The crossing of the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea) is the seminal moment when the Jews realized what being free entails. We have to make our own decisions and act upon them.
Kriat Yam Suf: The Moment Freedom Begins
Up until Kriat Yam Suf, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, God does everything for the Jewish people.
We sit back and watch: plagues, miracles, Exodus—no effort required.
Then suddenly, everything changes.
At the sea, nothing happens until someone steps forward.
The waters don’t split until a Jew walks in.
And that’s not a technical detail—that’s the point.
Slavery removes responsibility. A slave doesn’t decide, doesn’t initiate, doesn’t take risks.
The master provides food, shelter, direction—maybe poorly, but reliably. In return, the slave gives up agency. Every action, every failure, every success ultimately belongs to the master.
Freedom is terrifying because it demands responsibility.
A free person worries about the next meal.
A free person owns the consequences of their choices.
Kriat Yam Suf is the real beginning of freedom—not when we leave Egypt, but when we have to act.
God says, in effect: I will not carry you anymore. Walk.
That’s why Chazal say the sea didn’t split until someone jumped in. Freedom requires initiative.
The American Echo
There’s a fascinating historical parallel.
In 1776, a committee was formed to design the seal of the United States. On it were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.
Franklin’s proposal?
The Jews crossing the Red Sea, the Egyptian army drowning, and Pharaoh looking suspiciously like King George III. His suggested motto:
“Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God.”
Jefferson proposed a different biblical image: the Jews in the wilderness, led by a pillar of fire—not arrived yet, but on the journey.
Congress ultimately rejected both and chose Adams’s design, which became the Great Seal of the United States.
But the symbolism matters.
Both Franklin and Jefferson instinctively turned to Exodus as the template for freedom. They understood something subtle and profound:
Freedom is not doing whatever you want.
That’s not liberty—that’s chaos.
True freedom requires structure, obligation, and moral restraint. Otherwise, liberty collapses into self-destruction.
For the Founding Fathers, that structure came from the Bible. They believed a free society could survive only if it was anchored in higher law.
The Challenge of Freedom
That’s why Franklin chose the crossing of the sea.
Once we cross, there is no going back to Egypt.
But now, every choice matters. Every failure is ours. Every success is earned.
Freedom isn’t comfort.
Freedom is responsibility.
And that’s the hardest miracle of all.
Something to think about.
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