The Giant Leap of Faith at the Yam Suf

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

In Parashas Beshalach, Hashem split the Yam Suf. The Midrash says that when the Yam Suf split, all other bodies of water in the world parted as well. The nations of the world trembled as they witnessed one of the greatest revelations of Hashem’s control of the world.

We may wonder, though, why was it necessary to split the sea? The ten plagues had already displayed Hashem’s might for all to see. Yet, the Chumash only writes that the Jewish people “feared Hashem and believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant” after the splitting of the sea. What new revelation took place at kri’as Yam Suf?

The Beis HaLevi explains that until now, the Jews were only familiar with Hashem as a G-d of punishment. The retribution visited upon the Egyptians motivated the Jews to fear Hashem’s wrath. They had learned that Hashem has the power to terminate the existence of whatever He wished to. However, they did not clearly grasp that the world only continues to exist because Hashem wills it until the splitting of the sea. While surrounded by water, yet treading on dry land, they felt completely dependent on Hashem. They watched the waters being held erect, while knowing that it would be natural for them to come crashing down upon them, and they realized that every additional moment of life was a new miracle that Hashem was doing for them.

This was a new revelation of Hashem’s intimate involvement in the world. Every Jew was infused with an awe of Hashem. This was much more than fear of Hashem’s punishment—they were filled with wonderment over Hashem’s total control and careful orchestration of every split second of existence. More than ever before, they understood how utterly dependent on Him they were.

This episode did not end with feelings of dependence and awe. Standing at the sea shore, the Jews were overwhelmed by the great nissim that Hashem had done for them. Beyond kri’as Yam Suf and the drowning of the Egyptians, a host of other miracles took place at this time, as listed in the Midrash. Sweet waters streamed out of the walls of the sea, enabling people to quench their thirst. The sea split in such a way that each tribe could travel along its own private path. Each person made the journey in the company of his family and friends. After receiving so much kindness from Hashem, who could not help but feel an intense love for Him? This feeling was expressed in the song Az Yashir, the great result of the splitting of the sea.

Today, some three thousand years later, what can we do to tap into this lofty spiritual level? Perhaps an answer can be inferred from the Mechilta , which quotes the above verse and asks: why does the Torah seem to grant equal importance to belief in Hashem and belief in Moshe?

The Mechilta answers that when we believe in a Torah leader, it is as if we believe in Hashem Himself. Faith in chachamim and faith in Hashem are inextricably linked. This is because our sages are the messengers for transmitting Hashem’s will to us. Therefore, it wasn’t enough for the Jews to believe in Hashem—they had to believe in Moshe as well. The Gemara (Kesubos 111b) teaches us that if we cling to Torah scholars, it is as if we are clinging to Hashem.

Talmidei chachamim have such a powerful association with Hashem that the Gemara (Pesachim 22b) actually states that the mitzvah to fear them is learned out of the mitzvah to fear Hashem! Fearing talmidei chachamim leads to true fear of Hashem. The Rebbe of Shomrei Emunim elaborated on this principle. He would say that one who really wants to feel emunah should spend time in the presence of big tzaddikim and chachamim. One can’t help but be affected when he sees the awe, dedication, and love of Hashem that a tzaddik has while learning or fulfilling a mitzvah. Clinging to our Torah leaders and talmidei chachamim can help us acquire higher levels of fear and love of Hashem.

Visiting the Steipler was a frightening experience. When you entered his room, he would look at you, and you could feel that he knew everything about you. There was nothing you could hide from him. He would tell you what he thought of your issues, and he could be very forceful if he felt it would help you change. Sometimes, when people came asking the Steipler to daven for them, he would scream back, “When are you going to start davening for yourself?”

When I personally went to see him, I was in complete awe. Though I have no concept of what the Shechinah is, I can say with certainty that it was with the Steipler. Baruch Hashem, I visited the Steipler many times. However, I still feel that I wasn’t zocheh to go often enough. Who knows how much more emunah I could have gotten by seeing him more often?

May we be zocheh to truly fear and love Hashem!

NEW! HOT OFF THE PRESS! Rabbi Krieger’s “Gedolei Yisroel on the Parashah & Yamim Tovim” is now available from the Yeshiva office, Jewish bookstores worldwide and can be ordered online at https://www.feldheim.com/gedolei-yisroel-on-Parashah-yamim-tovim-2.