Wilderness and the Sea of Reeds to Test and Teach Israel

"And God led the people around" (Exodus 13:18): He set them down in places from which they could not turn back, neither before them nor behind them. "By way of the wilderness, the Sea of Reeds." Rabbi Eliezer says: "the way" — in order to wear them out, as it says, "He weakened my strength on the way" (Psalms 102:24). "The wilderness" — in order to refine them, as it says, "who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with serpent, fiery serpent, and scorpion, and thirsty ground where there was no water" (Deuteronomy 8:15). "The Sea of Reeds" — in order to test them, as it says, "and they rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds" (Psalms 106:7). Rabbi Yehoshua says: "the way" — in order to give them the Torah, as it says, "in all the way that the LORD your God commanded you, you shall walk" (Deuteronomy 5:30), and it says, "and the way of life is the reproof of discipline" (Proverbs 6:23). "The wilderness" — in order to feed them the manna, as it says, "who fed you manna in the wilderness" (Deuteronomy 8:16). "The Sea of Reeds" — to perform for them miracles and mighty deeds, as it says, "awesome things at the Sea of Reeds" (Psalms 106:22), and it says, "and He rebuked the Sea of Reeds and it dried up" (Psalms 106:9). "And armed [chamushim]": "chamushim" means only armed, as it says, "And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben and half the tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before their brothers" (Joshua 4:12). This teaches that they went up equipped with five kinds of weapons: bow, sword, shield, spear, and lance. Another interpretation: "chamushim" — some of them went up in the fourth generation and some in the fifth. Another interpretation: "chamushim" — they went up, teaching that converts and slaves went up with them, five times as many as themselves. Another interpretation: "chamushim" — they went up, but one in five did not go up with them. Another interpretation: they say one in fifty. And some say one in five hundred. Rabbi Nehorai says: by the Temple service, not even one in five thousand, and so it says, "I made you as numerous as the plants of the field" (Ezekiel 16:7). And when did they die? In the days of the darkness, when the Egyptians were steeped in darkness and Israel buried their dead, and they gave thanks and praise to the Name that their enemies did not see them and rejoice in their downfall.