Nice to meet you.
The basic thing in getting to know someone is to first know their name, and if they have several names, it is advisable to know them all, since at the end of the reading Get to know perhaps The Red Sea is better, but you won't know anything about the Red Sea.
So, you've been spared the reading of another article. The Red Sea is the Red Sea itself. So, what is the origin of these two names?
Well, the Red Sea is the Hebrew name for the sea. In no other ancient source is the sea called by the name given to it by the Torah. In contrast, its other name – the Red Sea – has additional sources.
The main reason is the reddish hue found in the water. Some claim that this hue, which is not found in other waters, originates from a certain type of bacteria found in the sea water and gives it a reddish appearance. On the other hand, some claim that the red hue of the sea actually stems from the reflection of the reddish mountains to its east, where Jordan and Saudi Arabia are located.
The Red Sea is an important center for tourism from around the world. The pleasant weather in the winter season, the beautiful beaches, the clear sea and the spectacular diving sites on the coasts of Sinai, Egypt, and Sudan make the Red Sea coast a sought-after tourist destination. Ras Mohammed and the Blue Hole in Sinai are known as some of the most spectacular diving sites in the world. Since the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, Egypt has greatly developed tourism along the Red Sea coast, especially in Sinai, and has built dozens of tourist sites and hundreds of hotels and resort villages.
The Red Sea, or as we have already learned, the Red Sea, is an extension of the Indian Ocean and is artificially connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal. The shores of the Red Sea are home to many Arab countries such as: Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, and only one Jewish state – Israel.
Crossing the canal
If we mentioned the Suez Canal, it's impossible not to dedicate 45 seconds of reading to it:
The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway that runs through Egypt, west of the Sinai Desert, and is used to transport ships from East Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. It is 162.5 km long and stretches between the cities of Port Said and Port Fuad in the north, to the city of Suez in the south. The width of the canal ranges from 100 to 200 meters, and its depth is between 10 and 20 meters.
The great importance of the canal is that it allows ships traveling between Asia and Europe to avoid the need to circumnavigate Africa through the stormy Atlantic Ocean, thereby significantly shortening and reducing the route.
The canal currently forms the border between the Asian and African continents. Between the Six-Day War (1967) and the Israeli withdrawal from Sinai following the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt (1980-1982), the canal was also the border between Israel and Egypt.
Now you can continue swimming in the Red Sea, which is the saltiest, by the way, of the open seas.
The Red Sea is about 1,900 kilometers long and its maximum width is about 300 kilometers. Its average depth is about 500 meters and its maximum depth is about 2,500 meters. The sea has wide land shelves known for their coral colonies and the many marine creatures that live along them. Its surface water temperature ranges within a narrow range of 20-26 degrees Celsius, and just below the surface of the water the temperature is about 21 degrees throughout the year. Visibility below the water surface is very good, and sometimes it is even possible to see to a distance of 200 meters.
The Red Sea, if you were wondering, and I'm sure you are, is surrounded by deserts on all sides. It is also the only sea in the world that no river or stream flows into.
Torah and Science in the Red Sea
As with any subject in which science intervenes and tries to prove that the events of the Bible are not miracles or wonders, but rather that every event has an explanation from nature, no matter how bizarre.
Many scholars have tried to find a realistic explanation for the event. Some have pointed to the phenomenon of tides as a possible explanation, because when the Israelites reached the shore of the Red Sea, it was at an extremely low level – allowing the Israelites to cross it. Then – just after the last of them had passed and the Egyptians began to enter – the sea returned to a state of high tide and drowned the Egyptians.
And let's assume that this is the exact explanation – isn't it a miracle that just when the last of the Israelites crossed the sea, the sea entered a state of low tide? And beyond that, if Chazal testified that a slave girl saw on the sea what Yehezkel ben Buzi did not see, then obviously there was not only high tide and low tide.
As a continuation of the investigation of the great wonder of the splitting of the sea, many researchers and scientists have attempted to delve into this celestial issue and try to glean insights from its depths. That is, it either was or it wasn't. Ofra to Fumi, of course.
For example, two Russian mathematicians determined that the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on a coral reef. A strong wind deflected the sea for the time it took them to cross, and the water level was much lower at that time. Kudos to them!
The Russians further add that, according to their calculations, the length of time it took the Israelites - who numbered over 600,000 people - to cross the sea was about four hours, which is about 6.7 kilometers long, from shore to shore. According to them, after about half an hour the water was supposed to rise again - which probably caused the Egyptian army to sink.
Over time, speculation also increased regarding the exact location in the Red Sea through which the Israelites crossed.
In 1978, a researcher named Ron White dived in the area where the Red Sea crossing is believed to have taken place. He found chariot fragments that were already covered in a layer of coral, requiring careful handling to see. However, the coral had apparently helped preserve them over the years.
Wheels with 4, 6 and 8 spokes were found on the seabed. Ron pulled a chariot axle out of the water - to which 8 spokes of a wheel were attached - and brought it to Cairo for examination by a well-known antiquities director. He examined the chariot part and immediately announced that it was a find from the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt, which is known as the period of slavery of the Israelites in Egypt.
In May 2000, research dives were conducted by various groups of researchers led by Mark Krasberg from Norway and among the divers were well-known researchers such as: Ross Patterson from Australia, Joka Fontan from Sweden, Michael Redman and Aaron Sen from Britain and Thor Larsen, also from Norway. There, they met another researcher named Dr. Lennart Müller, with a sophisticated underwater camera with remote control, joined them. They were also joined by other researchers with sophisticated equipment for underwater research.
They sailed their boat towards Saudi Arabia and dived with the "Excalibur 1000" - a device that allows them to detect metals even 2 meters into the seabed.
In one dive at a depth of 28 meters, coral-covered remains were discovered in the shape of a wheel, exactly the size of a chariot wheel, and the chariot axle and the six spokes of the wheel could be clearly seen. Examination of the wheel revealed a positive reading on the metal detector. In addition, many other pieces of coral-covered metal were discovered.
Ultimately, as we delve deeper and descend into the depths of the sea, we discover what every Jewish child learns in kindergarten. We don't need proof.
""And they believed in the Lord and in Moses his servant" – this already sums it all up for us.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
