Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and elaborations on Biblical narratives, gives us a glimpse. In Chapter 42, we find a surprising dialogue between God and the Earth after the splitting of the Red Sea. : God has just commanded the sea to split, allowing the Israelites to escape, and then commanded it to crash back down, drowning the Egyptian army. "Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Exodus 15:12).
The story goes that God instructed the Earth to bury the slain Egyptians. And the Earth, well, it wasn't exactly thrilled. It protested! "Sovereign of all worlds!" it argued, "The waters killed them, so let the waters swallow them!" Can you imagine the audacity? The Earth, talking back to God!
But God had a plan. He replied, saying that on this occasion the Earth should receive them. As compensation, He promised that in the future, those destined to die by the Earth’s hand would instead be cast into the sea. He specifically mentioned Sisera and his army, whose demise is described in the Book of Judges: "The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river" (Judges 5:21).
The Earth, still hesitant, pressed for a guarantee. It demanded an oath from God, sealed with His right hand, that He wouldn't later hold the Earth accountable for burying the Egyptians. So, God, blessed be He, extended His right hand and swore to the Earth that He would not reclaim them. "Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Exodus 15:12) – a verse now imbued with even deeper meaning.
What does this all mean? Why this little drama between God and the Earth? Perhaps it's a way of showing that even the natural world has a role, a voice, in the unfolding of divine events. It's not just about humans and God. Everything is interconnected.
The narrative continues, noting the ripple effect of the Exodus. The news of the miraculous parting of the Red Sea spread far and wide. "The peoples have heard, they tremble" (Exodus 15:14). All the kings of the earth, upon hearing of these events, trembled and feared, fleeing from their places.
The story in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer gives us a different perspective. The whole world, not just humanity, was shaken by the Exodus. It shows us that even the Earth itself has a kind of agency, a say in things. It reminds us that even in the grandest of narratives, even the ground beneath our feet has a story to tell. What other hidden conversations might be happening all around us, just waiting to be heard?