First aliyah
בשלח · Beshalach · Exodus 13:17-14:8
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Exodus 13:17
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: 'Lest the people regret when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’
What's bothering Rashi?
The verse says God did not lead them by the Philistine route because that road 'was near.' Why would a road being near be a reason to avoid it?
Look closely. What seems repeated, missing, out of order, or strange?