Midrash su Salmi 69:2

What was the action with which Juda sancitified the Holy Name? We are taught: that R. Maier would say: "When Israel stood on the banks of the Red Sea, [ready to cross it] the tribes quarreled with one another, one said: 'I will go first in the sea,' and another said: 'I will go first in the Red Sea.' Whereupon (Fol. 36) The tribe of Benjamin went first into the Sea, as it is said (Ps. 68, 28) There Benjamin, the youngest leadeth them on. Do not read Rodem (leadeth them on), but read it Rad' yam, (entered the sea). Then the princes of Juda commenced to fight them, as it is said (Ib.) The princes of Juda quarrelled with them. Therefore, was Benjamin, the righteous, rewarded that he became the host of the Shechina, as it is said (Deut. 33, 12) And between his shoulders will He dwell" R. Juda then said to him: "The fact was not so but, as follows, one tribe said: 'I do not want to enter the Red Sea first;' and another one said: 'I do not want to enter the Red Sea first.' However, Nachshon, the son of Aminadab, jumped into the Red Sea first, as it is said (Hos. 12, 1) With lies hath Ephraim encompassed me about, and with deceit the house of Israel; but Juda yet ruleth with God and is faithful to the Holy One. Concerning him it is expressed in the Scriptures, (Ps. 69, 2) Save me, O God! for the waters are come even to threaten my life… Let not the flood of water overflow me and let not the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit close its mouth upon me. At that moment Moses was prolonging in prayer, whereupon the Holy One, praised be He, said to him: 'My beloved ones are in the sea and thou art standing before me.' Moses said: 'Sovereign of the Universe, what shall I do?' He said to him: (Ex. 14, 15) Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward and lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it, etc. Therefore was Juda rewarded that he became the ruler over Israel, as it is said (Ps. 114, 2) Juda became his sanctuary, Israel his domination. Because the sea beheld it and fled:'

What is written above on the matter (in Exod. 2:16)? NOW THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN HAD SEVEN DAUGHTERS. What is written there (in vs. 17)? BUT THE SHEPHERDS CAME AND DROVE THEM OFF. What did they do to them? They seized them in order to throw them in the water. (Ibid., cont.:) THEN MOSES ROSE UP AND SAVED (a form of hoshia') THEM. Now this word (hoshia') is only <used of> a deliverance (rt.: NTsL) from water. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 69:2 [1]): SAVE (hoshia') ME, O GOD, FOR THE WATERS HAVE REACHED MY NECK.⁵¹Exod. R. 1:32. (Exod. 2:17, cont.:) AND HE WATERED THEIR FLOCK. (Vs. 18:) WHEN THEY CAME TO THEIR FATHER REUEL. He was called by seven names: Jether, Jethro, Reuel, Hobab, [Heber,] Keni, Putiel.⁵²Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Amaleq, 3.

(Exodus 14:22) "And the children of Israel came in the midst of the sea on the dry land": R. Meir perceives it one way; R. Yehudah, another. R. Meir: When the tribes were standing at the sea, each said: I will go first. In the midst of the hue and cry, Benjamin sprang first into the sea, as it is written (Psalms 68:28-29) "There, Benjamin, the young (i.e., the youngest of the tribes) rodem, the princes of Judah rigmatham, the princes of Zevulun, and princes of Naftali. Your G d has commanded your strength. Be strong, O G d, — this (strength which) You have wrought for us!" Read it not "rodem," but "rad yam" ("went down into the sea") — whereupon Judah began to stone them ("rigmatham"), viz. "the princes of Judah rigmatham." An analogy: A king has two sons. He enters the younger son's room at night and says: Wake me at sunrise — and to the older: Wake me in the third hour (of the day). The younger son comes to wake him at sunrise and is prevented from doing so by the older son, saying: He told me: at the third hour — to which the younger counters: He told me at sunrise. Their altercation awakes their father, who says: My sons, both of you acted for my honor — I will not withhold your reward for this. Thus said the Holy One Blessed be He: What reward will accrue to the sons of Benjamin, who went down first into the sea? The reposing of the Shechinah in his portion (i.e., the Temple), as it is written (Genesis 49:27) "Benjamin tears (first), as a wolf," and (Devarim 33:12) "Of Benjamin he said: 'Beloved of the L rd; He will repose securely upon him, etc.'" And what reward accrued to the tribe of Judah, who stoned him? They attained to kingdom, as it is written "The princes of Judah rigmatham," "rigmah" connoting kingdom, as in (Daniel 5:29) "And at Belshazzar's command, they clothed Daniel in purple ('argevana,' like 'rigmah'), placed a golden chain on his neck, and proclaimed that he should rule as one of three in the kingdom." "the princes of Zevulun and the princes of Naftali": Just as the Holy One Blessed be He wrought miracles for the tribe of Judah and Benjamin at the sea, so He wrought miracles for Zevulun and Naftali, through Devorah and Barak, as it is written (Judges 4:6-7) "And she summoned Barak the son of Avinoam of Kedesh Naftali, and said to him: The L rd, the G d of Israel has commanded: Go, ascend Mount Tavor, and take with you ten thousand men of Naftali and Zevulun. And I will draw to you Sisra the commander-in-chief of Yavin, etc." And it is written (Ibid. 5:18) "Zevulun is a people that bared its soul to death, and Naftali on the heights of the field." R. Yehudah perceives it thus: "And the children of Israel came in the midst of the sea": When the tribes were standing at the sea, each of them said: I will not go down first into the sea, viz. (Hoshea 12:1-3) "Ephraim surrounds Me with deceit, and the house of Israel with guile. Because they stood and deliberated, Nachshon the son of Aminadav leaped into the sea. Of him Scripture writes (Psalms 69:2-3 ) "Save me, O G d, for the waters have reached my soul. I am sinking in the slimy depths and I find no foothold. I have come into the watery depths, and the flood sweeps me away." (Ibid. 16) "Let the floodwaters not sweep me away, and let the deep not swallow me, and let the mouth of the pit not close over me." At that time Moses waxed long in prayer — whereupon the L rd said to him: My loved ones are drowning in the sea, and the sea is raging, and the foe is pursuing, and you stand and wax long in prayer? To which Moses replied: L rd of the universe, what can I do? And He said to him (Exodus 14:16) "And you, raise your staff, etc." And what did Moses and Israel say at the sea? (Ibid. 15:18) "The L rd will reign for ever and ever" — to which He responded: He who made Me "King" at the sea, (i.e., the tribe of Judah) him will I make king over Israel."

Noah said to them: Turn from your ways and evil deeds, so that He bring not upon you the waters of the Flood, and destroy all the seed of the children of men. They said to him: Behold, we will restrain ourselves from multiplying and increasing, so as not to produce the offspring of the children of men. What did they do? When they came to their wives they spilled the issue of their seed upon the earth so as not to produce offspring of the children of men, as it is said, "And God saw the earth, and behold it was spilled" (Gen. 6:12). They said: If He bring from heaven the waters of the Flood upon us, behold, we are of high stature, and the waters will not reach || up to our necks; and if He bring the waters of the depths against us, behold, the soles of our feet can close up all the depths. What did they do? They put forth the soles of their feet, and closed up all the depths. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He heated the waters of the deep, and they arose and burnt their flesh, and peeled off their skin from them, as it is said, "What time they wax warm, they vanish; when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place" (Job 6:17). Do not read thus ("When it is hot," בחֻמו), but (read) "in his hot waters" (בחמימיו).