The Exodus of Egypt was marked by a series of miracles and wonders, starting with the plague of blood, which changed every single drop of water into blood. Even the entire Nile River turned to blood, and all the water was undrinkable. It ended with the plague of death of all the firstborns. Between those plagues, the Egyptians suffered a lot, suffering which we only wish upon our enemies.
Now, in our Parasha, it is time for the second level of the redemption. HaShem takes Am Yisrael out of Egypt, but there is a problem. After two hundred years of exile, the Jewish people aren’t used to war and don’t know how to fight. Am Yisrael is on their way to the promised land, but there is a chance that they will face many different enemies that will fight them and they will regret leaving Egypt and they will decide to return. HaShem changes the plan and takes Am Yisrael through the desert facing the Red Sea. But this doesn’t solve all the problems, as Paroh surprisingly doesn’t yet give up, and starts to convince the Egyptians into pursuing Am Yisrael.
All this brings us to two basic questions. First, there were so many miracles that HaShem performed in Egypt, couldn’t He have made a miracle and destroy any potential enemies that would have crossed their path? Can’t HaShem, for example, simply bring down heavy stones on them and kill them all, like He did in the times of Yehoshua Ben Nun? Secondly, from the Jewish people’s perspective, why would they regret leaving Egypt? Didn’t they witness all the miracles HaShem did for them in Egypt?
I would like to suggest, based on the commentators, and especially Rabbenu Bachya and Rabbenu Chananel, that the reason why HaShem took them through the desert and not through the land of the Plishtim was to accomplish two goals: First was to test Am Yisrael and to see if they would trust in HaShem. Secondly, HaShem wanted to show a greater miracle by splitting the sea, rather than simply killing the Plishtim which would seem like a much smaller miracle in Am Yisrael’s eyes. Since the goal was to perform a lot of great miracles for Am Yisrael and to inspire Am Yisrael until they reach the point in which they are worthy of receiving the Torah,
HaShem took them through the desert so He can split the sea. Besides all this, it was also to build the skills, strength, and patience of Am Yisrael, so when the time comes, they will be able to fight the most terrible enemy, Amalek. In Egypt the miracles were on the spot and the punishment was very quick, but after leaving Egypt and turning into an independent nation, HaShem wanted us to be His partner in performing miracles. Of course HaShem doesn’t need it, but it is for our sake.
When it comes to our life, we all want to wake up in the morning and hear that Gaza has miraculously been destroyed by heavy stones that fell on their heads, but from this weeks Parasha, we learn that we need to have patience and trust in HaShem that the ultimate salvation will come very soon,
Amen
Rabbi Tal