THE MISTAKE

The man leading the morning prayers had conducted us from servitude in Egypt through the peaceful crossing of a tumultuous sea. As the sea walls collapsed and smothered the Egyptian army, the Hebrew text of the prayer would have him say this, “and the People (am) feared God, and had faith in God and in Moses, His servant.” But instead, he said this, “and the Sea (yam) feared God, and had faith in God and in Moses, His servant.”

THE MIDRASH

IN THE BEGINNING the sea ruled the earth. Hugging it from above was the spirit of God. They enveloped the globe and traversed the Heavens together. Never uniting.  Never changing, the earth remained dead.

God said to the sea, “Draw back and expose the soil beneath you for I wish to bring forth life.”

The sea did so.

And God did so.

What was for eons one mighty sea encompassing the planet became splashes and speckles of blue, dotting the now lush landscape. The sea who for eons was God’s sole partner had shrunken itself to nourish God’s........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)