BackThe Sea Addition
By: Rabbi Barak Bar-Chaim
In Parshat Beshalach, we read about the miracle of the splitting of the Reed Sea. The Jewish people had already witnessed the miracles associated with the plagues in Egypt, so why was the miracle of the sea-splitting necessary?
The Maharal explains that, although the nation had seen God’s hand in the world, they may have come to the erroneous conclusion that there may be other gods as powerful as the God of Israel. The purpose of the miracle at the Reed Sea was to demonstrate that God is the only God, and that God created and controls all the forces of nature.
The Reed Sea miracle demonstrated that God had full control over both sea and land. The Jewish nation, thereby, realized that God (and God alone) is in full control of everything in the universe. Additionally, our sages explain that although the Egyptian gods were destroyed during the plagues in Egypt, there was one remaining god (idol) called Ba’al Tzafon that remained on an elevation opposite the Reed Sea. The Egyptians rationalized that this god Ba’al Tzafon remained intact because it was more powerful than the God of Israel and, therefore, the Egyptians pursued the Jewish people after they had left Egypt. The miracle at the Reed Sea right before the ‘eyes’ of Ba’al Tzafon was another demonstration that there truly is only one true, all-powerful God.
This message of the Reed Sea is applicable to all of us. Modern society has many gods that we view as being in control: political leaders, the economy, our finances, and many others. We, too, need to shatter these gods and work on the true understanding that God is the only true power and in complete control. These gods are manipulated by God to accomplish His will on earth. The Malbim explains that this is the meaning of King David’s statement in the book of Psalms: “…for to YOU I will pray.” (Psalms 5:3) King David expresses the realization that only God is the ultimate address for prayer, because God is the only true controller of the universe. Let us follow King Davids example and truly pray only to God.