<b>When you go out to war and you see horse and chariot, a people more numerous than you (Deuteronomy 20:1):</b> This is what is stated in the verse (Proverbs 21:31), "The horse is readied for the day of battle, but the salvation comes from the Lord." What is [the meaning of] "The horse is ready?" At the time that Israel left Egypt, what is written there? "And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people had fled" (Exodus 14:5). Immediately, "And he tied his chariot, and he took his people with him. And he took six hundred of his picked chariots" (Exodus 14:6-7). Pharaoh stood and dressed all of the horses - and even the common ones - with precious stones and pearls. "And Egypt gave chase to them, etc. all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army" (Exodus 14:9). [This] teaches that not one of them fell ill and not one of them died, and not one of them got tired. Hence it is stated, "all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, etc." "As Pharaoh drew near, the Children of Israel raised their eyes" (Exodus 14:10). At that time, the Children of Israel began to cry out to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (Exodus 14:10) "and the Children of Israel cried out to the Lord." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "O My dove, in the cranny of the rocks, hidden by the cliff" (Song of Songs 2:14). To what was Israel comparable at that time? To a dove that fled from in front of a hawk, and came to [hide] behind a rock, but a snake was within [that space already. If] it sought to exit, behold the hawk is at the opening. So [too] was Israel. The sea was increasingly storming against them, the enemy was giving chase behind them and the [wild] animals [were closing in] from the wilderness, and [so] they were surrounded on four sides. And from where [do we know] that there were animals from the wilderness? Since it is stated (Exodus 14:3), "the wilderness enclosed (<i>sagar</i>) them." And "enclosed" is only an expression [indicating] wild animals, as it is stated (Daniel 6:23), "My God sent His angel, who closed (<i>sagar</i>) the mouths of the lions." What did they do? They lifted their eyes to their Father in the heavens and yelled out, as it is stated, "As Pharaoh drew near, the Children of Israel raised their eyes, etc. and the Children of Israel cried out to the Lord." Hence it is written, "O My dove, in the cranny of the rocks."