שמות, פרק י״ד, פסוק ל׳

The physical departure from the borders of Egypt was not enough to free the Israelites from their slave mentality and paralyzing fear. The primary approach among commentators is that true salvation occurred specifically at the Red Sea. As long as Pharaoh and his army were alive, the Israelites felt like runaway slaves living in constant terror of being recaptured. Only when they faced the crashing waves and saw the remains of their pursuers did their fear transform into complete faith, sealing their liberation and making them truly free.

This salvation extended beyond the physical realm. The rescue was not merely from the human Egyptian nation, but also from the spiritual prince of Egypt. On this day, all of this spiritual entity's legal and spiritual claims to enslave the Israelites were permanently canceled, and his power was completely stripped away [שפתי כהן, חתם סופר, אלשיך]. A deeper reading of the events suggests that God Himself was, in a sense, redeemed and saved alongside His people [מנחת שי, שפתי כהן].

A fascinating discussion emerges regarding the exact location of the fallen army. One perspective suggests that the Israelites stood safely on the shore, looking out into the water to see the Egyptians drowning, as the bodies were swallowed by the deep and never surfaced [אבן עזרא, רשב״ם, הטור הארוך]. However, the majority view holds that the sea actually expelled the Egyptian bodies onto the dry land.

Casting the bodies onto the shore served several crucial psychological and spiritual purposes. First, it eliminated any lingering fear among the Israelites that their enemies might have somehow survived, crossed the sea, and continued the pursuit [רש״י, משכיל לדוד]. Second, it provided profound closure. Every freed slave was able to see the specific taskmaster who had abused him lying powerless at his feet, allowing the Israelites to confront them and take their silver and gold as spoils [צאינה וראינה, שפתי כהן, אבי עזר]. Ultimately, seeing the physical bodies was essential to uprooting the people's last traces of doubt, replacing it with an absolute, unshakeable faith in God [ביאור יש״ר, תורה תמימה].

The enemy forces are described in singular terms, which represents the entire Egyptian nation acting as a single, unified entity [חזקוני], or serves as a final reference to the defeat of Egypt's spiritual prince [אלשיך]. Adding to the severity of this defeat, several commentators note that the Egyptians were not completely dead when they washed ashore. Instead, the sea expelled them while they were taking their final breaths. This ensured that in their dying moments, they would witness the honor and miraculous rescue of the Israelites, perishing in a state of deep shame and humiliation [הכתב והקבלה, אור החיים, פרדס יוסף].