When Tests Become Connection

HaRav Dovid Sochet, Kahal Chasidim She'eris Yaakov

Dvar Torah on Parshas Beshalach 5786

“שָׁם שָׂם לוֹ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט וְשָׁם נִסָּהוּ”

“There He placed for them a statute and a law, and there He tested them.”

“There He gave them statutes and laws, and there He tested them.”

(Shemos 15:25)

In Parashas Beshalach, the Torah is doing more than telling us what happened in the midbar. It is showing us the inner process through which Klal Yisrael were formed into a people ready to receive the Torah. Along the way, the Torah describes three nisyonos—two where Hashem tests Bnei Yisrael, and one where Bnei Yisrael, כביכול, test Hashem. Each one marks another step in building the relationship between Klal Yisrael and the Ribbono Shel Olam.

The First Test – Waking Up the Penimius

“שָׁם שָׂם לוֹ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט וְשָׁם נִסָּהוּ”

“There He placed for them a statute and a law, and there He tested them.”

(Shemos 15:25)

Chazal tell us (Sanhedrin 56b, brought by Rashi):

“שַׁבָּת, פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה, וְדִינִין נִתְּנוּ לָהֶם בְּמָרָה”

“Shabbos, the Red Heifer, and laws of judgment were given to them at Marah.”

At Marah, even before Matan Torah, Hashem already gave Klal Yisrael a taste of mitzvos. This was not because Hashem needed to check whether they would listen—Hashem knows what is in a person’s heart—but because a Yid’s neshamah only truly comes alive through mitzvos.

The Ramban explains that a nisayon from Hashem is never to find something out. Rather, it is meant to bring something out—to reveal hidden kochos that were already there. By giving Klal Yisrael mitzvos at Marah, Hashem was beginning the inner work of refining them, drawing out their spiritual potential, and preparing them to be keilim for the great light of Matan Torah.

The Second Test – Living with Bitachon

“וְיָצָא הָעָם וְלָקְטוּ דְּבַר־יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ לְמַעַן אֲנַסֶּנּוּ הֲיֵלֵךְ בְּתוֹרָתִי אִם־לֹא”

“And the people shall go out and gather each day’s portion on its day, so that I may test them whether they will walk in My Torah or not.”

(Shemos 16:4)

The test of the mann was not only about following instructions. It was a test of bitachon—learning how to live day by day with complete trust in Hashem. Taking only what was needed for that day was meant to teach them that parnassah does not come from planning or hoarding, but from the Ribbono Shel Olam alone, and that אין עוד מלבדו.

“There is nothing besides Him.”

But this was not easy. Some left over mann, and some did not keep Shabbos properly. The fear and insecurity of slavery—the worry about tomorrow—were still deeply ingrained in them.

The Third Test – Is Hashem Really With Us?

“וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם מַסָּה וּמְרִיבָה… הֲיֵשׁ ה’ בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם־אָיִן”

“And he called the name of the place Massah and Merivah… Is Hashem in our midst or not?”

(Shemos 17:7)

Here, the situation turns around. Now it is Bnei Yisrael who are testing Hashem. Not chas v’shalom out of defiance, but out of inner uncertainty. They are not asking whether Hashem exists, but whether He is with them—whether He is present in their lives and struggles, whether He will stay with them going forward.

This question could only come from a nation that had just left slavery and was still learning what it means to live in a real, lasting relationship with Hashem.

What Is a Nisayon?

Chassidishe sefarim explain that a nisayon is the moment where potential meets choice. Hashem gives a person a test in order to lift him higher, to bring out strengths that would otherwise remain hidden.

When Hashem tests Klal Yisrael, it is an act of love—an invitation to grow.

When Klal Yisrael test Hashem, it shows that the bond of התקשרות (His’kashrus — deep attachment or connection) is  still not fully settled in the heart.

The Turning Point – Naaseh v’Nishma

At Matan Torah, everything changes.

“וַיֹּאמְרוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר ה’ נַעֲשֶׂה”

“And they said, all that Hashem has spoken, we will do.”

(Shemos 19:8)

Chazal say (Shabbos 88a) that at this moment a Bas Kol declared:

“מִי גִּלָּה לְבָנַי רָז זֶה שֶׁמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁין בּוֹ”

“Who revealed to My children this secret that the ministering angels use?”

Here there is no testing, no hesitation—only complete trust, a faith so pure that it is compared to that of the malachim.

What Changed So Quickly?

One way to understand it is this: after 210 years of slavery, Klal Yisrael still saw the world through the lens of fear and self-interest. Even miracles could feel temporary. Only after Amalek—when Hashem clearly fought for them—did it sink in that His connection to them was permanent.

Another way to look at it is that until Amalek, Hashem fought alone. At Amalek, Hashem and Klal Yisrael fought together, כביכול—Moshe’s hands raised above while the people stood below. That partnership removed all doubt. Hashem was no longer only the Redeemer; He was their Partner.

The Message

Real trust is not built from miracles alone. It is built through shared avodah.

When a Yid walks together with Hashem—through mitzvos, through challenges, through responsibility—the relationship deepens. Nisyonos turn into certainty, and questions turn into d’veikus.

Just as Klal Yisrael and Hashem stood together against Amalek, so too every Yid strengthens his bond with Hashem by working with Him, not by standing back and waiting.