When the Israelites stood at the seashore – with the sea before them and Pharaoh’s army behind them – they had nowhere to go and no action to take, other than to vociferously cry out to God.

To what were the Israelites comparable when they emerged from Egypt? They were comparable to a dove that fled from a hawk and entered into the crevice of a rock and found a snake nesting there. The dove wanted to enter inside, but it could not enter because the snake was still nesting. It could not retreat, as the hawk was standing outside. What did the dove do? It began screaming and flapping its wings so that the owner of the birdhouse would hear it and come and rescue it. The Israelites at the sea were similar to that: They were unable to descend into the sea, as the sea had not yet been split for them. They were unable to retreat, as Pharaoh was already approaching. What did they do? “They were very frightened; the children of Israel cried out to the Lord” (Exodus 14:10). Immediately – “The Lord saved Israel on that day from the hand of Egypt” (14:30). (Shir HaShirim Rabba 2)