The Torah writes in Parashat Beshalach that after the miracle of the splitting of the sea, Benei Yisrael spent three days journeying through the wilderness of Shur without encountering any water sources – “…they traveled for three days and found no water” (15:22).           

The Gemara in Masekhet Bava Kama (82a) famously interprets this verse as referring to a “thirst” for Torah.  Benei Yisrael went three days without engaging in any sort of study, thus resulting in a “thirst” for Torah knowledge.  The yearning for the guidance and fulfillment that Torah study provides is comparable to the sense of desperation felt when one thirsts for water.  And thus when the Torah describes Benei Yisrael’s lack of water, it alludes as well to their thirst for Torah.  The Gemara relates that it was at this point that Moshe enacted the practice of keri’at ha-Torah on Shabbat, Mondays and Thursdays, to ensure that we never again go three days without hearing words of Torah. 

We should perhaps view this comment of the Gemara in conjunction with Rashi’s famous comments (citing the Mekhilta) to the first words of this verse: “Va-yasa Moshe et Yisrael mi-Yam Suf” – “Moshe had the people travel from Yam Suf.”  Rashi notes that the Torah ascribes this journey to Moshe, rather than simply stating that the people left the shores of the Yam Suf and headed into the desert.  The reason for this formulation, Rashi explains, is that Moshe had to force Benei Yisrael to leave the banks of the sea, where they were busy collecting the spoils of the drowned Egyptian army that washed onto the shore.  Rashi comments that the Egyptian horsemen adorned their chariots with gold, silver and precious stones, all of which came ashore and kept Benei Yisrael preoccupied until Moshe finally succeeded in persuading them to embark onto the next leg of their journey. 

We might draw a connection between Benei Yisrael’s preoccupation with the spoils of Egypt and the “thirst” that they experienced as they traveled.  Amassing wealth, can sometimes act like a drug, leaving a person with a fleeting, artificial feeling of gratification that quickly dissipates.  People often obsess over the accumulation of wealth thinking that it will bring them happiness and contentment, but they still feel empty and unfulfilled, having neglected to set and pursue loftier and more meaningful goals.  After Moshe dragged the people from the golden sands of the seashore, and they left with their pockets and bags full of exquisite ornaments, they soon experienced a “thirst,” an unfulfilled drive for something more significant.  The exuberance over their newfound fortunes lasted only so long, and soon enough gave way to an intolerable “thirst” for meaning.  Moshe reacted to their thirst by enacting the system of Torah reading which helps ensure our ongoing exposure to the higher ideals for which we were created.  Although we spend much of our day preoccupied with the “spoils of Egypt,” working and struggling to earn a respectable livelihood, the system of Torah reading forces us to take frequent breaks to quench our thirst for a higher meaning and purpose.  Otherwise, our preoccupation with material success would leave us “thirsty” and unfulfilled, unable to achieve the satisfaction and contentment that we all desire.