"... Who split the Red Sea into sections; His kindness is everlasting! ..."

Singing in the Sea

When the sea split, trees grew from the sea bed; the children fed the fruits of these trees to the birds, who joined the Jewish people in their singing of praise.

Why did G‑d defy the rules of nature for this seemingly indulgent miracle?

Crossing the Red Sea was an important step in our journey from Egypt to Sinai, where we received the Torah—the document to define our mandate in G‑d's world. So in this crossing, the nature of our role in developing our environment was demonstrated to us.

The earth has been imbued by the Creator with the power to germinate a seed and nurture it from seedling to fruit-yielding tree. Yet here was a piece of land that, for thousands of years prior to this moment and for thousands of years to follow, would have no opportunity to realize this potential.

And for the brief while that the sea parted, this narrow strip of land came to life, sprouting trees and yielding fruit—all so that birds should be fed and chirp, beautifying a Jew's song of praise to the Almighty.

This was to establish a most powerful precedent in how we are to relate to the resources that have been placed at our disposal. No potential, no matter how fleeting or peripheral, should be discounted. For this may very well be the moment that a significant part of G‑d's creation will realize its Divine essence and purpose through its contact with your life.

Follow the link below for a look at the feminine version of yearning, hope, song and praise.

Woman's Song

The song at the sea praises G‑d for His miraculous redemption of Israel when He split the Red Sea for them and drowned the pursuing Egyptians in it. Actually, there are two versions of the Song at the Sea - a male version and a female version. Moses presided over the male song, and his sister, Miriam, over the female encore.

Miriam and her chorus brought to the Song at the Sea the intensity of feeling and depth of faith unique to womankind. Their experience of the bitterness of exile had been far more intense than that of their menfolk, yet their faith had been stronger and more enduring. So their yearning for redemption had been that much more poignant, as was their joy over its realization and their striving towards its greater fulfillment.

Today, as we stand at the threshold of the ultimate redemption, it is once again the woman whose song is the most poignant, whose tambourine is the most hopeful, whose dance is the most joyous. Today, as then, the redemption will be realized "in the merit of righteous women."

Today, as then, the woman’s yearning for Moshiach - a yearning which runs deeper than that of the man, and inspires and uplifts it - forms the dominant strain in the melody of redemption.