The Rabbeinu Bachya writes in his introduction to parshas Beshalach a novel explanation nconcerning Keriyas Yam Suf. It did not occur as commonly interpreted that Hashem miraculously paved a road in the middle of the Sea at the very start. Rather the water remained in front of them every step of the way. Only while forging forward did the water remove itself another step. The Yidden did not see the unobstructed road in front of their eyes as believed. Instead there was a test of bitachon for them on every step of the crossing. This is the reason why Hashem did it in this fashion in order to teach emunah and bitachon in its fullest sense.
The same thing we find by the manna during the forty years the Yidden traveled in the desert. They were given each day the sustenance of that particular day. Any food that was left over for the next day immediately turned into worms. This too was a lesson in emunah and bitachon. Hashem sustains daily each portion what a person is deserving of.
The Rabbeinu Bachya brings a Medrash of which is unavailable for us cannot find that as the Yidden entered the watered it dried up. However, this does not prove that this phenomenon occurred every step of the way. I would like to suggest at least two sources for his interpretation.
Our Chazal bring a gezairah shava between two words “vayanas”. Hayam raah vayanas the sea saw and it ran away. The other word is found by Yosef where he fled from the wife of Potifar where it also says the identical word “vayanas vayeitzei hachutza – he ran and went outside. The gezairah shava tells us that the sea split because it saw the aron of Yosef. It was his merit of overcoming his desire and inclination to be seduced by Potifar’s wife that created this miracle of splitting the sea.
If we look closer at this passuk there is a puzzling word. Vayanas vayeitze Yosef ran and went out. Why does the Torah even mention he went out? It would have been sufficient to write he fled to the outside. I saw a mussar interpretation as follows. A person is not allowed to be a “bor” a pit in the public place. If he walks around with a sullen face then he affects other people’s moods for the worse. As the saying goes just because you had a bad day at work everyone else do not have to suffer. The same applies in situations which arouse in you nervousness and anxiety. What right does one have to “turn off” in displeasure or even bewilderment other people who cross your path. Yosef frantically fled from his test of seduction even to the point of leaving the criminal evidence in the hands of the seducer. Nevertheless as soon as he was out of reach of spiritual damage, he walked out as if nothing traumatic ever happened. This conduct was in order not to affect others with unwarranted feelings of his pressure even though Yosef was perfectly correct in fleeing from the scene. The extra word of vayeitzei demonstrates Yosef’s total control of the situation from beginning to the end. His fleeing was unnatural but his exiting from the scene was.
Now this gezairah shava of splitting oth of the sea takes on a new dimension. The sea mirrored Yosef’s fleeing both natural and natural coupled together. How does that manifest itself in the crossing? Every step the Yidden took into the sea it moved to the sides [unnatural] only to remain in front of them [natural] waiting for their next step he across. This might be a possible source for such an interpretation.
The form of the shira of Az Yashir is like brickwork: a phrase and then space to be repeated throughout until the end. What does this symbolize? The words symbolize the Yidden crossing the sea for each Yid has a particular letter in the Torah. The spaces symbolize the sea being split. Here is depicted the crossing: the scenario happened many times during the crossing sea dry land sea dry land sea dry land. This was all to teach emunah and bitachon.
Chazal say that marriage is compared to the splitting of the Sea. In the light of the above we can interpret this to mean that marriage is not automatic clear sailing. It is a challenge of adjustment and continuous appreciation each spouse to one another. We are faced with new hurdles every day. However with siyata dishmaya Hashem will clear our steps to make our marriages successful and fulfilling.
Gut Shabbos
Rav Brazil
