It sounds like something out of a movie, but the Rabbis grappled with this moment, and what it truly meant.
The book of Exodus (14:16) tells us, "And you, raise your staff, and extend your hand over the sea, and split it; and the children of Israel will come into the midst of the sea on dry ground." But did Moses just...do it? According to Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, it wasn’t quite that simple.
Moses actually argues with God! "You’re telling me to split the sea and make it dry land?" he essentially asks. "But isn’t it written, 'I placed the sand as the boundary of the sea' (Jeremiah 5:22)? Didn't you swear you'd never split it?"
Rabbi Elazar HaKappar, as quoted in Shemot Rabbah, elaborates on Moses's point: Didn't God Himself say the sea wouldn't become dry land? Didn't He "shut the sea with doors" (Job 38:8)? It's a powerful image, this idea of God setting boundaries, and now seemingly breaking them.
But God, in His infinite wisdom, has an answer. "You didn't read from the beginning of the Torah," He tells Moses. Remember when, in Genesis (1:9), God said, "Let the waters be gathered"? God says, "I made a stipulation with the sea! I stipulated from the beginning that I would split it." As it says in Exodus 14:27, "The sea returned to its power [le’eitano] before the morning," referring to its original "stipulation [tena’o]" that God made with it at creation.
So, Moses, reassured, goes to split the sea. But guess what? The sea refuses. Can you imagine? The sea has a mind of its own! It basically tells Moses, "Why should I split for you? I'm older and greater! I was created on the third day, you were created on the sixth!"
Poor Moses! He has to go back to God again. "The sea won't split!" he reports.
Now, this is where it gets really interesting. What does God do? He places His right hand on Moses's right hand. As Isaiah (63:12) says, "He caused [His glorious arm] to go to the right of Moses…" And that's what changes everything.
The sea sees God's hand on Moses, and it flees! "The sea saw and fled," says Psalm 114:3. It recognizes the divine presence, the power it cannot resist. Moses even asks the sea why it's running away, and the sea replies that it fears God.
Finally, when Moses raises his hand, the waters part. But notice the language: Exodus 14:21 doesn’t say "the sea divided," but rather "the water divided." According to Shemot Rabbah, this teaches us that all the water, everywhere – in springs, in cisterns, everywhere – split. And when they returned, all the water returned as well (Exodus 14:28). A total upheaval of the natural order!
All these miracles, the text emphasizes, were performed by Moses, through God's power. That's why God praises him, remembering "the days of old, Moses, His people: [Where is he who took them up from the sea, the shepherd of His flock?]" (Isaiah 63:11). And again, "He caused His glorious arm to go to the right of Moses" (Isaiah 63:12).
What does this all mean? It's not just a story about splitting the sea. It’s a story about arguing with God, about the inherent resistance of the natural world, about the power of divine presence, and ultimately, about leadership. Moses isn't just a passive instrument. He questions, he pleads, he acts. And through him, God's will is done. It's a reminder that even the most impossible tasks become possible when we align ourselves with something greater than ourselves. And sometimes, all it takes is a little divine hand-holding.