The splitting of the Red Sea was not just a miracle of water being divided in two – it was a moment when the very order of the world changed! A wonderful explanation from our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), on the depth of the miracle, the secret of the 12 paths, and the connection between Pharaoh's heart and the power of walking with the Tzaddik (righteous leader).

A wonderful lesson from our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a, delivered in the month of Iyar 5779 (2019), regarding the splitting of the Red Sea and the greatness of walking with the Tzaddik.

"When the Red Sea split, everything split with it, even the water in a cup; it was such a great night. Hashem (God) arranged for there to be 12 paths with fruits and vegetables, and every tribe could see one another. Because every tribe worried about what would happen to the others; they wanted to know that everyone crossed the sea safely - when walking with the Tzaddik, no one dies."

"Therefore, regarding Zebulun it is said, 'Zebulun is a people that jeopardized its life to the point of death' (Judges 5:18). 50,000 from the tribe of Zebulun went out to war without a heart; they have no heart at all. A person comes into the world and doesn't need any heart; he only needs to follow the Tzaddik—if he follows the Tzaddik, he doesn't need a heart at all."

"Because the Tzaddik is entirely heart, whereas regarding Pharaoh it is said, 'And Hashem said to Moses: Pharaoh’s heart is heavy (kaved)' (Exodus 7:14). The commentators explain that his heart turned to stone; his heart became like a liver (the Hebrew word 'kaved' means both heavy and liver). The liver represents all the lusts, all the bad character traits; the liver gets angry—a person must never get angry, even if they took all his money and gold."

"In the Red Sea, 598 gold chariots that Moses sank are still buried; two out of the 600 were found and are in the museum in Cairo, but another 598 remain. Meanwhile, Deborah sank 900 chariots, not just 600."

Watch the full, fascinating lesson from our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a