<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d1\u05e1 \"\u05d3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalms, 114, 1-3<\/a>: <\/strong>\u201cIn Yisrael\u2019s leaving of Egypt, the house of Yaakov from a people of foreign tongue; Yehuda sanctified Him, Yisrael His ruler. The sea saw and escaped\u2026\u201d King David in Psalms alludes to the events of The Splitting of the Sea \u2013 he refers to Yehuda sanctifying G-d and then exclaims that the sea saw and then split \u2013 it does not tell us what exactly the sea saw. The Midrash teaches that what the sea \u2018saw\u2019 was the coffin that contained the body of the righteous Yosef that the Jewish people brought with them out of Egypt. The Midrash explains that in the merit of Yosef\u2019s action of fleeing from Potiphar\u2019s wife, the sea in turn \u2018fled\u2019 and split. Accordingly, it seems that the splitting of the sea was in Yosef\u2019s merit. However, the Talmud1<\/sup>\u00a0cited by Rashi, when discussing the first part of the same verse in Psalms, says that Yehuda\u2019s sanctification refers to when Nachson the son of Amminadav of Yehuda was the first person to walk into the raging sea until the water reached up to his nose, and then split, seemingly in his merit. The obvious problem here is that based on the Sages\u2019 teachings, it seems like the very same verse is alluding to totally separate reasons for the splitting of the sea \u2013 how do we understand this? It appears that both deeds were necessary to cause the sea to split, but why is this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first stage in approaching this question is to explain why these two actions in particular merited the miracle of the splitting of the sea. With regard to Yosef, one possible approach is that, when faced with the test with Potiphar\u2019s wife, Yosef rose above his nature by resisting his natural human desires in a super-natural way and ran out of the room. In this merit, the sea went against its nature and \u2018fled\u2019 from itself, so to speak, by splitting. A similar approach can be applied to Nachson the son of Amminadav \u2013 he went against the natural way of acting by walking straight into a raging sea until it reached the point where he could no longer breath. So again, by rising above the natural mode of behavior, he merited that the sea act in an \u2018unnatural\u2019 manner and split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the question remains as to why both deeds seem to have been required? In order to answer this question, it is instructive to delve a little deeper into the unique roles of Yosef and Yehuda and this will enable to help us understand the significant of each of their actions that merited the splitting of the Sea. King David in Psalms enumerates two kinds of Divine service: \u201cSur meirah v\u2019aseh tov\u201d 2<\/sup>; \u201cleave evil and do good\u201d. On an individual level, \u2018leaving evil\u2019 refers to avoiding sinning and overcoming one\u2019s negative traits, while on a more public level it refers to fighting evil in the world. \u2018Doing good\u2019 refers to performing positive actions and developing one\u2019s positive traits, whilst on a more public level it refers to bringing about increased Divine service in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Shem Mishmuel3<\/sup> explains that Yosef epitomized the idea of \u2018leaving evil\u2019. He guarded himself from immorality, refusing to even look at the Egyptian women who came to see him, and most significantly, when he overcame the test of Potiphar\u2019s wife. He also acted to remove evil from others, by forcing the Egyptians to remove their foreskin through circumcision, and in that way removing some of the inclination of immorality. Yehuda on the other hand, epitomizes the idea of \u2018doing good\u2019; He performed positive actions, such as when he took responsibility for his action with Tamar, and he was sent to Egypt to set up study halls to pave the way for the Jewish nation in a spiritual fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a similar vein, we know that that two Messiahs will redeem the Jewish nation, one from Yosef and one from Yehuda \u2013 they will be known as Messiah the son of Yosef and Messiah the son of David \u2013 David himself was a descendant of Yehuda. The Shem Mishmuel4<\/sup> writes that the Messiah from Yosef will accomplish the \u2018leaving evil\u2019 aspect by defeating the enemies of the nation. In that way, he will pave the way for the Messiah from David to complete the \u2018doing good by bringing about the ingathering of the exiles and rebuilding the Temple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on this understanding, it seems that two aspects of breaking nature were necessary to invoke enough merit to cause the sea to go against its nature \u2013 breaking nature in the realm of leaving evil and breaking nature in the realm of doing good: Yosef broke nature through leaving evil when he overcame his natural desires and ran away from Potiphar\u2019s wife. Yehuda broke nature through doing good when he overcame his natural desire to remain safely on dry land, and walked up to his nose, in the raging waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two acts of \u2018supernatural\u2019 strength combined to provide enough merit for the sea to act in a supernatural fashion and split.5<\/sup> We also know that based on the concept of Maaseh Avos Simun L\u2019Banim<\/em> (the actions of the fathers are a sign for the children), the great actions of Yosef and Yehuda continue to have a positive effect on us \u2013 Yosef gave us the power to resist our negative inclination in difficult challenges, and Yehuda in taking responsibility and acting boldly even when it seems futile. May each of us merit, on our own level, to emulate Yosef and Yehuda in leaving evil and doing good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Par le rabbin Yehonasan Gefen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBeshalach\u00a0(Exodus 13:17-17:16<\/a>\u00a0)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Rachi, Psalms, 114:2<\/a>, Dh: Hayta Yehuda: \u201c<\/strong>\u2026This verse is homiletically explained in Agadda, \u2018Yehuda sanctified Him\u2019, in that Nachshon jumped into the sea and said \u2018I will go in first\u2019\u2026\u201d
<\/a>Bereishit Rabbah, 87:8<\/a>: Dh: And he went outside: \u201c<\/strong>Rebbe Shimon Ish Katron says, \u2018in the merit of Yosef\u2019s bones, the sea split for Israel, as it says, \u2018The sea saw and fled\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 in the merit of, \u2018and he left his clothing in her hand and escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n