By Judah Ferst, Program Director, Hillel at Temple University To set the scene for this week's parsha you need a little background. The Israelites have just been told that they are allowed to go free from Egypt and are about to leave Egypt (they are hurrying, and don't have enough time to have their bread rise and thats how we get matzah, but more on that another time). They are leaving (through the canyons if you watch the Disney version) and get to the sea and feel trapped. They have the Egyptian army coming up behind them (Pharoh changed his mind) and the sea in front of them. The Israelites start to get worried and express their fear to Moses. According to Midrash, a man named Nachshon walks out into the sea up to his neck before the sea parts, allowing the Israelites to cross. Nachshon had no guarantee that the sea was going to split, but he had (as George Michael would say) faith. He had faith that G-d would provide safe passage. I know that many of those reading this (and the author at times) have trouble with our faith. We are supposed to! The name Israel comes from two Hebrew words: "Yisra" meaning to wrestle and "el" a name for G-d. The mere idea that Nachschon was entering the sea, having no guarantees is a fundamental component of our tradition. Now, I know its hard to see this in modern times - this concept is somewhat foreign to us, but if you go through life without taking those leaps of faith you may never know what you are capable of.
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