This week’s Torah portion is called “Beshallach” (Leave) where we follow the Israelites as they leave Egypt and cross the sea into freedom. * An Angel leads them with a fire at night and a cloud during the day to reach the Sea of Reeds. G-D tells Moses that Pharaoh will chase after them but G-D will be victorious. However, as the soldiers approach, the people are frightened and cry out that it was better to be a slave than to be slaughtered in the desert by Pharaoh's army.   G-D  says, “Why are you crying to me?” He instructs Moses to tell the people to begin moving and then hold up his rod to split the sea. 

The angel moves behind the Israelites. The cloud keeps the Egyptians from coming closer. Throughout the night the winds blow creating a wall of water on each side of a dry path. In the morning they cross the sea with the Egyptians chasing them. However, the Egyptians panic when their chariots get stuck in the mud, unable to move  and begin to pile on top of each other. When  the Israelites get to the other side Moses lifts up his rod again. The wall of water collapses and the pharaoh's army drowns.

With the deeper meaning of this portion, we learn that as partners with G-D we have been given the power to create miracles. It is just a matter of moving forward and “lifting our rods.”

Rabbi David