Jewish Funds for Justice’s Simon Greer writes,
The holiday of Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, but the Haggadah doesn’t mention Nachshon ben Aminadav. Who was this man?According to the biblical account of the exodus, the people have no sooner left Egypt than they encounter a seemingly insurmountable obstacle — the Red Sea. As Pharaoh’s army pursues them from behind, God performs a miracle and divides the sea in order that the Israelites may walk through on dry land.
In the rabbinic retelling of this story, the crossing of the Red Sea becomes a test of the Jewish people’s faith. According to one midrash, as the people stood on the edge of the sea, each tribe said, “I’m not going in first.” As each tribe waited for another group to take the plunge, and as Moses himself stood praying to God, one man — Nachshon ben Aminadav — jumped into the water. This action prompted God to split the sea in order that the rest of the people could walk through safely.
Nachshon is a biblical profile in courage. Without his faith and determination, the Exodus story might have ended before it even had begun.
Even today, we are often still inspired by a contemporary Nachshon to take the first step, to lead us through uncharted waters. This year we lost two women who fulfilled that role profoundly: Rosa Parks and Betty Friedan.