Parshas Beshalach

This week's parsha chronicles Klal Yisroel's much-anticipated departure from Egypt. Pharaoh sends them out willingly at first, but then has yet another change of heart, and sends his troops after them. Trapped between the Egyptians on one side and the Red Sea on the other, the Jews realize the situation is grim. Fearing the worst, they cry out to Hashem - "vayitzaku B'nei Yisroel el Hashem". Rashi comments on this that Klal Yisroel resorted to the "profession of their forefathers" - tefillah - quoting pesukim about Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov davening to Hashem (and composing Shachris, Mincha, and Maariv, respectively). But how is this a valid comparison? Klal Yisroel was crying out in great distress, fearing for their very lives; the Avos were merely davening to Hashem as part of their daily routine, not because they were in imminent danger. How can Rashi compare the two?

R' Yeruchem Levovitz answers that Rashi is giving us a deeper insight into how the Avos davened. We tend to think that we need Hashem's help when we are in distress more than we do when all is apparently well. A person who is on the operating table, for example, may appear to need Hashem's help more than a healthy person walking down the street. Nothing could be further from the truth, however: a person is in constant need of siyata d'shmaya. Even when all seems to be well, if Hashem were to remove his hashgacha for even one instant, chas veshalom, the results would be disastrous - a person's situation can change in the blink of an eye. The Avos realized this, and therefore they always davened with the fervor and sincerity of someone whose very life is hanging in the balance, much like Klal Yisroel in our parsha. And that is why Rashi saw fit to compare the two.

We should learn from the Avos how important tefillah is on a constant basis. We should not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of complacency - assuming that when things are doing well they will continue to do well indefinitely. Rather we should be in constant communication with our Father in Heaven, beseeching him to continue to shower us all with goodness and blessing.