Who Shall Cross?
Posted on Mar 21, 2025
TEXT STUDY: Talmud Bavli, Hullin 7a鈥揵
Watch Rabbi Uhrbach lead a webinar that explores this text.
The following text may be thought of as an alternative maggid, the telling of the story of the Exodus,
which forms the center of the Passover seder. Here, the rabbis of the Talmud tell a story set in their
own time, about one of their own, that parallels part of the Exodus鈥攖he crossing the Sea of Reeds.
Once, Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair was on his way to redeem captives, and came to the River Genai. He said to it: 鈥淕enai, part your waters for me, that I may pass through you.鈥 It said to him: 鈥淵ou are going to do the will of your Maker, and I am going to do the will of my Maker. Regarding you, there is doubt whether you will do it or not. Regarding me, it is certain I will do it.鈥 He said, 鈥淚f you do not part, I will decree that no waters ever flow through you.鈥 It parted for him.
讚专讘讬 驻谞讞住 讘谉 讬讗讬专 讛讜讛 拽讗讝讬诇 诇驻讚讬讜谉 砖讘讜讬讬谉 驻讙注 讘讬讛
讘讙讬谞讗讬 谞讛专讗
讗诪专 诇讬讛 讙讬谞讗讬 讞诇讜拽 诇讬 诪讬诪讱 讜讗注讘讜专 讘讱 讗诪专 诇讬讛
讗转讛 讛讜诇讱 诇注砖讜转 专爪讜谉 拽讜谞讱 讜讗谞讬 讛讜诇讱 诇注砖讜转 专爪讜谉
拽讜谞讬 讗转讛 住驻拽 注讜砖讛 住驻拽 讗讬 讗转讛 注讜砖讛 讗谞讬 讜讚讗讬
注讜砖讛 讗诪专 诇讬讛 讗诐 讗讬 讗转讛 讞讜诇拽 讙讜讝专谞讬 注诇讬讱 砖诇讗
讬注讘专讜 讘讱 诪讬诐 诇注讜诇诐 讞诇拽 诇讬讛
There was also present a certain man who was carrying wheat for the Passover. He [Rabbi Pinhas] said to it: 鈥淧art for this man, too, for he is engaged in a mitzvah.鈥 It parted for him.
讛讜讛 讛讛讜讗 讙讘专讗 讚讛讜讛 讚讗专讬 讞讬讟讬 诇驻讬住讞讗 讗诪专 诇讬讛
讞诇讜拽 诇讬讛 谞诪讬 诇讛讗讬 讚讘诪爪讜讛 注住讬拽 讞诇拽 诇讬讛
There was also an Arab accompanying them. He [Rabbi Pinhas] said to it: 鈥淧art for him too, that he not say, 鈥業s this how they treat a fellow traveler?鈥欌 It parted for him.
讛讜讛 讛讛讜讗 讟讬讬注讗 讚诇讜讜讛 讘讛讚讬讬讛讜 讗诪专 诇讬讛 讞诇讜拽
诇讬讛 谞诪讬 诇讛讗讬 讚诇讗 诇讬诪讗 讻讱 注讜砖讬诐 诇讘谞讬 诇讜讬讛 讞诇拽 诇讬讛
Rav Yosef said: How great is this man! Greater than Moses and the six hundred thousand [who left Egypt]! As there [at the Red Sea], the waters parted one time. Here three times. But perhaps here too one time [and the river began to flow again only after all three of them passed]. Rather, this man was like [as great as] Moses and the six hundred thousand.
讗诪专 专讘 讬讜住祝 讻诪讛 谞驻讬砖 讙讘专讗 诪诪砖讛 讜砖转讬谉 专讘讜讜谉
讚讗讬诇讜 讛转诐 讞讚 讝讬诪谞讗 讜讛讻讗 转诇转讗 讝讬诪谞讬谉 讜讚诇诪讗 讛讻讗
谞诪讬 讞讚讗 讝讬诪谞讗 讗诇讗 讻诪砖讛 讜砖转讬谉 专讘讜讜谉
This brief tale is clearly crafted to evoke the Exodus narrative and Passover. Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair鈥檚 mission to redeem captives recalls the freeing of the Israelites from slavery, and the parting of the River Genai parallels the parting of the Sea of Reeds. A second traveler carries wheat to make matzah for Passover. A third traveler, an Arab, may represent the erev rav, the Egyptians (or perhaps a group of people from other nations) who left Egypt along with the Israelites. And lest the reader miss the obvious, the Talmud makes the connection to the Exodus explicit by comparing Pinhas ben Yair to Moshe.
What lessons for Passover might this story convey? Some thoughts and questions to consider:
Fulfilling the Will of One鈥檚 Maker
This story expresses a belief that all of creation serves God. What is the nature of the river鈥檚 challenge to Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair, that while both of them seek to fulfill the will of their Maker, only the river has certainty of doing so?
One possibility is that it refers to the specifics of the mission to redeem captives: the rabbi may or may not be successful in accomplishing what is undoubtedly a holy task.
But another possibility is that it鈥檚 a more general statement about humanity鈥檚 unique gift and challenge, free will. Seemingly alone within the created world, human beings are not existentially compelled to fulfill our purpose. We are created with the ability and responsibility of choice. We can choose whether to strive to live in response to a Divine demand, or not. If we seek to do so, we must choose the work of discerning what is asked of us, and our discernment may or may not be correct. When we do sense a demand, we must choose whether to respond鈥攚hether or not to act on what we believe we鈥檙e called to do.
More broadly, while a river can never lose its 鈥渞iverness鈥 or a tree its 鈥渢reeness,鈥 in the exercise of our freedom human beings may lose or forfeit our humanity. As Abraham Joshua Heschel famously said, 鈥淢an is a messenger who forgot the message.鈥
- What do you see as the central message of the Passover story? What causes you to forget the message, or fail to deliver it?
- Do you believe in 鈥渢he will of your Maker鈥濃攁 larger purpose for you personally, for Jews, and/or for humanity in general? If so, what blocks the path of your fulfilling that mission, whether in particular moments or in the overall arc of your life?
- Philosophers sometimes speak of the distinction between 鈥渇reedom from鈥 and 鈥渇reedom to鈥濃攖hat is, freedom as the removal of oppression and restraint, and freedom as a positive opportunity/obligation to exercise agency. Similarly, in the Exodus narrative, God鈥檚 demand to Pharaoh is not merely 鈥淟et My people go鈥 but 鈥淟et My people go that they may serve Me.鈥 What do
you understand that service to involve? What types of 鈥渇reedom to鈥 are most precious and important to you?
Is This How They Treat a Fellow Traveler?
The river splits not only for both Rabbi Pinhas Ben Yair and the other Jewish journeyer, but at the rabbi鈥檚 insistence it splits also for an Arab travelling with them.
- What is Pinhas ben Yair concerned about when he says, 鈥渓est he say . . . ?鈥 Does he see this as a practical PR problem only, or is it a deeper concern, related to fulfilling the will of our Maker?
- Who are your 鈥渇ellow travelers?鈥 What obligations do you owe them and why?
- This story is also told in the Talmud Yerushalmi. The earlier text, which the editors of the Bavli may have used to craft this longer narrative, does not include the Arab traveler or the explicit connection to Passover. In the Yerushalmi, Pinhas ben Yair focuses on ethical treatment of fellow Jews only, while in this story he cares specifically for a non-Jew as well. What is the significance of the inclusion of the non-Jewish traveler specifically in a story crafted to evoke the Exodus?
Genai and Genut
Likely coincidentally, the name of the river, Genai, echoes the rabbinic requirement that the story told at the Passover seder begin with disgrace/genut and conclude with praise. Poetically, the story might suggest that disgrace or shame can prevent the journey toward freedom鈥攍ike a 鈥渞iver鈥 that must be parted and crossed.
- Why would the rabbis insist that our national story begin with the open expression of our own degradation or shame? What different types of degradation and shame do they envision?
- What happens when we openly acknowledge our experiences and feelings of degradation or shame? How might those stories be freeing? What happens when we are unable or unwilling to acknowledge these experiences or feelings? How might that silence keep us stuck?
