This week’s Torah portion contains the famous section, the crossing of the Sea of Reeds by the Children of Israel. This portion is called Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, it is called a song because we chant this portion with a special tune and it is written in the Torah like a poem. It is one of the two poems in the Torah. In this section of B’shallach the Israelites at long last are set free by Pharaoh because of the last plague, the death of the first born. They escape, heading towards the Sea of Reeds, when Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues his former slaves. The Israelites come to the shore of the sea and no one moves. There is a famous midrash, or story about the Torah, that says the Israelites are being chased by the Egyptians and they have to cross the Sea of Reeds but they are afraid because it is wide and deep. Someone has to be brave enough to be the first one. Tradition says that Nachshon believing that God would ultimately save the Jewish People jumps into the water and immediately the sea separates and the Israelites can cross to the other side escaping from their enemy, the Egyptians. The moral of the story is clear there has to be a first. There has to be someone who has the courage to take the first step. History is filled with people who were courageous to be the first to take action. Thank God for them.
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