Miracles How To

Moses? Check. 
Pharaoh? Check.
Aaron the high priest? Miriam the prophetess? Check, check.
Nachson ben Aminadav? Say who?

Who is this (relatively) unknown figure?

The seventh day of Passover is when the splitting of the sea occurred. Imagine the chaos as hundreds of thousands of just-released slaves turn around to see Egyptian chariots chasing them down. With the red sea in front of them and the seemingly certain return to slavery behind them, no one quite knew what to do,  and there were many varied responses (see my previous blog post) They needed a miracle. But how do you evoke a miracle? There's no instruction manual for miracle stimulation.

Well, from amongst the throngs, emerged one soon-to-be hero; Nachshon. The dire circumstance didn't phase him, the hysteria didn't shake him. He was laser-focused on the task at hand. Hashem had instructed them to travel, and come fire (Egyptian arrows) or come water (the Red Sea), nothing would derail him.

And so he stepped into the water and continued walking. Knees followed ankles, chest, and shoulders quickly proceeded. When it got to his nostrils, that is when the iconic miracle transpired. The waters split, allowing the fledgling Jewish nation to pass through on dry land.

The message to us is that miracles - the ability to overcome daunting obstacles - are inspired by action. Almost as if Hashem is saying, "you do your part, and I will do mine".

The Talmud relates a story of an impoverished sage who wanted to bring something special to the Holy Temple but could not afford to. One day, Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa spotted the most beautiful boulder and decided that it would make the perfect gift. As it was extremely heavy, he tried to flag down a group of passersby to help him transport it. After multiple failed attempts, a group of angels disguised as people appeared. They agreed with one stipulation; he must help them by placing his little finger on the rock. In an instant, they were in Jerusalem. 

Why the need for his finger? Because for miracles to happen, we need to tickle them awake. "You do your part, and I will do mine".