The Children of Israel are trapped between the sea and the approaching Egyptians. Cries of despair and helplessness are heard from the people (Exodus 14:9-12). Moses is ordered to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea so that it should split. It is then that the Children of Israel enter into the sea.
The Bible’s description "and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea" (verse 16) is understood by the Sages as a complex matter. When the Israelites enter into the sea, it is still the sea. Only upon their entering does the sea become dry land.
According to the Sages, entering the sea was not a stroll on a dry path with walls of water on either side, rather it was a somewhat violent, human decision, taken in the face of powerful, threatening waves. This manner of entering the sea is an expression of frustration at the complexity of the problem and its injustice. This is what succeeded in upending the existing conception of reality, turning the sea into dry land. We find that the Sages of the Mishnah disagree about the social interaction that preceded it:
"…and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." Rabbi Meir explains this in one fashion, while Rabbi Yehudah explains it in another (Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael, Beshalah – Chapter 5).
Rabbi Meir explains this in one fashion – When the tribes stood at the edge of the sea, each one clamored to be the first to enter. While they were arguing, the Tribe of Benjamin leaped up and entered the sea first… The leaders of the Tribe of Judah then began pelting them with stones…
Rabbi Yehudah explains it in another – "…and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground." When the tribes stood at the edge of the sea, each one clamored not to be the first to enter…while they were discussing the matter, Nahshon ben Aminadav leaped up and threw himself into the sea.
According to Rabbi Meir, all of the tribes wanted to enter the sea, but in the end it was the Tribe of Benjamin that leapt in first, meriting the abuse of the Tribe of Judah, who were concerned that cheating had taken place. In the continuation of the midrash, we find that both the Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Benjamin were rewarded. While the Tribe of Judah received the monarchy, the Tribe of Benjamin merited to house the Divine Presence.
According to Rabbi Yehudah, however, none of the tribes wanted to enter, and while they were all delaying, Nahshon ben Aminadav from the Tribe of Judah jumped up and entered.
According to Rabbi Meir, the act of leaping in was a deception and an expression of defiance. Specifically, it indicated a desire to hurry the process with an expression of avant-garde creativity. In contrast with the over-eager jumpers from the Tribe of Benjamin, we find the law-abiding members of the Tribe of Judah, trying to quiet the revolution. In fact, both groups are performing God's mission.
According to Rabbi Yehudah, the act of leaping in is an expression of authority and leadership, of daring and courage. (This appears to be the approach accepted in modern Hebrew, where the name “Nahshon” is used as an expression of heroism.)
Yet another approach, found in Midrash Tehillim, is based on an alternative concept. In that source, we find a description of a discussion that took place in the Study Hall in Yavneh between Rabbi Tarfon and his students regarding the question: Why did the Tribe of Judah merit the monarchy? Rabbi Tarfon raises several suggestions, all of which are rejected by his students. Finally, Rabbi Tarfon turns to his students, and asks to hear their suggestion. They respond as follows:
The Tribe of Judah deserved leadership because they leapt into the waves of the sea. For all of the other tribes remained standing, and none of them entered the sea. Rather, each of them offered to be first, and then the Tribe of Judah sanctified the Name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, by entering the sea, as it says “Judah is ruling with God” (Hosea 12:1). Judah reconciled with the Holy One, Blessed be He and sanctified His Name by entering the sea. It is for this reason that he merited the monarchy, as it says, “Judah became His sanctuary, and Israel His dominion” (Psalms 114:2). Since Judah sanctified His Name, he merits to rule Israel. We now understand, “By means of Judah, God is known…” therefore “his name is great in Israel” (Psalms 76:2). (Midrash Tehillim, Buber edition, 76).
According to the students, the reason that Judah deserved the monarchy is because of his willingness to leap into the sea while everyone around him was merely making plans to enter. In the students' eyes, defiantly hurrying the process – which Rabbi Meir viewed as problematic behavior on the part of the Tribe of Binyamin – is, in fact, a worthy act performed by the Tribe of Judah, serving to make them worthy of becoming the leading tribe and authority.
These three perspectives document various mental states from which a "leap" is made. According to Rabbi Tarfon's students, there is a certain absurdity to the situation where each tribe expresses a desire to leap. All their talk and discussions are attempts to cover up their hesitation. It is not enough for a leader to talk; a true leader must also take action. A true leader does not wait for developments and processes to play out, rather he or she drives the process and forges it. According to Rabbi Meir, the leap – the willingness to exceed recognized and acceptable boundaries – may, in fact, be indicative of a total lack of sensitivity. Even if it turns out in the end to have been the correct approach, it will still require societal restraint. According to Rabbi Yehudah, the leap expresses a constructive willingness to swim against the current and against the fear of change, something that brings about a sharp reversal in the perception of reality and that generates immediate change.
Each generation experiences their own situation of being between the hammer and the anvil. The Egyptians are not always pressing; the sea does not always rage. The challenges are different, but they all have a common denominator – it appears that we face a dead end. Dealing with these situations and solving them cannot be accomplished by those who are reticent and who fear jumping into the sea. The solution can only be achieved by entering the sea and forcing it to become dry land. This is what Rabbi Kook writes regarding those who refrain from performing a groundbreaking act:
The weak ones in the civilized world, who live lives of civility and refinement, express their shock: "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" (Isaiah 33:14). But this truly is only the fear of sinners with weakened souls; they are the ones who live in fear and trembling. (Orot, Zaronim, pp. 121-123).
The characteristics of those who do not surrender, those who look for a way out of danger – even if the way out is 'wet' and dangerous – differ from one another, and the revolutions that they create are different from each other, as well. Some of them provoke quarrels and disagreements, but, in the end, the strength of the effort succeeds with the assistance of restraints applied by others. Such a revolution involves several stages and is neither clear nor immediate. These are described by Rabbi Kook as follows: "Their ongoing restlessness never quiets, as is revealed in the arrogance of the generation. They are principled evil-doers, who sin for reasons of spite, rather than to fulfill their desires ... but the essence of the courage expressed in their desires is a point of holiness" (ibid).
There is yet another type, one who breaks with convention and succeed in breaking through, but who does so with consideration and thoughtfulness. In Rav Kook’s words: "Righteous, strong as lions, discovering the truth of construction and repair, with strength of spirit and a clear and courageous mind, with the soulful effort of feeling and a clear, permanent, practical revelation" (ibid). Despite the difficulties and challenges, these righteous ones take upon themselves the task of breaking through and paving a way that everyone can recognize as being correct.