How to Split a Sea They were trapped. The Jewish people had just departed Egypt, hoping to experience freedom and liberation, but now they were trapped. Pursuing them was the Egyptian army, the Red Sea was before them. They did what you would expect them to do, they called out to G-d. The Torah recounts G-d's response: The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel. (Exodus 14:15) G-d's response is totally unexpected. After all, what is wrong with prayer? Isn't it a Mitzvah to pray to G-d when in distress? The Ohr Hachaim, the 18th-century commentator and mystic, explains that, the Jewish people were not worthy of the great miracle of the sea splitting on their behalf. G-d commanded Moses "speak to the children and let them travel", the people should travel forward with faith that G-d would protect them. The miracle would occur in the merit of the faith they would display. This story is a lesson on how we can achieve personal freedom in our own lives. Occasionally, we feel stuck, we don't see how our own challenge or difficulty can be resolved. Our natural impulse is to remain paralyzed. What is the point of taking positive action when we don't see how it will solve the overarching problem? This attitude is, in fact, what keeps us "imprisoned" in the adverse circumstance. G-d gives us the key to freedom, "speak to the children and let them travel"; the key to liberation is taking a positive step. This will trigger a divine blessing which will free us of negativity, bringing us to a place of positivity and liberation.
ב"ה