Divine Protection at the Sea

והמים להם חומה יש להבין למה הי' נצרך זה

“And the waters were for them a wall — one must understand why this was necessary.”

The Sefat Emet asks why the Torah emphasizes that the water stood as a wall for Israel during the splitting of the Sea.

וי"ל עפ"י מ"ש בזוה"ק בתיבת נח שהי' להסתירו מפני המשחית שלא יסתכל בו ע"ש.

“It may be explained by what is written in the Zohar regarding Noah’s Ark, that it served to hide him from the Destroyer so that the Destroyer would not gaze upon him.”

Just as the Ark concealed Noah from destructive forces, the Sefat Emet suggests that a similar dynamic occurred at the Sea— concealment as protection.

כמו כן בים שהמשחית טבע להמצרים בים.

“So too at the Sea, where the Destroyer drowned the Egyptians in the Sea.”

The destructive force active in the drowning of the Egyptians necessitated a protective barrier for Israel.

היה המים חומה לבנ"י להסתירם.

“The water was a wall for the Children of Israel to conceal them.”

The wall of water acted as a shield, preventing the destructive force from turning its gaze upon Israel.

כי רוב המפרשים הסכימו שהי' הטביעה וההצלה בפעם אחד.

“For most commentators agree that the drowning and the salvation occurred at the same moment.”

The simultaneous salvation of Israel and destruction of Egypt required a barrier to distinguish one from the other.

וכן נראה לשון הפסוק כי בא סוס כו' ובנ"י הלכו כו' ע"ש.

“And this also appears from the wording of the verse: ‘For the horse came… and the Children of Israel went…’”

The verse juxtaposes the Egyptians’ downfall and Israel’s passage, supporting the idea of simultaneous action and the necessity of protective concealment.

Summary: The water formed a protective wall for Israel, paralleling Noah’s concealment in the Ark. Because the salvation of Israel and the destruction of Egypt occurred simultaneously, the wall served to hide Israel from the destructive force active at that moment.