Ex. 13:17-17:16
PrĂ©cis: And when Pharaoh “had let them go” (b’shalach), the story of the Exodus from Egypt is almost concluded. Carrying with them the bones of Joseph and the “spoils of Egypt,” Moses leads the Israelites by way of the Red (or Reed) Sea. They cross the sea ahead of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, which subsequently drowns in the returning waters. Moses sings his triumphant Song of the Sea, and Miriam’s song of joy follows. The Israelites begin to murmur against Moses and Aaron because of a lack of food and water. God provides heavenly “manna” to eat and provides water as well. The Shabbat is introduced as a day of rest, even before it appears in the Ten Commandments. In their first battle led by Joshua, against Amalek, the Israelites are successful as long as Moses’ hands remain in the air, and with the help of Aaron and Hur (who support Moses’ arms), they prevail.
The imagery most of us have of the miraculous parting of the Sea probably comes from Cecil B. DeMille’s epic, “The Ten Commandments.” In reality, the scene was created by reversing footage of two waves of water crashing together in a tank. Does that make the scene more (or less) “miraculous?"
The question of the existence of miracles has been debated by sages and scholars since the stories themselves were created. Some suggest that the story is based on natural explanations (a strong wind, a low tide, and quicksand). Others say that what is miraculous is that the event took place at a necessary time. I prefer Martin Buber’s explanation: the “reality” is unimportant, but the idea that God intervened in history is “an abiding astonishment.”
The Torah is not a history book, but it is a book of moral teaching. This story, to me, remains in Buber’s words “an abiding astonishment” because it is an example of how a story written perhaps 3,000 or more years ago has remained with us to this day. We and our ancestors have observed the mitzvah of telling the story of our freedom each Passover, and hopefully this is a mitzvah which will continue to be fulfilled.