This happened on the seventh night of Passover. But a week earlier, the Israelites had left Egypt, hoping to be free from persecution and suffering, and now the Egyptians were chasing them. The sea was in front of them, the Egyptians were behind them, and the desert was closing in on them from all sides.
The people were torn between war and surrender or suicide at sea, as the Midrash says. No one dreamed that salvation would come by parting the sea and walking through it. But the unexpected happened.
Indeed, we are commanded to act within the framework of nature and not rely on miracles. When a problem arises, a Jew is required to take all natural and rational means in their power to solve it. However, at the same time, we must not forget that the people of Israel were born in a miracle and their entire existence is based on miracles.
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Surprising redemption
The Jewish faith states that the redemption of the people of Israel will not be routine and natural. We are certainly required to do everything in our power, through earthly and natural means, to bring peace and prosperity to the people of Israel, but at the same time it is clear to us that the true and complete redemption will be surprising, unexpected, a miraculous redemption.
Some believed in the past that the suffering of the Jewish people could be resolved through natural means. We will redeem the Land of Israel, we will gather the exiles, we will bring about the redemption. Even believing Jews were caught, some of them, in the illusion that the redemption of the people of Israel could be accomplished by ordinary human forces, and that the coming of the Messiah could be left 'for the future to come.'.
We have come a long way since then. Today it is clear to everyone that no one has a real solution to the complexity of our existential problems. The difficult physical problems are a reflection of the spiritual problems, the loss of identity, the questioning of the very meaning of Jewish existence, problems that become more complicated and more severe, with no apparent way out. Today we all look up to heaven in prayer for a miraculous salvation.
This is the point at which a cry for complete redemption should erupt from all of our hearts, which will bring the true solution to all of our afflicting problems, both physical and spiritual. Since ultimately the unexpected happens, let us pray that the 'unexpected', which we all actually expect and wish for, will happen.
The sages say that the Messiah comes in a state of distraction. Even though everyone expects him and prays for his arrival, his appearance will still be a complete surprise.
The complete solution
The prayer for redemption is eroded by routine. Even though we all believe in the coming of the Messiah, expect redemption and pray for it to come, we often ask for it as a learned commandment of men. When a person has a personal problem that is troubling him – he knows how to cry out in truth and pray with sincere intention, but the prayer for redemption, which will bring the true and complete solution to all our problems and afflictions, is done as a matter of routine.
It is worth remembering that the entire matter of redemption is shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Apart from general outlines, our prophets and sages have kept the details of the matter secret, and as Maimonides says – "things are secret with the prophets." One thing we know – the hour is the eve of redemption and we are required to believe in it with all our heart and soul, for the very belief in redemption hastens its arrival.
On the seventh day of Pesach, we will ask and beseech God, the Almighty, that He will hasten to send us His Messiah, that He may come and redeem us with eternal redemption, and that we may rejoice together in the joy of complete redemption.
