Illustration credit: Rebecca Kerzner
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
(כב) וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חוֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם׃
Benei Yisrael came into the midst of the sea on dry land, and the waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left.
What does it mean for water to be a “wall”?
According to a midrash, a wall protected Benei Yisrael while they crossed the sea. This wall was “the Torah on their right and tefillin on their left” (Mekhilta Vayehi 5).
Rabbeinu Bahaye explains this midrash, pointing out that Torah is often compared to water and also comes from God’s right hand (see Devarim 33:2); also, most people (being right-handed) wear tefillin on their left arm. In other words, it was Benei Yisrael’s commitment to God and mitzvot that saved them in the Yam Suf.
In what ways might Torah and mitzvot protect us?
Another midrash suggests that the word homah (wall) is spelled the same way as heimah (anger), and you could read it that way. Here’s what it means for the waters to show anger to the people.
שֶׁיָּרַד סַמָּאֵל וְאָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם לֹא עָבְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה לָהֶם נִסִּים?! וְהָיָה מַשְׁמִיעַ קוֹלוֹ לְשַׂר שֶׁל יָם וְנִתְמַלֵּא עֲלֵיהֶם חֵמָה וּבִקֵּשׁ לְטָבְעָן.
מִיָּד הֵשִׁיב לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שׁוֹטֶה שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם וְכִי לְדַעְתָּם עַבְדוּהָ וַהֲלֹא לֹא עַבְדוּהָ אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ שִׁעְבּוּד וּמִתּוֹךְ טֵרוּף דַּעַת וְאַתָּה דָּן שׁוֹגֵג כְּמֵזִיד וְאֹנֶס כְּרָצוֹן. כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמַע שַׂר שֶׁל יָם אוֹתָהּ חֵמָה שֶׁנִּתְמַלֵּא עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל הֶחֱזִירָהּ עַל מִצְרַיִם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיָּשׁוּבוּ הַמַּיִם שֶׁשָּׁבוּ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל עַל מִצְרָיִם.
The angel Samael came down and said before God, “Master of the world! Didn’t Benei Yisrael worship avodah zarah (idolatry) in Mitzrayim (Egypt)? And now You are doing miracles for them?!” And he shouted to the ministering angel of the sea, who became filled with heimah (anger) against them and tried to drown them.
Straightaway, the Holy Blessed One responded to him, “Fool! Did they do avodah zarah willingly?! They only did it because they were forced! Why would you judge an accident like it was on purpose, and what was against their will as if it was what they wanted?!”
When the ministering angel of the sea heard this, he turned his heimah from Benei Yisrael so that it faced Mitzrayim, as it is says, “the water returned” (Shemot 14:28).
In this interpretation, at first the waters were directed against Benei Yisrael in anger, trying to drown them! But then God won the argument with the angel Samael, and so the punishing anger came down on the army of Mitzrayim instead.
- If Benei Yisrael really had worshiped idols, how could anyone claim that they didn’t really want to? Why might they have done it if they didn’t really believe in it?
- It’s a little scary to think that Benei Yisrael might not have deserved to be saved. Does Samael have a point though? What does this midrash try to teach us about God, and the way God looks at us?
- According to this midrash, what characteristic—if any!—of Benei Yisrael saved them?
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