Crossing the Sea - the final redemption of Passover
Today
is the seventh day of the festival of Pesakh/Passover, the feast
celebrating the redemption from Egyptian slavery. According to
tradition, this is the day when the Israelites crossed Yam
Suf/the Sea of Reeds (or
Red Sea, if you prefer the older translations). Most of us are
familiar with this event from Bible stories we have read or movies we
have seen, and yet there is much more contained within this story
than meets the eye.
According
to midrash (rabbinic lore) the seas split not merely because
Moses raised his staff over the water, but because one man dare to
enter the waters on his own without waiting for Moses or anyone else
to take action. This man, Nachshon ben Aminadav, understood that in
order to achieve freedom and salvation we must not merely wait around
or pray for it, but we must act as partners with God in order to make
it happen!
It
was Nachshon’s bravery and his faith in the divine-human
partnership that enabled him to enter the raging waters even as Moses
prayed to God asking for help. Or was it?In a modern midrash written
by my colleague Rabbi Michael M. Cohen, the crowd around him pushed
Nachshon into the sea. In his telling of the story, Nachson becomes
more an accidental, rather than an intentional, catalyst of
redemption. Either way, the midrashim teach that human action
must work in partnership with the Divine to bring about redemption,
both individually and communally, whether actions are intentional or
accidental.
So,
the question remains were Nachshon’s actions – are our redemptive
actions – intentional or accidental? Voluntary or coerced? The
answer, of course, is...yes.
Chag
Same'ach – a joyous Passover festival to you all.
SPN
-------------------------------------------------
Nachshon’s
redemption
I stand here
surrounded
by throngs
alone
frightened
exhilarated
wondering
when
will something
happen
then I hear storm
hooves
pounding
hastening
towards
our
destruction
then
fire rising
from
sand to sky
pillar
of protection
pillar
of obliteration
waiting
caught
between
fire
and water
life
and death
freedom
and slavery
unknown
and known
waiting
where
is the chosen one
the
one slow of speech
quickly
tell us
what
to do
the
one drawn out of the waters
tell
us how
not
to drown
I
stand looking
before
me I see only
water
churning foaming
beckoning
frightening calling
enter
join
me
I
shall rescue you
from
misery
from
suffering
from
life
in
me
beneath
my waves
surrounded
by my calm
you
shall find freedom
peace
at last
I
am your God
oh
Israelites
you
have come out of Egypt
for
me to save you
listening
I
am drawn to enter
the
depths of the sea
to
seek in the brine
salvation
what
it offers
I
do not know
still
to
step to jump to move
is
better than
standing
waiting
not
knowing
what
will come next
I
am unsure
as
I always am
when
suddenly
with
no warning preparation
no
choice
depths
surround me
salt
water fills my nostrils
stings
my eyes calms my soul
comforts
me
I
have returned to the womb
though
I do not know
if
I jumped if I was pushed
I
do not recall
perhaps
both are true
coinciding
contradictions
It
does not matter
only
the reality
the
moment the present matters
I
am here in the depths
on
dry land
disoriented
where
is the water the salt
the
depths its warmth its comfort
now
I feel a breeze
I
hear a roar a rush
not
hooves but muddy footsteps
of
my people
surrounded
by darkness
I
look up the sun is high
I
look to each side
walls
of water
deep
dark geysers
reaching
towards heaven
pillars
of strength
I
stand between
arms
unable to reach
either
side
feet
firmly planted on dry mud
heart
uplifted
I
see hear touch feel smell
sense
the miracle salvation
the
people cry shout walk run
march
crawl straggle
struggle
stumble
are
picked up fall again
are
lifted carried
each
supporting the other
the
people are one
finally
the first time
together
I
am amazed
as
each one passing
seems
to look smile nod at me
then
the one
the
chosen one our leader
stands
before me
eyes
meeting eyes
he
smiles
speaks
simply
he
says to me thank you
why
I ask him
what
did I do
was
it I who made it happen
no
it could not be
yet
perhaps it was
all
i know is the sound
the
roar the spray of water
surrounding
us all
I
walk in a daze
all
others have gone ahead
I
am now the last
no
longer the first
there
really is no difference
then
suddenly hear
another
sound
not
joy fear
I
turn around
horse
warriors are approaching
I
see death in their eyes
I
run
towards
the screams of my people
calling
to me fearful
I
will never leave here alive
I
will die here in the mud
having
only known a moment
of
freedom
but
that is still better than none
prepared
to die I suddenly hear
another
rush of water
screams
of death cries of shock
shouts
of joy all mingled
cacophonous
harmony
I
do not understand
I
cannot stop to look
suddenly
I am swept up by the sea
salt
water again in mouth and eyes
not
soothing this time
but
tossing lifting casting me
upon
dry land dazed
I
am free i am alive
I
am in shock
I
look behind
the
sea is there as it was
the
soldiers horses are gone
they
have discovered the depths
but
they will not be soothed
in
the brine
they
will not be lifted up and out
they
are to be forever entombed
churning
waters now calm
giving
life to us
bringing
death to them
then
I hear another sound
joyous
shouts songs timbrels
women
dancing men leaping
celebrating
freedom
salvation
survival
i
look again to the sea
that
had for a moment
been
my home
the
place that gives life and
brings
death
in
my mind i see them
the
enemy or are they
struggling
to escape its clutches
longing
for sunlight
then
submerging submitting
accepting
their fate
they
breathe their last
exhaling
the life they knew
swallowing
the brine
of
their new home their tomb
as
I see this see them
feel
their pain fear suffering
emotions
engulf me
I
imagine taste once again
the
brine
saving
us killing them
but
this is not imagined
it
is real tears flowing
for
destruction wrought
for
salvation bestowed
a
legacy to us
the
ones who remain
the
ones who shall live
how
can we sing
when
the dead lie before us
how
can we not
when
the living are in our midst
I
look up
he
is there again
the
chosen one
drawn
from the water
leading
us through the water
he
looks at me
knowing
what I feel
smiling
he
reaches down
I
hold his hand
he
draws me up from the ground
to
him
embracing
a torrent of tears flowing
feeling
what I have never
before
felt or known
joyous
grief
mournful
ecstasy
true
redemption requires sacrifice
are
these words from me
from
him from above
from
within
yes
they are all these
for
they are truth
still
embracing each other
feeling
hearts beat breath rise
together
in his arms
he
kisses my head
he
pulls away smiles gently
turning
me around
still
firmly in his embrace
I
view the sea
calm
glimmering sunset
its
surface beautiful beyond speech
its
depths an unseen horrors
such
is the path of redemption
the
pain the sacrifice of salvation
such
is the way of life
suddenly
no
longer feeling his presence
I
turn aroundhe is gone
swallowed
up by the ocean
of
frenzied souls
rejoicing
over him
celebrating
the moment
filled
with joy and gratitude
it
is all we have
and
it too will soon be gone
rising
I
join with them
feeling
gratitude
for
the redemptive moment
not
knowing what
will
happen next
or
what I will do
when
it does
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