And Hashem said to Moshe, "Why do you scream to me about the children of Israel? Tell them to proceed." (14:15). It is written in the Midrash: (Shemos Rabbah 21:1).
/ When he saw Pharaoh pursuing the children of Israel, he came to cry out, as it is stated: “Hashem said to Moshe: Why are you crying out to Me?” He said to him, ‘Why are you in distress?’ Rabbi Yehoshua said: This is analogous to the beloved of a king who had an issue and went to cry out before the king. The king said, ‘Why are you crying out? Decree, and I will do it.’ So, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, “Why are you crying out to Me?"—speak, and I will do it. This is the concept of «§e K® ̈l m =w ́ ̈i §e x ¤n † Ÿ` x©f §b ¦z(jf cf cuht) You will decree, and it will be fulfilled (Iyuv 22:28).
To understand what the difference is between Moshe praying to Hashem and his decreeing, One way to answer is that prayer can be long at times, and the time was of essence; therefore, Hashem said to Moshe that he should decree and He will answer. We find that in Miriam. “And Moshe cried to Hashem, saying, ‘Please heal Miriam, I beg you" (Bamidbar 12:13). Rashi, on Please heal her, asks: Why did Moshe not pray at length; all he prayed was Please heal her? So that the Israelites should not say, “His sister is in distress, yet he stands and prolongs his prayer.” What Moshe simply said was, “Kel Na Refah Na Lah." This is the concept of Moshe decreeing to Hashem to heal Miriam, and Hashem answered him. What we derive from here is that prayer can sometimes be too long; therefore, Hashem told Moshe to decree which is shorter and not to pray at length.
The Sefer Magid Taaluma on Mesichta Berachos from Harav Tzvi Elimelch Shapiro of Dinev l''wevf, author of Bnei Yisasschar (Yahrtzeit 18 Teves 5601 1841), offers a beautiful insight into a famous gemara in Berachos 31b. Chana, the mother of Shmel Hanavi, waited many years to have a child. When Hashem gave her a son, Shmuel, she came back to the Temple to make a sacrifice. Eli Hakoen went looking for a Kohen to slaughter the animal. Shmuel reacted and said the slaughtering could be done even by an Israelite. Eli was upset, and Chana said to Eli Hakohen, "i ¦Y §l ̈N ©R §z ¦d d¤G ©d x©r©P ©d l ¤`" For this youth, I prayed” (I Shmuel 1:27). Eli Hakohen wanted to punish Shmuel with death, as anyone who issues a halachic ruling in the presence of his teacher, even if the particular halacha is correct, is liable for death. Chana begged, Do not punish the child who was born of my prayers. He said to her, Let me punish him, and I will pray for mercy that the Holy One, blessed be He, will grant you a son who will be greater than this one. She said to him, “For this youth, I prayed,” and I want no other. What did Chana indicate that her prayer would be stronger than the prayer of Eli?
The Dinover Rebbe explains, based on the teachings of his Rebbe, The Chozeh of Lublin l''wevf, that when a Tzadik gives a decree as Tzaddik Gozer and Hashem listens, this Yeshua can last a short while. Whereas when a Tzaddik prays and Hashem answers, the Yeshua is eternal. This is what the Posuk says.
o Ÿev ̈x z¥r 'd L §l i ¦z ̈l ¦t §z i ¦p£`©e "L¤r §y ¦i z ¤n¡` ¤a i ¦p¥p£r" L ¤c §q ©g a ̈x §a mi ¦d Ÿl¡`(sh yx ohkv,). As for me, may my prayer come to You at a favorable moment; Eis Ratzon, Hashem in Your abundant faithfulness, answer me with “Your sure deliverance"—eternal Yeshua. This implies that, through Tefilah, Hashem would answer with sure deliverance.
Therefore, Chana told Eli, i ¦Y §l ̈N ©R §z ¦d I prayed for this child; hence, the Yeshua would be eternal, and my son would live long. However, by decreeing another son, it would only be for a short while. Therefore, Chana begged Eli not to punish Shmuel, and he listened to her. The same was true of the splitting of the sea. Moshe had the choice of praying, which would have taken up too much time, and the Egyptions were racing towards the Yidden. The other choice was to decree that the sea should split, which would be quicker. Hashem told Moshe that the Yeshua had to only be temporary until the Yidden passed through the dry sea. Therefore, Hashem said, Now is not the time for prayer. Speak and decree a Yeshua, as Tzaddik Gozer, and Hashem will fulfill your decree and the Yidden will pass through unharmed. As the Posuk continues: And you raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and split it, and the children of Israel shall come in the midst of the sea on dry land.
This is Pshat in Midrash connecting the command “speak to the Yidden” in the context of being x¤f Ÿb wicv as opposed to d ̈li ¦t §z his prayer. However, in general, prayer is always the superior way.
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
