Faith as Following Divine Guidance

במדרש לזכור בכ"י יצ"מ וקי"ס.

In the Midrash it says to remember in prayer the Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the sea.

The Sefat Emet opens by referencing the Midrash that distinguishes between remembering the Exodus and remembering the splitting of the sea.

וקי"ס אם לא הזכיר אין מחזירין.

And if one omitted mentioning the splitting of the sea, he is not required to repeat the prayer.

The obligation to recall the splitting of the sea is lighter and does not invalidate the prayer.

ויצ"מ מחזירין כו'.

But if he omitted the Exodus, he does repeat it.

The Exodus is central to prayer and must be mentioned.

שיצ"מ קשה כו'.

For the Exodus is considered “difficult.”

The Midrash calls the Exodus “difficult,” meaning spiritually complex, requiring readiness on Israel’s part.

ולמה מזכירין קי"ס שכיון שקרע להם הים האמינו כו'.

And why do we mention the splitting of the sea? Because once the sea split for them, they believed.

The miracle of the sea brought Israel to a complete form of faith.

אף שכ' גם מקודם ויאמן העם כו'.

Even though it also says earlier: “And the people believed.”

The Torah reports earlier belief, yet it was of a lesser quality.

אך ביאור ענין אמונה להיות כולו נמשך אחר הנהגת הבורא ית'.

But the explanation of faith is that a person becomes entirely drawn after the Divine conduct.

True faith means aligning one’s will with God’s guidance.

כי זה שמשבחין האבות והאמין בה' כו'.

For when we praise the Patriarchs, saying “and he believed in God,” and so on...

The faith of the Patriarchs is portrayed as wholehearted attachment to God’s way of ruling the world.

היתכן שלא הי' לו להאמין באלקים אמת.

Is it possible that he would not believe in the true God?

The Sefat Emet notes that the point is not belief in God’s existence, but attachment to God’s guidance.

רק פי' אמונה להיות נמשך אחר הנהגות הבורא [כמו אומן את הדסה לשון הנהגה].

Rather, faith means being drawn after the divine guidance, like the word “omein” meaning nurturing or guiding.

Faith is an inward following, not merely intellectual affirmation.

וביצ"מ לא היו בנ"י נמשכין אחר הנס.

And at the Exodus, the Israelites were not yet drawn after the miracle.

They witnessed the miracle but could not yet internalize its guidance.

כי לא היו מוכנים אל הגאולה עדיין.

For they were not yet prepared for the redemption.

Their spiritual state was not ready for full deliverance.

וזה ענין חפזון.

And this is the meaning of “haste.”

The haste of the Exodus reflects Israel’s lack of readiness.

וזה הי' טענת בנ"י עם מרע"ה חדל ממנו כו'.

And this was Israel’s complaint to Moses: “Leave us alone,” and so on.

They sensed that they were not yet able to follow the miracle properly.

כי ידעו שאין נמשכין אחר הנס.

For they knew they were not drawn after the miracle.

They felt the gap between the miracle and their inner state.

אמנם הש"י בחסדו ראה כי אם יהיו עוד זמן בגלות יגבור עליהם סט"א.

But God in His kindness saw that if they remained longer in exile, the Other Side would overpower them.

Additional time in Egypt would have spiritually crushed them.

כאשר חכמים הגידו כי אם היו עוד רגע לא היו יכולין להגאל.

As the Sages said: had they stayed one more moment, they could not have been redeemed.

The timing of redemption was critical.

לכן הקדים ה' הגאולה קודם הזמן.

Therefore God brought the redemption earlier than its time.

The Exodus was precipitated by Divine mercy.

ולכן נא' ויהי בשלח לשון צרה.

And therefore it says “And it was when Pharaoh sent,” with the word “vayehi,” indicating distress.

The early redemption brought danger because Israel was unprepared.

כי כיון שלא היו מוכנים לזה היו עי"ז בסכנה עצומה.

For since they were not ready, they were in great danger.

An undeserved miracle can bring spiritual vulnerability.

כי כל נס שאינו בזכות מעשה האדם הוא בסכנה.

For any miracle not earned through human deeds is dangerous.

Unearned miracles provoke accusation.

כי הקיטרוג מתעורר עליו ביותר.

Because the prosecuting force awakens more strongly against it.

Heavenly challenge increases when a miracle is not justified.

ולכן הי' צריך אח"כ להיות קי"ס לתקן הנ"ל.

Therefore the splitting of the sea was needed afterward to repair this.

The sea provided the corrective spiritual moment.

להיות הגאולה שנית ע"י אמונת בנ"י שמסרו נפשם.

So that the redemption would occur a second time through Israel’s own faith, by risking their lives.

Their act of faith at the sea completed the redemption.

והאמינו לדבר ה' וחזרו לצד מצרים כו'.

And they believed in God’s word and returned toward Egypt.

They obeyed God even when it seemed counter‑intuitive.

ואז כיון שנקרע להם הים האמינו.

And then, when the sea split for them, they believed.

This was complete faith, arising from following the miracle rather than merely witnessing it.

כמ"ש וירא ישראל כו' ויאמינו.

As it says: “Israel saw... and they believed.”

The Torah testifies to their elevated faith.

ויפלא כיון שראו מה האמינו.

But it is puzzling: since they saw, what does it mean that they believed?

If they saw clearly, belief seems redundant, yet it refers to following God’s guidance.

רק כנ"ל שנמשכו אחר הנס.

Only as explained above: they became drawn after the miracle.

Their inner being now aligned with the Divine act.

וז"ש המד' יצ"מ קשה.

And this is what the Midrash means by saying the Exodus was “difficult.”

Its difficulty lay in Israel’s lack of readiness.

וכי יש קישוי לפני המקום ב"ה.

Is anything “difficult” before the Holy One?

The difficulty is not on God’s side, but on Israel’s.

רק כיון שלא היו ראוין עדיין לנס כנ"ל.

Rather, because they were not yet worthy of the miracle.

The miracle exceeded their spiritual capacity.

והש"י עשה להם בעבור שראה כי אח"כ ימסרו נפשם לה'.

But God acted for them because He foresaw that afterward they would devote themselves to Him.

God redeemed them based on their future actions.

כי לפניו ית' עתיד והוה הכל שוה.

For before God, future and present are the same.

Divine perspective transcends time.

וכן בכל חסד ה' משלם ג"כ על אח"כ.

And so with every Divine kindness, God also rewards based on what will come later.

Future merits can justify present blessings.

וזה ענין מי הקדימני ואשלם.

And this is the meaning of “Who has preceded Me that I should repay him?”

Even when God gives first, it is as though repaying the future deeds He already sees.

The Sefat Emet explains that faith means following God’s guidance. Israel was not ready at the Exodus, making the miracle spiritually dangerous. Therefore the splitting of the sea was required to complete the redemption through Israel’s own act of faith, which God foresaw from the beginning.