrayim there who had escaped Mitzrayim earlier and had been slaughtered. This would have disheartened them.
12. The Targum Yonason (14:13) brings that this was seen when they were cornered by the Yum Suf. This resulted in four different groups: One said to go into the Yum Suf; another said to to return to Mitzrayim; another said to do battle and another said to make a frightening noise and scare away the enemy. See the Targum how he shows from the pesukim how Hashem addresses each of these groups approaches.
13. Rashi (14:2) brings that it was left standing to fool the Egyptians. As to why specifically this one perhaps this is seen in its name. Tzofen is also the name for the North and this direction more than all the others is associated with evil – מצפון תפתח הרע…
14. From my memory I seem to recall a Chazal that says that Paro was the sole survivor in order that he should be able to testify to Hashem’s greatness. He went on to become the King of Ninvei and it was he who encouraged the people when approached by Yona to do teshuva.
15. The Mishna (Pirkei Avos 5:4) says that ten miracles happened there. See there in the commentaries what they were… The Midrash list other miracles as well…
16. Chazal say that each tribe had their own pathway in the Yum Suf – (Tehilim 136:13) – לגזר ים סוף לגזרים.
18. It was hidden by King Yoshiyohu with the Aron and other things. It was hidden under the storehouse of wood in the Beis Hamikdosh. (See Bartenura to Shekolim, 6:1).