What would you see?
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers us a glimpse into that moment, a moment of sheer, terrifying awe. It’s not just about water parting; it’s about the very foundations of the earth being exposed.
"And they saw streams of water." The Midrash connects this to God’s command to Moses in Exodus 14:16: "You, raise your staff." At that instant, it wasn't just the Red Sea that split. According to the Midrash, all the wellsprings of the deep, everywhere, burst open. Even the water in jugs, pits, and barrels – everything divided. Can you picture that? A world momentarily fractured, reshaped by divine power.
The text continues: "Woe to them, they saw streams of water, and the foundations of the earth were exposed." These exposed foundations, the Midrash clarifies, "are the seas." It's a vision of cosmic upheaval, a glimpse behind the curtain of reality.
Then, the Midrash brings in Psalm 77:17, "The waters saw You." Rabbi Yudan interprets this as referring to the "upper waters." But what are the “upper waters?" Well, in Jewish cosmology, there's the idea of waters above the firmament, a celestial ocean mirroring the terrestrial one. It’s a concept we find elsewhere in Jewish literature too. (Genesis 1:6-7)
The verse continues, "The waters trembled." This, says the Midrash, refers to the lower waters. It's as if all of creation, both above and below, is reacting to God's presence, to the sheer force of the miracle.
And then comes the kicker: "Your rebuke." Rabbi Chanina offers a fascinating alternative reading. "It is not really Your rebuke, but the breath of Your nostrils." He connects this to Exodus 15:8, a verse from the Song of the Sea: "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up." for a second. It wasn’t just a command, a divine decree. It was God's very breath, the ruach, the same word used for spirit, that caused the waters to part. It's an incredibly intimate image, God breathing life, and in this case, liberation, into existence.
So, what does it all mean? Beyond the literal splitting of the sea, this Midrash paints a picture of a world responding to God's power, a world where even the most fundamental elements – water, earth, and air – are instruments of divine will. It reminds us that even in the face of impossible odds, even when staring into the abyss, there is a power greater than ourselves that can reshape reality with a single breath.
Next time you feel overwhelmed, remember the Red Sea. Remember the waters trembling. And remember the breath.