In Parshas B’Shalach, the Jewish people were trapped between the sea on one side and the advancing Egyptians on the other. Moshe turned to Hashem in prayer, and Hashem instructed him to raise his staff and stretch his hand over the waters to part the sea. The Jewish people then entered the sea.
Our Sages explain that the actual entry into the sea wasn’t as simple as it seems. The Torah tells us that “the Children of Israel entered into the sea, on dry land.” When they first entered, the sea was still the sea; only once they entered did it turn into dry land. According to our Gemara, there is a difference of opinion as to what exactly happened.
In Midrash T’hilim, Rabbi Tarfon asked his students why they believed Yehudah merited the monarchy. Rabbi Tarfon offered several suggestions, but each one was rejected by his students. Finally, Rabbi Tarfon turned to his students. He said to them: If so, by what did he merit (to rule)?
They said to him: [It was] in the merit of his leap into the waves of the sea, for all the tribes were standing and not one would go down into the sea; rather, one said, “I will go down first,” and the other said, “I will go down first.” But Yehudah sanctified the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and went down. And this is the reason he merited [to receive] the monarchy. As it says, “Yehudah became His sanctuary” (T’hilim 114:2). Because Yehudah sanctified [G-d’s name], therefore, “Israel became His dominion,” [G-d gave Israel dominion over kings]. And because Yehudah made G-d’s Name known, the name of Yehudah was made great amongst Israel (Midrash Tehillim Buber 96).
According to this opinion, when the tribes were standing on the shore of the Red Sea, none of them wanted to take the first step into the water. Yehudah was given the monarchy because Nachshon ben Aminadav, who was the leader of the tribe of Yehudah, decided to take that first jump into the sea. This leap into the water was necessary to move B’nei Yisrael from their paralyzing fear of change. At that time, Moshe was in the midst of prayer, and G-d instructed him to pay attention to his people who were already in the water, and instruct the others to follow. The act of Nachshon ben Aminadav was what allowed the tribe of Yehudah to merit the monarchy, and it turned Yehudah into a tribe of leaders.
Looking around at all the difficulties that we face daily, it may seem very hard to do Hashem’s will. At times, we may feel that we are closed in at all sides just like the advancing Egyptians and crashing waves. While our situations and problems may change, they always seem to lead us down a dead-end road. We must remember that Hashem is just testing us, and all we have to do is follow Nachshon’s example. If we become hesitant or afraid of leaping into the water, we will not find our way out. We must “jump into the sea” with m’siras nefesh, without being concerned about the problems that make it seem impossible. Just like Nachshon, every Jew is capable of reaching the pinnacle of devotion and complete trust in Hashem. When a Yid resolves to perform Hashem’s will with total disregard for the obstacles, Hashem provides a way to overcome the obstacles.
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Yisrael Rachamim Mordechai ben Evelyn
Yosef Refael Chaim ben Sarah
Moshe ben Peninah
Yaakov Moshe ben Gladys Chatun
Nathaniel Yekusiel ben Brachah Leah
Yaakov Chai ben Tovah
Tinok ben Rivkah Henna
Yeshayah Asher Refael ben Feiga
Zelda bas Chavah
Golda bas Zelda
Chayah Sarah bas Nechamah
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Angela bas Vajiheh
Rivkah Henna bas Devorah
Tamarah bas Istat Esther
Alice bas Avigayil
Nurith bas Mazal
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.