בס”ד
One of the greatest miracles that occurred to the Children of Israel when they left Egypt was the miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea. This miracle happened thanks to Nachshon ben Aminadab, who saw the people trapped between the Egyptians and the sea, and then sacrificed himself and jumped into the water. Following him, others came, and then the red sea was split, allowing the people to cross on dry land within the sea.
Nachshon’s action to jump into the sea was questionable from the Torah perspective. The principle of the sanctity of human life is a central value. Regarding a Ben Noach, there is no permission for one to throw himself to the sea as this is considered suicide. Even if a person is in great distress, there is an obligation to preserve life as every minute in this world of action is precious. Furthermore, Nachshon was in the minority against the majority of the people, who leaned towards other actions (returning to Egypt, fighting the Egyptians, praying). Based on what he permitted himself to commit suicidal act and jump into the sea, when he did not know that the miracle would occur and the sea would split?
Nachshon’s greatness lay in the fact that he did not think at all about self-sacrifice. The only thing on his mind was G-d’s commandment: “When you bring the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G-d on this mountain.” From this verse, Nachshon understood that from the Exodus from Egypt, one must go directly to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. This is G-d’s will, and all the delays along the way are not real and are of no concern to him.
Nachshon only thought about one thing—how to fulfill God’s will. It was clear to him that the other paths suggested by the people did not lead to fulfilling the intention. What about the sea? That is G-d’s concern. A person must do their part and advance. Therefore, he jumped into the waters of the sea, and when he did his part and went with full determination to fulfill G-d’s will, G-d fulfilled His part and split the sea.
Nachshon teaches everyone an important lesson. No one has to sacrifice himself physically, however, one must think about the goal—about fulfilling G-d’s will. Then we get immense help from heaven, to fulfill our role.
Likutei Sichos, Volume 1, page 135.
By Rabbi Moshe Bernstein
If you want more questions for contemplation, SEE THE OTHER BLOGS FROM RABBI MOSHE BERNSTEIN
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.
Our blogs may contain text/quotes/references/links that include copyright material of Mechon-Mamre.org, Aish.com, Sefaria.org, Chabad.org, and/or AskNoah.org, which we use in accordance with their policies.
