Faith‑Based Redemption Through Israel

עיקר הנס בקי"ס הי' שיזכו בנ"י בעצמם עפ"י מעשיהם.

The essence of the miracle at the splitting of the Sea was that the Children of Israel merited it through their own actions.

The Sefat Emet teaches that unlike earlier miracles, this redemption came from Israel’s own spiritual effort.

כי מקודם. שנגאלו במצרים הי' ע"י שהבטיח הש"י לאבות הקדושים לגאול אותם.

For previously, when they were redeemed from Egypt, it was because God had promised the holy Patriarchs to redeem them.

The first redemption was due to ancestral merit, not personal merit.

ואח"כ הי' הרצון שישובו ולהיות גאולה שניה מצד זכות אמונתם שלא הי' דבר קטן לשוב.

Afterward, the divine will was that they return and experience a second redemption through the merit of their own faith, which was no small matter.

This second stage required them to act courageously based on their own belief.

כי בוודאי הבינו הפי' שישובו להיות באמת משועבדים שנית לפרעה לפי שעה.

For they certainly understood that this meant returning to being truly subjugated to Pharaoh again for a time.

Their faith involved real risk: stepping back toward danger.

וכתיב לפני פי החירות. הוא בנקודה התחלת החירות.

And it is written: “Before Pi‑ha‑Chirot” — at the point of the beginning of freedom.

This place represents the very first spark of liberation.

וכ' משכני אחריך נרוצה.

And as it says: “Draw me after You, let us run.”

The people respond to God’s pull toward redemption.

שע"י הנס ביום א' דפסח שהי' מהשי"ת למדו בנ"י איך לעשות אח"כ בפ"ע.

For through the miracle on the first day of Passover, performed by God, the Israelites learned how to act afterward on their own.

The initial divine act teaches them how to generate redemption themselves.

וז"ש ויושע ה' ביום ההוא.

And this is what is meant by “And God saved on that day.”

The wording emphasizes the uniqueness of that moment.

אף שהתחלת הגאולה עיקר הנס שמצווין לזכור תמיד.

Even though the beginning of the redemption is the main miracle we are commanded to remember always.

The foundational miracle is eternal, not limited to one day.

רק ביום ההוא הושיע את ישראל דייקא שהושיע להם.

It was only on that day that He saved Israel specifically, that He saved for them.

The phrasing indicates a salvation done for them directly.

את. פי' עמהם ועל ידיהם כנ"ל.

“Them” — meaning with them and through them, as explained above.

Their own participation was essential to the miracle.

וז"ש שהיו נתונים בדין כמ"ש במ"א ע"ש:

And this is what is meant that they were placed in judgment, as stated elsewhere.

Their worthiness was tested as part of the redemptive process.

Summary: The Sefat Emet explains that the miracle at the Sea represents a shift from redemption based on ancestral merit to redemption earned through Israel’s own faith and action. The people were drawn into a moment requiring courage, teaching them how future deliverance would come through their participation.