April 18, 2014
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the
sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and
turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went
through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their
left. — Exodus 14:21–22
Today is Day 4 of
the eight-day Passover celebration. The Torah reading for today is from Exodus 22:24–23:19 and Numbers
28:19–25.
On the night of Passover, we retell and
relive the Exodus story so that we can fully integrate God’s salvation and
presence in our lives. At the heart of the Exodus story is the parting of the
Red Sea. According to Jewish tradition, the sea did not part until the children
of Israel began to walk into it. It was this great demonstration of faith that
caused the sea to part.
I think there was an even greater
expression of faith than walking into the sea; it was walking throughthe
sea “with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Imagine
walking through that great sea with walls of water on either side, walls that
could come crashing down at any moment! To me, that took even greater courage
and faith.
While it’s admirable and commendable to
take the proverbial leap of faith from time to time, it’s far more challenging
to walk in faith, day in and day out. We may take a new job on faith, but
living day to day believing that our needs will be met and that the paycheck
will cover the expenses is another level of faith. Life is fragile and things
can go wrong at any moment. Walking in faith means going down the risky path of
life trusting that everything will be alright.
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, an
eighteenth-century rabbi, used to say, “The whole world is a very narrow
bridge. And the main thing is to never be afraid.” Our lives are a walk across
a narrow bridge. One wrong step to the left or to the right, and we will fall.
The rabbi teaches us that we must turn our fears into faith in order to pass
safely through.
In the Talmud, Judaism’s oral
tradition, the Sages teach that there are three miracles even greater than the
parting of the Red Sea: One, when a person finds his or her soul-mate; two,
when a person finds a source of income; and three, when a person maintains a
healthy body. These realities that we often take for granted are greater than
the parting of the Red Sea. But, even greater than finding a spouse, an income,
or health is “walking through them” like the Israelites walked through the Red
Sea – full of faith when, at any moment, the waves can come crashing down.
Passover is a time for recognizing the
great miracles in life and trusting that they will continue to be present in
our lives. We must walk through our lives together with God, day after day,
with boundless gratitude and endless faith.
With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
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