I was surprised when I read through the Parshah this week. The stories are familiar to me - the parting of the Red Sea, the song of praise from the Children of Israel after they were safely across and the Egyptians drowned. However, from each part there was something missing. I realised that I was surprised because I understood each story differently from how the Torah renders them.

The reason for this is that the commentators and the midrash have added greatly to the events in this week’s parsha. They show them from a different perspective, shedding a new light onto them.

First up is the crossing of the Red Sea, namely the splitting of the ocean. The Torah tells us that God commanded Moses to raise his staff and when Moses did so the sea split ‘and He made the sea into dry land and the waters split’(Ex 14:21). The version I knew though is the one the Rabbis gave us in the Talmud (sotah 37a). When they stood before the sea it did not part. Only once Nachshon had walked into the sea to the point where it was about to rise above his nose did it part. The Rabbis choose to tell us that it took the faith and strength of this man, the prince of Judah, to split the sea.

When the Israelites are safely across the Red Sea and they see the Egyptians are no longer pursuing them, they sing. They sing a great song, full of joy and thanks, it is still in the daily shacharit services today. Thanks and praise are what God deserves for redeeming the Israelites yet again, and no one is saying the Israelites should not do this. Rabbi Yochanan, though, added a gentle reminder in the Talmud. He tells of Angels singing as the Egyptians were crossing, and God silenced them saying ‘The work of my hand is being drowned in the sea, and you chant songs?'. This puts the Israelites’ redemption against the backdrop of a large amount of death.

So why did they do this? One of the striking things this week is the amount of complaining the Children of Israel do. All they seem to do is complain. ‘Are there not enough graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?’ they ask. They are uncertain of the future that lies ahead. Although they have been miraculously delivered out of Egypt, witnessing first hand the power of God through the 10 plagues, then being led through a sea and having their food and water provided, they are still unsure. At least in Egypt they were sure of where they stood. They were slaves, they were worked hard, but they knew where they stood.

That’s why the Rabbis bring the story of Nachshon. Real power dwells in each and everyone of us. Despite the power God had shown up to that point, which was considerable. Despite the power Moshe had as leader of the people, they came up against something that needed an individual action of faith. Nachshon literally went in over his head, and he was successful.

By Adam Barkley

back to educational resources