שמות, פרק י״ד, פסוק ט״ו

In a moment of existential crisis, with a stormy sea ahead and the Egyptian army closing in from behind, the focus suddenly shifts. Instead of relying on pleas and prayers to heaven, the situation demands bold human action to demonstrate faith.

The primary approach among commentators is that Moses himself stood and prayed at length. Even though God had already promised salvation, Moses did not know the exact practical steps to take against the sea and the enemy [רמב״ן, שד״ל, הטור הארוך]. He may have assumed this would be a conventional battle requiring divine protection for every soldier facing Egyptian arrows [העמק דבר], or he might have been praying to achieve the intense spiritual devotion necessary to bring about a miracle [רלב״ג]. Other perspectives suggest the question of why he was crying out was directed at Moses not as an individual, but as the representative of the people, referring instead to the cries of the Israelites [אבן עזרא, חזקוני]. Similarly, it is proposed that Moses was being questioned for allowing the Israelites to reach a state of despair and outcry [הכתב והקבלה]. Another view suggests Moses was not crying out in fear of the Egyptians, but out of deep frustration with the Israelite leaders who complained about a lack of graves in Egypt, fearing this attitude would cause them to refuse to enter the sea [ספורנו].

Regarding God's sudden interruption of the prayer, commentators explain that there is a time to prolong prayer and a time to cut it short. With the Israelites in immediate danger, God stops Moses because it is inappropriate to engage in lengthy pleas while His beloved people are effectively drowning [רש״י, קיצור בעל הטורים, תורה תמימה]. Furthermore, since a prayer is not answered until it is completed, God abruptly ended the prayer to hasten the salvation [גור אריה, משכיל לדוד]. Others note that the prayer had already been accepted [נתינה לגר], and it was beneath God's honor to suspect Him of abandoning His people after leading them out of Egypt [בכור שור]. Alternatively, the divine response meant that the responsibility for saving the people rested entirely upon God, making further outcry unnecessary [רש״י, מזרחי]. Another approach points out that God was hinting to Moses that the power to perform the miracle was already in his hands through his staff [אברבנאל].

On a deeper level, halting the prayer was tied directly to the spiritual state of the Israelites. At that moment, the divine attribute of strict justice was accusing the nation, and the power of mercy and prayer alone was insufficient because the people lacked good deeds and faith [אור החיים, מלבי״ם, אלשיך]. Salvation could no longer come solely from above; it required an awakening from below. While Moses believed God would do everything as the Israelites simply watched, God clarified that salvation now depended on the people taking the first step [רש״ר הירש].

Therefore, the command was given for the Israelites to journey forward. With the sea blocking their path, they were instructed to march straight into the water before it even split. This bold move was meant to distract them from negative thoughts [שפתי כהן] and to demonstrate absolute, blind trust in God. Only through this active display of faith, combined with the merit of their ancestors, would the necessary conditions be met to split the sea [רש״י, אור החיים, חומש קה״ת]. A prime example of this devotion was Nachshon ben Aminadav and the tribe of Benjamin, who plunged into the stormy waters up to their necks. By doing so, they sanctified God's name and tipped the heavenly scales in their favor [רבנו בחיי, הדר זקנים].