It goes against the order of Creation; i.e., it’s totally למעלה מן הטבע.
Pirush 2 – Heard from my cousin Yosef Schwarcz
It doesn’t split until it’s up to your neck.
Pirush 3 – Heard from my friend Leib Gershon Seligson, ZT”L
You have to be like Nachshon ben Aminadav – you have to jump right in.
Pirush 4 – Heard from Rabbi Chaim Trenk as he redt me a shidduch
One Midrash says that the Jews didn’t actually cross the sea but that they entered at one point and traveled in a semi-circle and came out at the same side of the sea but at a different point further away. A second Midrash says that each tribe traveled in its own lane. If we visualize twelve lanes in concentric semi-circles we understand that the inner lanes traveled a shorter distance than the outer lanes, similar to a race track. So too by zivugim. Some people will travel a shorter route and some have to travel a longer route.
Pirush 5 – From a “Drush” Sefer (I don’t remember which)
KYS was “emotionally” hard ( ) קשהfor HKBH to do because in order to save Klal Yisrael He had to drown the Egyptians who were מעשה ידיו. The necessary salvation of Klal Yisrael came at the expense of the Egyptians. So, too, by zivugim, HKBH has to make the match according to the midos of the chassan and kallah even though sometimes other people (i.e., the parents) who may be a different hashkafa, may not be so happy with this match. These zivugim are likewise “emotionally” difficult ( ) קשהfor HKBH because He must do what is best for the chassan and kallah even though it may come at “the expense” of other people.
Pirush 6 – Yechezkel Hirshman – Similar to previous
The gemara in Brachos says that in Eretz Israel, when someone married, they would ask him: מצאor ? מוצאIs it מצא אשה מצא טובor is it ומוצא אני מר ממות את האשה. KYS wasn’t good for everybody. For the Jews it was טובbut for the Egyptians, it was מר ממות. So too, zivugim are not good for everybody. For some people it is מצא אשה מצא טובand for others it is ומוצא אני מר ממות את האשה. This is why the gemara in Brachos associates this to the pasuk (Tehillim 32:6):
:טף מַים רַבִים אֵל ָיו לֹא יַג ִיעו
ֶ ש ֵ ְ עת מְצֹא ר ַק ל ֵ ְ סיד אֵל ֶיך ָ ל ִ ח ָ -זֹאת יתְפַל ֵל כ ָל-על ַ ו The עת מצא, referring to zivugim, should not reach him like – שטף מים רביםit shouldn’t be like KYS was for the Egyptians.
Pirush 7 - Heard from Rabbi Levi Nock By Krias Yam Suf it says: וירא ישראל את מצרים מת על שפת היםand then it says: ויאמינו בה' ובמשה עבדו. Why only after they saw the dead Egyptians did they believe? The Jews always had a “safety-net” that in case this whole geulah thing didn’t work out, they could still go back to Egypt and pretty soon things would be back to how they were. As difficult it is to be slaves, they can go back to depending on the Egyptians. Now that they saw the Egyptians dead, they knew that they have passed a point of no return and, rain or shine, they must follow HKBH and Moshe through the desert. So, too, by shidduchim. When one is having difficulty with zivugim, first s/he thinks this person can help me or that person who I just met will help me. But, soon enough they realize that all these people are as good as “dead Egyptians” and only HKBH will help them find their zivug.
Pirush 8 - Slight variation to previous
Another application of ויאמינו בה' ובמשה עבדוWhy did they believe only after they saw the dead Egyptians? As we just said that the option of returning back to Egypt was now terminated, so too, once one commits themselves, there is no turning back!
Pirush 9 - Yechezkel Hirshman – Another variation
Another application – why only after Krias Yam Suf did the Jews have full emunah in HKBH? Up until now, every time a miracle happened and it looked like this would be the geulah something always backfired. Every time Pharaoh said he would release the Jews, he changed his mind and things didn’t get any better. Klal Yisrael was confused by the ups and downs of the events and weren’t sure whether they were truly experiencing the geulah. Only after Krias Yam Suf when they saw the Egyptians were finally all dead could they see how all of the earlier events were necessary to bring them to this point. So, too, by zivugim, sometimes just when something looks like it is about to materialize, it dematerializes, and this may recur several times. The subject can wonder why all these ordeals are necessary. Only after s/he sees the end resultwill s/he recognize how all the previous occurrences were all part of the grand scheme.
Pirush 10 – Yechezkel Hirshman – A bit similar to Pirush 8
KYS was the turning point when Klal Yisrael permanently left the jurisdiction of the Egyptians and entered the sole jurisdiction of HKBH. Since Egypt was the only home of Klal Yisrael until now, and now they are irrevocably entering a new “home” with no knowledge of what’s in store for the future, the change over was very difficult. So too by zivugim, one is permanently leaving his/her previous home and background and starting a new one with no guarantees of the future. Such a metamorphosis is very difficult for them.
Pirush 11 - Heard from Rabbi Avraham Gutman One friend wanted to say Kasha l’zavgan k’krias Yam Suf means that the same “kasha” or “kushya” (– ) קושיאdifficult question - that we have about Yam Suf is the same kushya that we have about zivugim. By KYS there was a kushya – These are worshipers of Avoda Zara and these are worshipers of Avoda Zara. Why are these (the Jews), more deserving than these (the Egyptians)? The answer to the kushya is that even though right now even the Jews are worshipers of Avoda Zara, they are destined to accept the Torah and forsake the Avoda Zara. So they are being saved now על שם העתיד. So too by zivugim sometimes we have the same kushya. Why was this person zocheh to this (very favorable) shidduch when it seems many other people are just as worthy if not more so. The answer is that only HKBH knows what is in the future and who will become greater or fall lower or will have exceptional children or who will have challenging children (and who will have no children, R”L) and he makes the zivugim על שם העתיד.
Pirush 12 – Heard from Rabbi E. D. Gruskin of Yeshiva Gedola of Perth
Amboy The Midrash says that, upon its creation, HKBH instilled in the טבעof the sea to split when Klal Yisrael is going to come and require it to. When Klal Yisrael came, the sea didn’t believe that this was Klal Yisrael because it expected an עם קדושand Klal Yisrael was still at about the 42nd level of tumah so it didn’t want to split. HKBH had to assure the sea that this is indeed Klal Yisrael and so it split. So too by zivugim people have a hard time recognizing their zivug becaue it is not what they previously visualized so they are reluctant to “split the sea”. Often some koach has to come and assure them that this person is indeed their proper zivug.
Pirush 13 – Klei Yakar at the beginning of Parshas Yisro
By KYS there were 2 nissim. One that the sea split which was a break from teva, and the second one is that it returned back to its original flowing force ( – ) לאיתנוas if nothing happened. The second ness was just as big as the first because once HKBH makes something change from it’s teva, this becomes the new teva and it is למעלה מן הטבעto restore it to its original form with no sign of the change. Chazal say that וקשה לזווגן כקריעת ים סוףrefers to “zivug sheini”. This can apply to a מחזיר גרושתוor any major fissure ( ) פירודin the zivug of the same couple. Once the fissure occurs, to restore the zivug to its original intensity is as difficult as KYS.
Pirush 14 – Maharsha in Sota 9b – Similar to previous
By KYS there were 2 nissim. One that the sea had to split and the second that it had to come back together again and behave as naturally as it did in its original state. Both of these events were portions of the overall miracle and the ness was not complete without both parts. So too Adam and Chava were originally created as on unit. They were later “split” only to be “joined” back together again. Not until then is their existence complete. The difficult part is to overcome the fact that they were at one time split and to function as naturally as one integral unit. To be able to do this is very difficult and just as much a ness.
Pirush 15 – Heard from Rabbi Avi Miller (last I knew he was in Pittsburgh Kollel) By KYS the Torah says: וחזקתי את לב פרעה ורדף אחריכם. Chazal say that this the biggest miracle of all. After Pharaoh suffered so many makkos, it is unthinkable that he would willingly run into the sea. It was only a miraculous event because HKBH was מחזק לב פרעה. So too by zivugim, people suffer many makkos along the way.So much so that one would never willingly “jump” into the “sea”. Hence, HKBH has to be מחזק לבםto get them to take the final step.
Pirush 16 – Yechezkel Hirshman
The gemara in Sota (37a) says: באותה שעה היה משה מאריך בתפלה אמר לו הקב"ה ידידיי טובעים בים ואתה מאריך בתפלה לפני אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם ומה בידי לעשות אמר לו דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו At that time (after Nachshon and his followers already jumped into the sea) Moshe was carrying on with prayer. HKBH said to him, “My beloved are drowning in the sea and you carry on with prayers?!” Moshe responded, “RBS”O, what am I capable of doing?” He said to him, “Speak to the children of Israel to travel forth…” HKBH was telling Moshe, “Just because you see no way out, this is still no time to daven. Get moving!!” So too by zivugim. Even if you see no way out – don’t just stand there and daven. Get moving!!
Pirush 17 – Yechezkel Hirshman – Variation of previous
It says: דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו. HKBH was telling Klal Yisrael that their assignment right now – the “game plan” - is to get as far away from Egypt as they can. So what if there is a churning sea standing in the way? That’s none of your concern! It’s no reason to change the “game plan”. You do what you are supposed to do and I will do what I am supposed to do. When a person has concrete aims in life, he is often tempted to alter his “game plan” because shidduchim – i.e., the churning sea – stands in his way. Nevertheless, the sea is no reason to change his plans. He must proceed forward ( ) ויסעוand leave it up to HKBH to “split” his barriers.
(Beihefte Zur Zeitschrift Für Die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 455) Michael Segal - Dreams, Riddles, And Visions_ Textual, Contextual, And Intertextual Approaches to the Book of Daniel-Walter de Gru