(6) He (Pharaoh) made ready his chariot and took his men with him;
(א) ויאסר את רכבו. הוּא בְעַצְמוֹ (מכילתא):
(1) ויאסר את רכבו AND HE MADE READY HIS CHARIOT — he himself (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:6:1)
(ח) וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּחֲבשׁ אֶת חֲמֹרוֹ (בראשית כב, ג), אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי אַהֲבָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה וְשִׂנְאָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה. אַהֲבָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה דִּכְתִיב: וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וגו', וְלֹא הָיָה לוֹ כַּמָּה עֲבָדִים, אֶלָּא אַהֲבָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה. וְשִׂנְאָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר כב, כא): וַיָּקָם בִּלְעָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּחֲבשׁ אֶת אֲתֹנוֹ, וְלֹא הָיוּ לוֹ כַּמָּה עֲבָדִים, אֶלָּא שִׂנְאָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה. אַהֲבָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית מו, כט): וַיֶּאֱסֹר יוֹסֵף מֶרְכַּבְתּוֹ וַיַּעַל לִקְרַאת יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִיו, וְכִי לֹא הָיָה לְיוֹסֵף כַּמָּה עֲבָדִים, אֶלָּא אַהֲבָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה. שִׂנְאָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת אֶת הַשּׁוּרָה, דִּכְתִיב (שמות יד, ו): וַיֶּאֱסֹר אֶת רִכְבּוֹ, וְלֹא הָיָה לוֹ כַּמָּה עֲבָדִים, אֶלָּא שִׂנְאָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת הַשּׁוּרָה. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי תָּבוֹא חֲבָשָׁה וְתַעֲמֹד עַל חֲבָשָׁה, תָּבוֹא חֲבָשָׁה שֶׁחָבַשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ לֵילֵךְ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם שֶׁל מִי שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כב, י): וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְרָהָם אֶת יָדוֹ וגו', וְתַעֲמֹד עַל חֲבָשָׁה שֶׁחָבַשׁ בִּלְעָם לֵילֵךְ וּלְקַלֵּל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. תָּבוֹא אֲסָרָה שֶׁאָסַר יוֹסֵף לִקְרַאת אָבִיו, וְתַעֲמֹד עַל אֲסָרָה שֶׁל פַּרְעֹה שֶׁהָיָה הוֹלֵךְ לִרְדֹף אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, תָּנֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל תָּבוֹא חֶרֶב יַד שֶׁעָשָׂה אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְרָהָם אֶת יָדוֹ וַיִּקַח אֶת הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת לִשְׁחֹט אֶת בְּנוֹ, וְתַעֲמֹד עַל חֶרֶב יַד שֶׁאָמַר פַּרְעֹה (שמות טו, ט): אָרִיק חַרְבִּי. (בראשית כב, ג): וַיִּקַּח אֶת שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו אִתּוֹ, אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם נָהֲגוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אַבְרָהָם וְשָׁאוּל, אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּקַּח אֶת שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו. שָׁאוּל, (שמואל א כח, ח): וַיֵּלֶךְ הוּא וּשְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִמּוֹ. (בראשית כב, ג): וַיְבַקַּע עֲצֵי עֹלָה, רַבִּי חִיָּא בַּר יוֹסֵי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי מְיָאַשָׁא וְתָנֵי לָהּ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי בְּנָיָה, בִּשְׂכַר שְׁתֵּי בְּקִיעוֹת שֶׁבָּקַע אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ עֲצֵי עוֹלָה זָכָה לְהִבָּקַע הַיָּם לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְבַקַּע עֲצֵי עֹלָה, וְנֶאֱמַר לְהַלָּן (שמות יד, כא): וַיִבָּקְעוּ הַמָּיִם. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי דַּיֶּיךָּ עַד כֹּה, אֶלָּא אַבְרָהָם לְפִי כֹחוֹ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְפִי כֹחוֹ, (בראשית כב, ג): וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶת הַמָּקוֹם, נִתַּן לוֹ שְׂכַר קִימָה וּשְׂכַר הֲלִיכָה.
(8) ...And Avraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey (Genesis 22:3). Rabbi Simeon b. Yohai said: Love upsets the natural order, and hate upsets the natural order. Love upsets the natural order: "And Avraham rose early in the morning, etc".: surely he had plenty of slaves? But the reason was that love upset the natural order. Hate upsets the natural order: "And Bilam rose up in the morning, and saddled his donkey" (Num. 22:21): surely he had plenty of slaves? Hate, however, upsets the natural order. Love upsets the natural order: "And Yosef made ready his chariot, etc." (Gen. 46:29): yet surely Yosef had plenty of slaves? But love upsets the natural order. Hate upsets the natural order: "And he made ready his chariot" (Ex. 14:6); yet surely he had plenty of slaves? Thus hate upsets the natural order. Rabbi Simeon b. Yohai said: Let saddling counteract saddling. Let the saddling done by our father Avraham in order to go and fulfill the will of the One at whose word the world came into existence counteract the saddling done by Bilam in order to go and curse Israel. Let preparing counteract preparing. Let Yosef’s preparing [of his chariot] to meet his father counteract Pharaoh’s preparing to go and pursue Israel. Rabbi Ishmael taught: Let the sword of the hand counteract the sword of the hand. Let the sword taken in the hand of our father Avraham, as it says, "And Avraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son" (Gen. 22:10), come and counteract the sword grasped by Pharaoh’s hand when he said, "I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them" (Ex. 15:9). "And took two of his young men with him, and Itzchak his son." (Gen. 22:3) Rabbi Abbahu said: Two people behaved with derech eretz (decency), Avraham and Saul: Avraham, as it says, "And took two of his young men with him"; Saul, as it says, "And Saul … went, he and two men with him" (I Sam. 28:8). "And he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering," (Gen. 22:3) Rabbi Hiyya b. Rabbi Yosei said in the name of Rabbi Meyasha, and it was also repeated in the name of Rabbi Benaiah: As a reward for the two cleavings with which our father Avraham cleaved the wood of the burnt-offering, he earned that God should cleave [divide] the Sea before his descendants, as it says, And the waters were divided (Ex. 14:21). Said Rabbi Levi: Enough of this! In truth Avraham acted according to his powers an the Holy One of Blessing according to His powers. "And he rose up, and went to the place." (Gen. 22:3) Avraham was rewarded for rising up and for going.
מה תצעק אלי WHEREFORE CRIEST THOU UNTO ME? — there is no mention that he prayed to God concerning this, but this teaches us that Moses stood in prayer. Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “It is no time now to pray at length, when Israel is placed in trouble”. Another explanation of מה תצעק אלי (taking it in the sense of “Wherefore criest thou? אלי it is to Me — concerns Me”) — upon Me rests this matter and not upon thee. (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:15:2) דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT THEY JOURNEY ONWARDS — There is nothing for them to do but to journey on, for the sea will not stand in their way: their ancestors’ merits and their own, and the faith that they placed in Me so that they left Egypt will suffice to divide the sea for them (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:15:1; Shemot Rabbah 21:8).
(א) ויאמר ה' אל משה מה תצעק אלי, ר' יהושע אומר אמר הקב"ה למשה משה אין להם לישראל אלא ליסע בלבד. ר' אליעזר אומר אמר הקב"ה למשה משה בני נתונים בצרה הים סוגר ושונא רודף ואתה עומד ומרבה בתפלה. מה תצעק אלי שהיה אומר יש שעה לקצר ויש שעה להאריך
(1) (Exodus 14:15) "And the Lord said to Moses: Why do you cry out to Me?" R. Yehoshua says: The Holy One Blessed be He said to Moses: Moses, all that Israel has to do is to go forward. R. Eliezer says: The Holy One Blessed be He said to Moses: Moses, My children are in trouble. The sea is raging and the foe is pursuing and you stand and prolong your prayers? For R. Eliezer was wont to say: There is a time to prolong (prayer) and a time to shorten.