I’ll introduce a personal story here. As a teenager, I was spending a summer in Venezuela (back when it was in much better shape). I was returning from the beach with some friends, driving along a winding scenic mountain road, seaside cliffs on one side and the verdant mountain on the other. I was riding shotgun. Suddenly, the back right wheel of our car came off the axle of the car. The car headed toward the cliff at high speed. The driver then turned the wheel hard to left, leading us straight into the mountain face, then a hard right again, back of the cliff. The driver then froze.

In a matter of microseconds, I’m thinking, “wow! Just like an action film!” The next thought was, “we’re going to die!”. I reached over, grabbed the wheel, turned it back to the left, while the driver came back to his senses to safely bring the car to a halt at the edge of the cliff.

We never discovered exactly why the wheel came off, but I’ll share with you what might have possibly happened and the vital importance of having the wheel bolts of your tires on with the correct tightness.

Wheel bolts are high-strength steel fasteners that secure the wheel to the vehicle’s hub. Their function is to clamp the wheel firmly against the hub surface so that both rotate together as a single assembly. When properly tightened, the tension in the bolts creates sufficient friction between the wheel and the hub to transmit all driving, braking, and cornering forces. The bolts themselves are designed to maintain this clamping force rather than to carry loads directly. If the bolts loosen, stretch, or fail, the clamping force is lost, the wheel can shift relative to the hub, and continued operation can lead to complete wheel separation even though the rest of the vehicle remains mechanically intact.

Wheel bolt failure can occur for several reasons, most of which relate to loss of proper clamping force rather than sudden material breakage. Improper tightening during service is the most common cause, either from under-torque, which allows the bolts to loosen over time, or over-torque, which can stretch the bolts beyond their elastic limit and weaken them. Repeated removal and reinstallation can accelerate fatigue, especially if bolts are reused beyond their intended service life. Corrosion can also reduce the effective cross section of the bolt or interfere with proper seating, leading to uneven load distribution. In some cases, incorrect bolt length or an incompatible seat design between the bolt and the wheel prevents full contact, allowing movement that eventually results in loosening or fracture.

In this week’s Torah reading of Beshalach (Exodus 13-17) describing the destruction of Pharaoh’s chariots, the Torah states explicitly that their wheels came off. This is an unusually engineering-like description of failure, as it does not speak of the chariots being smashed, overturned, or destroyed, but instead identifies a specific mechanical loss. From an engineering perspective, a vehicle can retain its structure, its source of power, and even forward force, yet become immediately immobilized if the wheel is no longer properly retained. The focus on the wheels points to a precise failure at the point where motion depends on secure attachment, analogous to a modern wheel separation caused by loss of clamping or retention. Read this way, the narrative highlights not dramatic destruction but the targeted removal of mobility itself, the single failure that decisively ends pursuit.

The reading of Beshalach begins with the Israelites departing from Egypt under God’s direction, traveling by way of the wilderness toward the Sea of Reeds rather than along the direct coastal route. God leads them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Pharaoh reconsiders his decision to release the Israelites and mobilizes his chariots and army to pursue them. When the Israelites see the Egyptians approaching, they become afraid and cry out to God, complaining to Moses. God instructs Moses to stretch out his staff, the sea splits, and the Israelites cross through the sea on dry land, with the waters forming walls on either side. The Egyptians pursue them into the sea, their chariots encounter resistance, their wheels are removed, and the sea returns to its normal state, drowning the Egyptian forces.

After crossing the sea, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise to God, describing the defeat of Egypt and God’s power. This song, The Song of the Sea, is written in elevated, poetic language marked by parallelism, vivid imagery, and rhythmic repetition, distinguishing it from the surrounding prose narrative. It is also recited daily in our morning prayers.

Moses’ sister, Miriam the prophetess, leads the women in song and dance with timbrels. The Israelites then travel into the wilderness of Shur and go three days without finding water. At Marah they encounter bitter water and complain, and God shows Moses how to make the water drinkable by throwing nearby trees into the water. God gives the people statutes and commandments there and states that obedience will protect them from illness. They travel on to Elim, where there are twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.

The Israelites then enter the wilderness of Sin (that’s it’s Hebrew name, nothing to do with the act of sinning), where they complain about hunger and recall the food they ate in Egypt. God provides manna each morning and quail in the evening, instructing the people to gather a measured portion each day and not to leave any over for the next morning. Some disobey and the manna spoils. On the sixth day, they gather a double portion, and the manna does not spoil on Shabbat, when none appears. The people also receive instructions about Shabbat observance.

The Israelites continue their journey and camp at Rephidim, where there is again no water. The people quarrel with Moses and question God’s presence among them. God instructs Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, and water comes out for the people to drink. Amalek attacks the Israelites at Rephidim, and Joshua leads the fighting force. Moses stands on a hill with the staff of God in his hand, and when his hands are raised the Israelites prevail, and when his hands are lowered Amalek prevails. Aaron and Hur support his hands until sunset, and Joshua defeats Amalek. God commands that the event be recorded and that Amalek’s actions be remembered.

So the bondage in Egypt ends in a dramatic and definitive way, and the next stage of the journey of the Children of Israel begins. Next week we get to Mount Sinai and get the Ten Commandments!