There’s an interesting question in this week’s parasha of Beshalach- Why did the Israelites have to cross the Red Sea when a map clearly shows that they could’ve gone on land from Egypt to Israel? What was the point of this detour?
The earth is comprised of two things, the sea and dry land. On land, everything is open and visible. We recognize the trees, plants, and everything that occupies land. However, nothing in the sea is as recognizable. We know that there is life in the sea, but it is all hidden beneath the surface and unidentifiable when looking at it from land.
This is very similar to people. We are comprised of two things, as well- our sea and our land. Our land is what we already know about ourselves- all our physical strengths and talents. Below the surface of our character lies our sea which includes our inner strengths, abilities, and talents that we never knew we had. So many things lie beneath our character that we are unaware of and there is so much energy just waiting to be discovered.
But how were they able to split their sea for it to become dry land?
Simple. The Israelites were in a difficult situation. It’s only logical that they give in to the Egyptians. But faith demanded that they keep marching on and reach Israel. This was the path that Hshem gave them, so they continued on it. Their strong faith caused the impossible to happen when the sea split. They acknowledged Hshem as the only true power which led them to be able to discover the force within them. This is how they split their own sea-with just a little faith.
In these troubles and obstacles we must tap into our own “sea” and discover things about ourselves that we never knew we were capable of. The lesson we learn from this is that “Obstacles are not interruptions to the journey; they are the journey. Keep marching towards the Promised Land. Every challenge along the way will give you deeper insight and renewed power. Just have faith. It will split your sea.”