"You will bring them and implant them on the mount of Your heritage, the foundation of Your dwelling-place that You, Hashem, have made - the Sanctuary, my Lord, that Your hands established. Hashem shall reign forever." (Shmot 16, 17-18)

There is no doubt that after the revelation of "the great hand that Hashem showed in Egypt" the sovereignty of Hashem was known in the world; but in order to establish this sovereignty with a finality "forever" the fifth language of the redemption from Egypt must be fulfilled. "And I shall bring you into the land" (VeHayvayti). The settling of the entire Nation of Israel in all parts of the land, with the fulfillment of the main national destiny - the building of the Mikdash of Hashem and the dwelling of the Shechina in our midst; they and only they are able to be used as a banner to the nations and to uphold the sovereignty of the Holy One Blessed Be He in His world Forever.

This whole idea is included in the song of Moshe and the Children of Israel in the moments of their elation in the presence of the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, in the verses mentioned above. Therefore only after the prediction of "You will bring and implant them on the mount of Your heritage" appears the declaration "Hashem shall reign forever".

According to these words we can, perhaps, understand the puzzling statement of the Tana Rabbi Yishmael who said in the name of the Holy One Blessed Be He while observing the anxiety of the Children of Israel camping on the shore of the sea when the soldiers of Pharoah were chasing after them: "For the sake of Jerusalem, I will tear the sea for them" (Mechilta, Beshalach, Chapter 20). What is apparently difficult is the connection of Jerusalem with the parting of the Red Sea. We perhaps can explain the opinion of this Tana as such: if it wasn't for the future vision of the settlement of the people of Israel in their land and the presence of the Schechina in Jerusalem, thus enabling the completion and correction of the entire creation, it would not be correct for the Creator to change the Laws of Nature which he himself created, by changing the sea to dry land.

Rabbi Shalom Horowitz

Rabbi Horowitz is a Rav Mechanech at the Ulpana Girls Academy - Kiryat Arba

Please address your questions or comments to the Ulpana Girls Academy - Kiryat Arba