EXODUS - CHIASMS IN SEFER SHEMOT - part 1

The chiastic structure (named after the Greek letter X – chi), A B C D C1 B1 A1 makes several appearances in Sefer Shemot. Generally, this structure serves two purposes – to focus the attention of the reader on the central axis, and to allow for comparisons between the differing branches. This entry will demonstrate how this structure is used to great effect in Sefer Shemot.
1] - During Moshe’s first meeting with Hashem, he makes several arguments against accepting the Divine mission to go to Egypt and redeem the Jewish people. Interestingly, Rashi constantly interprets Moshe’s excuses and the symbolism of the signs that he is given as reflecting his lack of faith not in God, but in the Jewish people. Where does the text allude to this approach? By arranging Moshe’s 7 speeches to G-d, something fascinating occurs.

A – “Here I am [HINENI]” (3:4) – the traditional response to the Divine call.
B – “Who am I that I should go to Pharoah and free the Children of Israel from Egypt?” (3:11)
C – “When I come to the Children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’, what shall I say to them?” (3:13)
D – “But what if they do not believe me?” (4:1)
C1 – “A rod.” (4:2) – Moshe here receives the first of three signs that he is to show the Children of Israel.
B1 – “Please, O Lord, I have never been a man of words …” (4:10) God’s response to this complaint is to appoint Aaron as his spokesman when they go before the royal court.
A1 – “Send who you will send!” (4:13) – Note that at this statement (the Jewish Study Bible translates it as “Make someone else your agent””, colloquially we would say today, “Anyone but me!”), God becomes angry and sends him from his presence (Rashbam [Breishit 32] even suggests that this is the reason for the attack on Moshe’s life at the inn.)

“How did Moshe regress from the eagerness of “Hineni” to the statement “Anyone but me!” What this structure demonstrates is that Moshe’s fundamental concern is not the prospect of encountering Pharaoh – indeed; the Torah will describe his unhesitating and fearless approach towards the Egyptian monarch. His overriding fear (as proven by its central location) is the encounter with the Jewish people (consider - of the three adult encounters that he has had, in the conflicts between the Egyptian taskmaster and the Jewish slave, the battle between the two Jews fighting, and the fight between Reuel’s daughters and the shepherds who harassed them, his only failure came when he intervened in the fight between the two Jewish slaves. The text alludes to the baseless ness of his fear – the Torah tells us that he will not require the use of any of them to convince the Jewish people – instead, two of three signs (the rod turning into a snake and the river turning to blood) serve as warnings and punishments to Pharaoh.)

2] The Exodus from Egypt also contains several stories that are doubled: twice they encounter external enemies, twice they run out of water, twice they are given charges towards sanctity. Textually, the story is structured as followed:
A – The Sanctification of the Firstborn (KADESH LI)
B – The Splitting of the Red Sea
C – The sweetening of the waters at Marah [Ibn Ezra suggests that this first encounter with water, so soon after leaving Egypt, is an allusion to and reversal of the first plague – in Egypt, G-d punished the Egyptians by turning the waters of the Nile to blood; here, God rewards the people by turning the bitter waters to sweet]
D, D1 – The arrival at the oasis of Eilim / The receiving of the Man at Refidim
C1 – The hitting of the rock and the waters from Horev
B1 – The war against Amalek
A1 – The entry of the people into the covenant at Sinai as a GOY KADOSH – a holy nation. [Note that this is preceeded by Yitro’s arrival and the

A quick comparison of the different branches of the structure reveals some interesting insights:
* Upon leaving Egypt, only the firstborn were to be sanctified, and the children were to be given limited instruction on specific rituals and historical events, and only upon the initiative of the questioners. By the time the Jewish people arrive at Sinai, they are all to all participate in the hearing of the Divine commands, and all are considered holy. They are to be active in the pursuit of knowledge.
* At the Red Sea, Hashem personally fought on behalf of the Jewish people; by the time that they battle the Amalekites, it is the Jewish people who physically fight the battle, connected to Hashem of course through the supplications of Moshe Rabbeinu.
* In both stories, Moshe takes wood upon the Divine command and provides the people with water. However, in the first story, Moshe does so with stagnant water, that will not accompany the Jewish people upon their journey. Hepersonally apportions the water. The second time, the water is flowing, and will stay with the Jewish people for 40 years in the desert. It is the people who actively run to the rock at Horev.
How does the Manna serve as the central focus of the story? I would suggest that the comparison with Eilim provides the clue. At the oasis in Eilim, again, the Jews remain passive while Hashem provides their needs. With the Man, while Hashem provides the food, the people become the active gatherers of their sustenance. They maintain their connection with Hashem in two manners – through the equal sharing of the produce, and the refraining of gathering on Shabbat.

{In appreciation to R. Yitz Etshalom who showed me these structures - his presentations, which are more developed and somewhat different from my own, can be found at www.torah.org in the advanced Mikra section}