24 January 17 • 2019
jn

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haraoh changed his mind
and, with his army, chased
after the Israelites.
The Israelites were petri-
fied. There were soldiers
behind them and a sea in
front of them. It seemed
hopeless.
“Adonai said to Moses,
‘
Why do you cry out to
Me? Tell the Israelites
to go forward.’
” (Exodus
14:15) In the midst of fear
and uncertainty, go for-
ward. Despite an unclear
future, put one foot in
front of the other. Believe
in yourself. Believe in your
God.
“You [Moses] lift up
your rod and hold out
your arm over the sea and split it,
so the Israelites may march into the
sea on dry ground.” (Exodus 14:16)
Moses lifted his rod and divided
the seas. Israel crossed safely.
Rashi taught, “Their ancestors’

merits and their own, and the faith
that they placed in Me so that they
left Egypt, will suffice to divide the
sea for them.” Our deeds and our
faith will divide the sea. They are
the stuff of miracles.
“Nachshon walked into the sea.
The Israelites looked on with hor-
ror and amazement. ‘
What are
you doing? Where are you going?’

Nachshon walked forward — up to
his knees, his waist, his chest. The
instant the water came up over his
nostrils, the second he was fully
submerged, at that exact moment,
the sea split. The Israelites followed
Nachshon to liberation.” (Sotah
36b-37a, Mekhilta Beshallach 6,
myjewishlearning.com)”
Why did the waters part for
Nachshon? Because Nachshon was
courageous; he chose to try, to act,
to believe. He was willing to make

a leap of faith. He took a risk, trust-
ed God and entered the sea. He
jumped in and determinedly
moved forward, slowly, with
faith. Because he was brave
and willing to do the right
thing, we can walk behind
him. Miracles can happen if
we trust God and are willing
to make the first step.
And Moses? Moses prayed
for a miracle. God respond-
ed, “I can’
t help you. There is
a time to say lengthy prayers
and a time to act. Stop pray-
ing and do something or
Nachshon will drown. Lift
up your staff and part the
waters.” Moses took action
and a miracle occurred.
Look around you. An
entire community wants to help.
You don’
t have to do it alone. When
we have faith, but don’
t rely purely
on that faith; when we are willing
to get involved, to work to make
a difference, we can make mira-
cles. When we look, we’
ll see so
many ready to reach out and help,
to hold a hand, to cry or laugh with
us, to jump in with us. Molded by
our faith and our willingness to be
involved, we’
ve helped to create a
modern miracle.
The portion encourages us to
go forward, believe in ourselves,
our community and our God; it
teaches us to understand that our
merits and our faith will suffice
to divide the sea. May we take
that leap of faith, moving forward
to do the right thing, supporting
and caring for each other. May we
always remember to look up at the
splendors all around us and not get
bogged down trudging through the
mud. ■

Rabbi Lynn Goldstein is rabbi of
Congregation Beth El in Windsor, Ontario.

jews d
in
the
section

Miracles Can Happen

Rabbi
Lynn Goldstein

Parshat

Beshallach:

Exodus

13:17-17:16;

Judges

4:4-5:31.

spirit
p

torah portion

People of all f
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