Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Exodo 14:26

ויכלו השמים והארץ וכל צבאם, this verse refers to both the hosts of heaven and the hosts of earth, including their respective derivatives, תולדותם. They had all been completed on the sixth “day,” and henceforth there would not be any new phenomena in the universe, unless created by a special act of miracle. The fact is, that already during the first six “days” when the laws of nature were formulated by the Creator, He inserted escape clauses into this system of natural law that would allow Him, if and when required, to temporarily suspend such laws at His discretion.
This is explained in Bereshit Rabbah 5,5 where Rabbi Yochanan (or Yonathan) is quoted as saying that G’d entered into an agreement with the oceans that when the time would come they would respond to Moses’ command to be split, etc., in order for the Israelites at that time to cross on dry land. This is the meaning of the words in Exodus 14,26 וישב הים לפנות בוקר לאיתנו, “the sea returned towards morning to its original format.” This is a reference to the condition which G’d had imposed on the sea at the time He set certain rules for it to follow. Rabbi Yirmiyah ben Eliezer added that G’d had not only made such arrangements with the oceans, but also with all other phenomena which He had created during those six “days;” this is reflected by Isaiah 45,12אני, ידי נטו שמים וכל צבאם צויתי, “My own hands stretched out the heavens and I marshaled their host.” The extra word צויתי, refers to this clause. We also have Joshua 10,13 in which Joshua is described as arresting the sun and the moon in their respective orbits. Had it not been for the provision by G’d at the time of the creation of these planets, Joshua could not have successfully ordered them to perform what would have been an act of disobedience against the rules set for them by G’d. The same holds true for G’d’s dispatching the ravens to feed meat to the prophet Elijah (Kings I 17,4-6), or His ordering the fire not to burn Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah. (Daniel 3,23) G’d had also ordered the lions not to harm Daniel (Daniel 6,26). Similarly, G’d had commanded the whale to swallow Jonah, keep him alive, etc. (Jonah 2,11)

8. “At the morning watch…” (Ex.14:24) they opened their eyes and saw that all of them were on dry land in the sea for the Holy One motioned for the sea¹⁹⁵Eichah Rabbah 1:49 to split and then God motioned again, and looked down on the camp of Egypt. The gematria (438/482) of מַחֲנֵ֣ה מִצְרַ֔יִם “Camp of Egypt” is חזר הים ליבקע “He caused the sea to split.”¹⁹⁶This is not a verse and while the Gematria is close it is not exact. Gematria is not an exact system of math…. Therefore, it is written afterwards, “Then HaShem said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians…” (Ex 14:26) Since it says, וְיָשֻׁ֤בוּ “May come back,” it implies that the water had already covered them and now God sent the waters back again. Then the Egyptians were happy and calmed. But their happiness did not last because God “looked down” (for evil) “upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire.” The Mechilta: “The pillar of cloud descended and made the sea-bed clay, and the pillar of fire made it so hot that the horses' hooves fell off.” ¹⁹⁷Mechilta D’Rebbe Ishmael 14:24 “And the pick of his officers are drowned in the Sea of Reeds.” (Ex. 15:4) That is close to the shore where there is no mud but rather sand. According to the laws of nature this is not a place where one would naturally drown. This is also written in the Tanchuma. Further, groups of them drown in the mud, So the sages said, ”Since they, “made our lives bitter with mortar and bricks,” so you led their horses into mud. But the Holy One did not kill them there but rather God gave them strength and grieved them. This is five more plagues: mud, their horses hoofs were cut off, the officers drowned in a place where there was no mud, their feet were stuck in the dry land, and God looked down on them for evil.

29. “But the Israelites had marched through the sea on dry ground,” (Ex. 14:26) This is written another time: “And the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground,” (Ex. 14:22) The reason for the repetition is, to teach us that despite the Egyptians being drowned in the sea and being turned upside down by the powerful waters, they saw the Israelites marching through the dry ground. God gave the Egyptians the power to see this to increase their suffering. They would see the great love for Israel by God and would be humiliated by what God did for them. Among the thing (they saw) was the Israelites eating and drinking as they marched along. Thus, it is written in the Mekhilta: The Israelites ate and drank and rejoiced (as they walked through the sea). God caused fresh water to come out from the salty water,²¹⁸See Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 14:16:1, Mekhilta DeRabbi Ishmael 14:15, 15:8 as it says, “He brought forth streams from a rock…” (Ps. 78:16) Nozlim (“brought streams”) always refers to fresh living waters. Scripture states, “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.” (Pro. 5:15) “Sixty discomforts come to one who hears his friend eating and he cannot eat” ²¹⁹BT Baba Kama 92b - in other words the discomfort for the Egyptians was that they saw the Israelites drinking fresh water and eating when they could not.