Liberation Midrash

"And the Children of Israel came into the Sea on the Land" - If they were in the sea, why "on the Land," and if on land why "into the Sea?" Rather, from here you learn that the sea was not split for them [, the Children of Israel] until they came into it [, the Sea,] up until their noses, and only afterwards [the Sea was torn asunder and] they had dry land [in the middle]. Explained Rabbi Nehorai: If a Daughter of Israel was crossing [in the dry land created by the absence of the] Sea, and her child was in her hand, and she cried and stretched out her hand, she could reach into the Sea and grab an apple or pomegranate to give to him, as it says: (Tehillim 106:9) "And he led them in the depths as he did in the desert" - just as in the desert, they lacked nothing, so too in the "depths" they lacked nothing. And this [, that God provided for them in the desert], is the meaning of what Moshe told them (Devarim 2:7): "These forty years, God has been with you, and you have not lacked a single thing" - Nothing was lacking as all they had to do was call out for an object, and it appeared in front of them. Rabbi Shimon said: Even speech was not required, rather one simply had to think of an object, and it appeared for him, as it says (Tehillim 78:18): "And they tested God in their hearts to ask food to their cravings." Another derivation: They did not lack anything, except for one thing: Repentance [for testing God] as it says (Hoshea 14:3): "Takes for yourselves things and return to God."