And Moshe took Yosef’s bones with him (Shemos 13:18)

The Jews walk up to the Sea. They are trapped. The raging sea in front of them and the strong Egyptian military behind them. Suddenly, the Sea splits. Our Sages tell us that the Sea split when it saw Yosef’s coffin. What was so special about Yosef that made the Sea split?

Yosef was a handsome teenager. The most beautiful woman in the world lived in the same house as him and desired him very much. She gave every reason in the world why it was allowable for him to have relations with her. He was going to succumb to her desires, but held himself back. He stopped himself from doing the natural thing to do.

Yosef’s brothers made his life terrible. They threw him into a pit full of snakes and scorpions. Then, they sold him and he became a slave in Egypt. He grew to be the second-in-command and had his chance to take revenge, but he didn’t. The natural thing to do would be to take revenge, but Yosef did not behave the natural way.

The Sea’s natural movement is to constantly flow. When it saw Yosef’s coffin, it saw a person who did not act in natural ways. Therefore, the Sea did not act in a natural way and it split. Midda K’neged Midda – measure for measure. Yosef’s behavior changed history and saved the entire Jewish nation. We would have either drowned or been killed by the Egyptians if the Sea didn’t split.

Think about this – this over a hundred years after Yosef died, but it saved the entire Jewish nation! We sometimes wonder when we are going to receive reward for the great acts we do. Hashem sometimes saves the reward for many, many years. But the reward will come at the right time and the reward will be extremely big.

May we see the ultimate redemption speedily in our days.

Good Shabbos!
-y.e.s.
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