YONATAN HAMBOURGER/TZALI REICHER: Jump right in:

The crashing waves of the Red Sea scared the Jewish people. Freshly liberated after centuries of slavery, they couldn’t wrap their minds around what Moses was asking them to do as their Egyptian slave masters closed in on them from behind: to simply walk into the raging waters and let God do the rest. Sure, Moses had delivered on his promises to free them and performed miraculous miracles up to this point, but how could they risk their lives now, just like that?

The Jewish people passionately debated their options, until one leader took matters into his own hands. Nachshon, the bold leader of the tribe of Judah, confidently entered the choppy seas. The nation watched as the water reached his knees, naval and neck, with no apparent miracles occurring. And suddenly, as Nahshon’s head almost disappeared under the waves, the sea roared to life. Along with every body of water in the world, the Red Sea parted in two where Nachshon stood, miraculously drying the seabed for the Jewish people to march into freedom, escape Egypt forever and march to Mount Sinai, and eventually return to their homeland, Israel.

Passover famously begins with the Seder, which this year was last Monday and Tuesday evenings, where Jewish families the world over gathered together for a 12-part meal and remembrance of their ancestors’ exodus and deliverance from Egypt, which was a formative element in the founding story of the Jewish people.

Not as well-known as the beginning of the holiday are the last two days of Passover (April 29-30), where we mark the conclusion of the weeklong festival, and commemorate the splitting of the Red Sea, when God performed unprecedented miracles that transcended the laws of nature. The celebration includes actively remembering what God did for the ancient Israelites by staying up the whole night to learn Torah, and having meals celebrating the Israelites deliverance then, as well as the Messianic deliverance all of humanity will experience, speedily in our days.

But there are many miracles God performed in the Bible that don’t include celebrations millennia later. Why is the miracle of the Red Sea still applicable in our times, that it warrants such commemoration?

There’s an enduring message about faith that resonates even after many centuries from the miraculous events of the splitting of sea.

Despite witnessing God’s miracles clearly for all to see, still the Jewish people weren’t sure whether they should listen to His directives and walk into the sea. God had stood by them and proven Himself, and still they waffled. Yet one brave man took it upon himself to set the tone for the entire nation and triggered the chain of events that ushered in the miracle of the splitting of the sea, their enemies vanquished, and the road to redemption and to Mount Sinai open up.

These days, it’s easy to miss the miracles we experience every day. With wars raging around the world and domestic concerns at home, we can miss the everyday things we take for granted and never feel grateful for. While we see miracles happening around us, the incredible failure of Iran’s attack on Israel and U.S. regional interests, being a notably recent one, miracles can seem few and far between, leaving room for doubt and despair to creep in and fill that void, leaving us to question God’s plan for us and doubt whether we should follow His directives at all.

At these times, it’s important to remember that God is always with us and has always been there. Every gift we have, be it our family, our job, or even the gift of being born a free American, is a miracle that we have been blessed with. When we experience moments of doubt, like Nachshon who jumped into the Red Sea, we need to push away the fear, and trust what we know is right, trusting God to be there for us like He always has been.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject, or any other. You can reach us at [email protected].