Song in the sea

Walking through the sea of reeds, must have been the most terrifying them! Seriously...trying to walk on dry land, in the middle of the desert, while constantly worrying about the walls of water on either side of you roaring down, collapsing and killing you and everyone you've ever loved. More than that, you would know that death would not come slowly. The Israelites ask the question of God: why did you take us out of Egypt, simply to punish us and make us suffer? You simply want to be able to bury us in the wilderness (Shemot 14:11). The pain is absolutely apparent, and the worry palpable.

Envisioning the two walls of water towering overhead is inconceivable, yet I spend many days feeling like everything is balancing precariously in the wind, ready to fall with the slightest disruption. Yet, I must go on. So too, were the Israelites unable to simply halt their journey, knowing that hopefully, they would reach their destination. But more than that. It is more fearful to stand in the middle of precarious situation than know you are slowly on the way to safety. Therefore, the Israelites kept going.

Our lives are similar to this crossing of the Red Sea. We must keep our eyes up and allow ourselves the peace of mind of knowing that we will soon reach the end, and the sea will close over our enemies, that we will be saved. Whatever myriad of enemies or tribulations we face will also pass and we will soon be on the other side of the sea, watching the sea recede back to normal.

My wish for this coming Shabbat and week is that we may all find our places of dry land, and continue on without fear or trembling, rather seeing that our happiness will eventually come back.