Troubled Waters - Transitional between ויאמינו בהשם ובמשה עבדו to וגם בך יאמינו לעולם, the parasha defines the fundamental nature of transition (בשלח) in the ultimate and inclusive sense. It thus begins with the ויהי of transition (מהר"ל), with שירה המולידה which is the equivalent of אקיה אשר אקיה, and expresses the limitations of human knowledge and language with the constantly stretching envelope of מי כמוך באלים which becomes the very פסל מיכ"ה that itself is dedicated to always inserting humor into current belief systems: the astounding contribution of Moshe which came from both הצל לא הצלת...נימוכחם=מיכה and the ויואל משה לשבת את האיש which is the promise to send his son to Catholic seminary and the resultant ויואל הלוי לשבת as his grandson! This itself provides for עמלק who is central to לץ יהיר in which the problem is only ולא ירא אלוקים.
Thus we have here a new Moshe, the one who wished to avoid the temporary אותות שיש אחריהם דופי and who could deal with the present situation only out of the passion for the moment in Micha, as a story of a growing and evolutionary process which becomes the הליכה במדבר ארבעים שנה. In this sense Moshe is the compleat לוי=לוייה who does not enter א"י-עתה תראה and who has placement only within the ultimates. It is only in מיכה that the לוי becomes the כהן!
So it is that Rambam uses בשלח to prove that Torah is not meant as a statement of absolutes but as instructions for a small planet and a young species, who must complete a childhood within this universe before becoming capable of dealing with reality: ולא נחם א' דרך ארץ פלישתים...כי אמר!
Beshalach is not simply a parasha of transition, but one that illuminates the nature of transition. Understanding this allows us to see the unity in the disparate elements of the parasha. Thus, the exhilaration, the unhappiness, the struggles with emunah, and the war against Amalek, are part and parcel of the ongoing battle of living within process. This, too, is the essence of shirah, the feminine manifestation of a continuously unfolding Creation. Language (and poetry in particular) is the basis of all freedom, as it allows us to make ever finer distinctions between moral choices; therefore, as language becomes more sophisticated, we are brought closer to the cutting edge of our vision of reality. Yet, “Mi Chamocha” is a constant reminder of the limitations of language. The association of Mi Chamocha with pesel Micah is our cue not to take ourselves or our avodah too seriously, because Torah does not provide us with absolute Truth, but only the process in which we are gradually led to it. Moshe Rabbeinu – the consummate Levite – is our escort along the way.

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