When God split the Red Sea for the Israelites, the miracle did not stop at a single body of water. The Mekhilta asks a pointed question: what about the waters in pits, cavities, caves, pitchers, cups, casks, and glasses? The answer comes from a close reading of the verse itself. Scripture says "and the waters were split" (Exodus 14:21) — not "the sea was split," but "the waters." Every drop of water on earth, no matter where it was contained, split at the same moment.
The rabbis note that the Torah already states "and He made the sea into dry land," which would seem sufficient to describe the miracle. So why add the detail about the waters splitting? To teach something far more dramatic. The splitting was not a local event confined to the shores of the sea. It was a cosmic transformation. Water in underground caves cracked apart. Water sitting in household vessels divided. The entire element of water, everywhere in the world, responded simultaneously to the divine command.
This reading reveals the rabbinic understanding of how miracles work. God does not tinker with one small corner of creation. When He acts, the whole natural order bends in response. The splitting of the Red Sea was not merely an escape route for a fleeing nation — it was a declaration that every molecule of water in existence answered to the same Creator who commanded the sea to part.