The seventh day of Pesach commemorates the splitting of the sea, which occurred so the Jewish people could escape the Egyptians. The Midrash learns that there were five more times miracles at the Sea that there were in Egypt. The 10 plagues were accomplished with one finger as stated by Pharaoh’s magicians, while the ones at sea were achieved with one hand. The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 23:15) makes a startling claim about the Bnei Yisrael who witnessed the splitting of the Red Sea: “Come and see how great were those who crossed the Sea. Moshe pleaded and beseeched before Hashem that he should merit seeing Hashem’s Divine Image, ‘Please, show me Your glory!’ (Ex. 33:19). Yet Hashem told him, ‘You may not see My face….’ But every Jewish person who descended into the Sea pointed with his finger and said, “This is my God and I will glorify Him” (Ex. 15:2). Could it be that those who crossed the Red Sea saw more than Moshe, about whom the Torah testifies, “No other prophet like Moshe has arisen in Israel” (Deut. 34:10)? Furthermore, Moshe was also there when they crossed the sea — he then certainly saw what everyone else experienced! Clearly, the Midrash cannot be referring to the level of prophecy, for it is a fundamental article of faith that Moshe’s prophecy was unparalleled. Rather, the Midrash must be referring to some aspect of prophetic vision that was only experienced by those who participated in this miraculous crossing. What was so special about the splitting of the Red Sea? Hashem performed other miracles for Israel, but those miracles did not entail the complete abrogation of the laws of nature. Nature as a whole continued on its usual path; Hashem only temporarily changed one aspect for the benefit of His people. But with the miraculous splitting of the Sea, Hashem suspended the entire system of natural law. The Sages wrote that this miracle did not occur solely in the Red Sea. On that night, bodies of water all over the world were split. According to the Maharal, Rabbi Yehudah Loew of Prague, water symbolizes the physical world, so that this miracle affected the entire physical realm of creation (Gevurot Hashem, chap. 42). The entire rule of nature was breached. Our world is governed by the framework of cause and effect. When the underlying rule of nature was suspended during the splitting of the Red Sea, the entire system of causality was arrested. During that time, the universe lost its cloak of natural law, and revealed itself as a pure expression of divine will. What is the essence of prophecy? This unique gift is the ability to look at Hashem’s works and recognize in them His greatness. As long as nature’s causal structure is functioning, a prophet may attain sublime and even esoteric knowledge, but he will never achieve immediate awareness of Hashem’s directing hand. Through his physical senses and powers of reasoning, the prophet will initially recognize the natural system of cause and effect. Only afterwards does the prophet become aware that the entire universe is created and directed by an ultimate Cause. At Mount Sinai, Hashem told Moshe, “You will only see My back.” What is Hashem’s ‘back’? The Rambam explains that this is a metaphor for the system of natural law by which Hashem governs the universe. Hashem granted Moshe an awareness of the inner connectivity within creation. This understanding of Hashem’s true nature exceeded that of any other prophet. When Hashem split the Sea, all laws of nature were temporarily suspended. Hashem took “direct control” of the universe. Those witnessing this miracle were instantly aware of Hashem’s intervention and providence, each according to his spiritual level. Certainly, none reached the prophetic level of Moshe. But whatever enlightenment they attained; it was perceived immediately. They did not need to first examine the natural system of causality, and from this, recognize the prime Cause of creation. Therefore, those experiencing the miracle of the Red Sea called out spontaneously, “THIS is my God.” Their comprehension was not obscured by the logical system of cause and effect; they witnessed God’s revealed rule directly, without the cloak of causality.

Rabbi Fridmann

By Rabbi Fridmann * [email protected] * 305.985.3461

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