Who Shall Cross?

By Jan Uhrbach

Posted on Mar 21, 2025

TEXT STUDY: Talmud Bavli, Hullin 7aโ€“b

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 Exodusโ€”the 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: โ€œGenai, part your waters for me, that I may pass through you.โ€ It said to him: โ€œYou 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.โ€ He said, โ€œIf you do not part, I will decree that no waters ever flow through you.โ€ It parted for him.

ื“ืจื‘ื™ ืคื ื—ืก ื‘ืŸ ื™ืื™ืจ ื”ื•ื” ืงืื–ื™ืœ ืœืคื“ื™ื•ืŸ ืฉื‘ื•ื™ื™ืŸ ืคื’ืข ื‘ื™ื”
ื‘ื’ื™ื ืื™ ื ื”ืจื
ืืžืจ ืœื™ื” ื’ื™ื ืื™ ื—ืœื•ืง ืœื™ ืžื™ืžืš ื•ืืขื‘ื•ืจ ื‘ืš ืืžืจ ืœื™ื”
ืืชื” ื”ื•ืœืš ืœืขืฉื•ืช ืจืฆื•ืŸ ืงื•ื ืš ื•ืื ื™ ื”ื•ืœืš ืœืขืฉื•ืช ืจืฆื•ืŸ
ืงื•ื ื™ ืืชื” ืกืคืง ืขื•ืฉื” ืกืคืง ืื™ ืืชื” ืขื•ืฉื” ืื ื™ ื•ื“ืื™
ืขื•ืฉื” ืืžืจ ืœื™ื” ืื ืื™ ืืชื” ื—ื•ืœืง ื’ื•ื–ืจื ื™ ืขืœื™ืš ืฉืœื
ื™ืขื‘ืจื• ื‘ืš ืžื™ื ืœืขื•ืœื ื—ืœืง ืœื™ื”

There was also present a certain man who was carrying wheat for the Passover. He [Rabbi Pinhas] said to it: โ€œPart for this man, too, for he is engaged in a mitzvah.โ€ It parted for him.

ื”ื•ื” ื”ื”ื•ื ื’ื‘ืจื ื“ื”ื•ื” ื“ืืจื™ ื—ื™ื˜ื™ ืœืคื™ืกื—ื ืืžืจ ืœื™ื”
ื—ืœื•ืง ืœื™ื” ื ืžื™ ืœื”ืื™ ื“ื‘ืžืฆื•ื” ืขืกื™ืง ื—ืœืง ืœื™ื”

There was also an Arab accompanying them. He [Rabbi Pinhas] said to it: โ€œPart for him too, that he not say, โ€˜Is this how they treat a fellow traveler?โ€™โ€ It parted for him.

ื”ื•ื” ื”ื”ื•ื ื˜ื™ื™ืขื ื“ืœื•ื•ื” ื‘ื”ื“ื™ื™ื”ื• ืืžืจ ืœื™ื” ื—ืœื•ืง
ืœื™ื” ื ืžื™ ืœื”ืื™ ื“ืœื ืœื™ืžื ื›ืš ืขื•ืฉื™ื ืœื‘ื ื™ ืœื•ื™ื” ื—ืœืง ืœื™ื”

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.

ืืžืจ ืจื‘ ื™ื•ืกืฃ ื›ืžื” ื ืคื™ืฉ ื’ื‘ืจื ืžืžืฉื” ื•ืฉืชื™ืŸ ืจื‘ื•ื•ืŸ
ื“ืื™ืœื• ื”ืชื ื—ื“ ื–ื™ืžื ื ื•ื”ื›ื ืชืœืชื ื–ื™ืžื ื™ืŸ ื•ื“ืœืžื ื”ื›ื
ื ืžื™ ื—ื“ื ื–ื™ืžื ื ืืœื ื›ืžืฉื” ื•ืฉืชื™ืŸ ืจื‘ื•ื•ืŸ

This brief tale is clearly crafted to evoke the Exodus narrative and Passover. Rabbi Pinhas ben Yairโ€™s 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 Oneโ€™s Maker

This story expresses a belief that all of creation serves God. What is the nature of the riverโ€™s 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 itโ€™s a more general statement about humanityโ€™s 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 respondโ€”whether or not to act on what we believe weโ€™re called to do.

More broadly, while a river can never lose its โ€œrivernessโ€ or a tree its โ€œtreeness,โ€ in the exercise of our freedom human beings may lose or forfeit our humanity. As Abraham Joshua Heschel famously said, โ€œMan is a messenger who forgot the message.โ€

  • 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 โ€œthe will of your Makerโ€โ€”a 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 โ€œfreedom fromโ€ and โ€œfreedom toโ€โ€”that is, freedom as the removal of oppression and restraint, and freedom as a positive opportunity/obligation to exercise agency. Similarly, in the Exodus narrative, Godโ€™s demand to Pharaoh is not merely โ€œLet My people goโ€ but โ€œLet My people go that they may serve Me.โ€ What do
    you understand that service to involve? What types of โ€œfreedom toโ€ 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 rabbiโ€™s insistence it splits also for an Arab travelling with them.

  • What is Pinhas ben Yair concerned about when he says, โ€œlest he say . . . ?โ€ 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 โ€œfellow travelers?โ€ 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 freedomโ€”like a โ€œriverโ€ 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?
Bechol Dor Vador reminds us that the story weโ€™ve just told isnโ€™t an ancient story about others, itโ€™s our story too, happening today. Consider sharing the story of the River Genai after Bechol Dor Vador, as an example of the rabbisโ€™ reworking of the Exodus narrative for their own time. You can utilize some of the discussion questions to engage your participants: What does this story add to the seder experience? How might you tell the story if you were telling it about people you know, in our lifetime? What details would be most important to you to emphasize?
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