A Tale of Two Midrashim
The Midrash—the creative interpretation of the rabbis—provides both clarity and deeper insight into the lessons of the Torah. In this week’s Torah portion, B’shalach, the Israelites cross the Red Sea into safety as the pursuing Egyptians are vanquished through God’s miraculous intervention. And the Midrash both humanizes and expands our understanding of the sacred text.
In the first Midrash, we learn that the sea did not part for the Israelites to pass until one man, Nachshon, took that first step into the water. Thus, God’s divine salvation requires a literal leap of faith in the face of risk and uncertainty. Miracles need both God’s power and human conviction to be fulfilled.
The second Midrash recounts how God admonishes the heavenly host as they rejoice in the drowning of the Egyptians, proclaiming, “The works of My hands are drowning in the sea, and you would utter song in my presence.” Even the most justified killing is still killing—still the spilling of blood, still the extinguishing of life, and a blot upon creation. Such necessary evil must inspire and compel us to work for a world in which we will transcend violence as a means of human interaction and affirm the fundamental value we all share as children of the same creative source.