Yad Aharon: Beshalach

The 12th of Shevat is the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Aharon Aryeh Leib ben Yissachar Dov Leifer, the author of Yad Aharon. “And Pharaoh said of the Children of Israel, ‘They are lost in the land. The desert has closed around them.” Pharaoh represents the power and influence of evil. His objective is that we should fail at being able to maintain a steady and stable relationship with God, hence, “they are lost in the land,” meaning they are unable to create something permanent with God.

They are closed in by the desert, or Midbar, means that they have lost their ability to speak of God, to God and the words of His torah, by all their complaining.