Why the Sea Split: Gratitude, Faith, and the Miracle That Changed History

“Yitro heard… all that God had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake… all the hardship that had befallen them on the way… and Yitro rejoiced over all the good that God had done for Israel, that He had rescued them from the hand of Egypt.”(Shemot 18:1–9)

Yitro sought to join the people of Israel and came to them. He did not wait until they were settled peacefully in a land flowing with milk and honey. Instead, he hurried to meet them in the wilderness.

What compelled him to do this? Rashi explains that Yitro heard about two events: the Splitting of the Red Sea and the war with Amalek.

The Miracle of the Splitting of the Sea

The splitting of the Red Sea was a staggering miracle. God split the sea and led the people of Israel through the raging waters. Twelve paths opened before them; the waters stood upright like walls, and the depths were frozen. God ensured that they did not need to descend into the abyss and climb back up. Instead, the lower layers beneath their feet were frozen solid, and the upper waters became walls on either side. Israel crossed effortlessly.

In addition, almonds, walnuts, dates, and apples miraculously grew along the way. After all, they had left Egypt with small children. When a child asked, “Mother, I’m hungry,” the mothers would simply pluck fruit and feed them.

Our Sages add that the miracle of the sea was not only witnessed by Israel, but by the entire world. Not only the Red Sea split, but all the waters of the world split, as implied by the verse, “And the waters split.”

A man washing clothes in a river suddenly saw the river split before him. Another person lifted a cup of water to drink, and the water split in two; half on one side of the cup and half on the other.

People were astonished and began asking one another what this strange phenomenon meant. In this way, news of the miracle spread throughout the world. There was no media, no radio, or smartphones, but God has His ways of reaching every person wherever they are.

Immediately, “Nations heard and trembled… the chiefs of Edom were dismayed… all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away” (Shemot 15:14–15). Awe and terror fell upon the entire world because of the Splitting of the Sea.

Two Events That Shaped the Jewish Nation

The Splitting of the Sea was one of two defining events that forged the Jewish nation into the people of God and bound them to their Creator in an unbreakable bond. The second was the Revelation at Mount Sinai.

In both events, Israel merited a level of Divine revelation that never repeated itself.

At the Sea, Israel merited to “see” God Himself coming to save them, as our Sages taught (Mechilta): “A maidservant at the sea saw what Yechezkel and all the other prophets did not see.”

They did not merely witness the sea splitting, but they perceived God rescuing them from Egypt.

Every Jew received the gift that every Jew longs for: to see God. Of course, God had said, “No man can see Me and live” (Shemot 33:20), so this was not a physical vision. Nevertheless, Israel clearly perceived that God Himself was fighting on their behalf — “The Lord will fight for you” (Shemot 14:14).

Why Didn’t Israel Fight?

Why did Israel need God to fight for them? Why didn’t they fight the Egyptians themselves?

After all, the Torah testifies: “The children of Israel went up armed from the land of Egypt” (Shemot 13:18). There were six hundred thousand men of fighting age. Why didn’t they rise up and attack the Egyptians?

The Midrash reveals something astonishing: Israel could not bring themselves to fight Egypt because they felt it would be ingratitude.

After all, Egypt had been their host for hundreds of years. Despite everything, they could not raise their hands against those who had once given them shelter. They could have focused on the cruelty the Egyptians inflicted upon them, and yet they did not.

The Ramchal explains that when a person receives both good and harm from another, they must forget the harm and remember the good, waiting for the opportunity to repay kindness with kindness.

This is exactly how Israel behaved.

Gratitude as a Torah Value

The Torah itself teaches us this principle: “Do not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land” (Devarim 23:8).

Therefore, a third-generation Egyptian may convert and become part of Israel. Despite all the suffering Egypt inflicted by throwing newborn boys into the Nile and enslaving Israel brutally, Israel remembered only that Egypt had once been their host.

This same trait of gratitude appeared in Yosef the Righteous.

When Potiphar’s wife seized Yosef by his garment, he could have forcibly taken it back. Yet he did not. Why? Because he could not be ungrateful. She had brought him into her home; he ate, drank, and slept there. How could he betray that kindness?

Even knowing that leaving his garment behind could cost him his life, Yosef chose gratitude over self-preservation.

Why the Sea Finally Split

Our Sages say that the sea initially refused to split before Israel. How could that be, when Israel’s lives were in danger?

The explanation is that God had commanded the sea to flow continuously. As long as it did so, it was fulfilling God’s will. The sea did not want to cease obeying its Creator.

But when the sea saw Yosef’s coffin, it immediately split, as it says: “The sea saw and fled” (Tehillim 114:3).

Just as Yosef had fled from Potiphar’s wife — “He fled and went outside” (Bereishit 39:12), the sea “fled” as well.

Why the connection?

Yosef acted against human nature. A person naturally protects their own life, and yet Yosef refused to retrieve his garment in order not to be ungrateful.

The sea “said”: If a human being can act against his nature, I too can act against mine. And it split.

Because Israel also acted against their nature, by refusing to fight Egypt out of gratitude, they became worthy of a miracle that defied the very laws of creation.

What Yitro Understood

When Yitro heard about the Splitting of the Sea —a miracle that overturned nature itself, he felt compelled to investigate what merit earned Israel such a miracle.

He came to the wilderness and heard from Moshe about all their suffering. He asked: What did you do to deserve this? Did you drown the Egyptians? Did you defeat Amalek by your own strength?

Moshe told him: “All the hardship… and God saved them” (Shemot 18:8).

He described Israel’s utter helplessness — how Jewish slaves left home before dawn and returned after dark, seeing daylight only at forced labor.

And yet, God fought for us, not we for ourselves.

Six hundred thousand armed men stood at the sea, yet did not attack, because they could not be ungrateful.

When Egypt pursued them, God Himself intervened and saved them. God did everything, while we did nothing. Horse and rider He cast into the sea. We did not raise a hand.

We acted against our nature, and God overturned the laws of creation for us.

(Adapted from “Meshacheni Acharecha,” Shemot)