What happens to the abandoned? What happens to the children left to the elements, victims of cruelty and fear? Sometimes, stories offer us the most profound answers.

Think about the story of the Exodus. Pharaoh, in his terrible paranoia, decrees that all male Israelite children must be killed. A horrific edict. Exodus Rabbah tells us that many mothers, desperate and heartbroken, were forced to abandon their newborn sons in open fields. Imagine the agony. But what became of those babies? Surely, a loving God wouldn’t simply abandon them as well.

According to one beautiful myth, God Himself stepped in. He took on the form of "a handsome young man" and personally cared for each and every one of them. He sheltered them, fed them, and nurtured them until they were grown.

Now, picture this: years pass. The boys, now young men, return to their families. Their parents, overwhelmed with joy and disbelief, ask them, "Who took care of you all these years? Who saved you?" And the young men reply, "A handsome young man provided for all our needs."

Fast forward to the splitting of the Red Sea. The Israelites stand at the water's edge, trapped between Pharaoh's pursuing army and the vast, unforgiving sea. God is there, a pillar of fire and cloud, a powerful presence leading them forward. As the sea crashes back into place, we are told, the young men who had been abandoned in the fields are among those who crossed.

And here's the truly miraculous part. As they witness the awesome power of God at the Red Sea, they recognize Him. They point and exclaim to their parents, "That is the one! That is the one who took care of us when we were in Egypt!" That's why, the story says, every single person who crossed the Red Sea could point and declare, "Zeh Eli v’anvehu – This is my God, and I will glorify Him!" (Exodus 15:2). They weren't just witnessing a miracle; they were recognizing the very being who had saved their lives as infants.

This is more than just a nice story, isn't it? It speaks to a profound truth about the nature of God. It's easy to think of God as a distant, all-powerful being, but this myth, like the one about "God and the Spirits of the Unborn" or "The Dew of Resurrection", reveals a nurturing, intimately involved God. A God who doesn't just issue commandments from on high, but who gets down in the dirt, so to speak, to care for the most vulnerable among us.

Of course, other traditions depict God at the Red Sea in different ways – as "The Warrior God," for example. Rashi, the great medieval commentator, addresses these differing depictions. He quotes God as saying, "Since I change in My appearance to the people, do not say that there are two divine beings" (commentary on Exodus 20:2). The takeaway? God reveals Godself to us in ways we can understand, ways that resonate with our individual experiences.

As we find in Midrash Rabbah, this story is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, when we feel most abandoned and alone, God's presence can be found. Perhaps not always in the way we expect, but always with love, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to our well-being. So, the next time you feel lost or forgotten, remember the children of the Red Sea and the "handsome young man" who watched over them.