The Crossing

*14th Nisan, about 1450BC*

*Goshen, Ancient Egypt*

Young Eleazar sat huddled beside his mother, Elisheba, on the passover table.

He could feel a certain terror lurking, hovering beyond the borders of their bloodied door, ever ready to pounce upon its unsuspecting victim.

His mind could not fully fathom why they were up at night, fully clothed and eating this queer meal.

His heart had been shattered when they had slain his best lamb, Korban, that evening.

As they splattered the blood of the innocent creature over the lintel and doorpost of their little home, his father, Aaron, explained the necessity of the ritual.

"The Lord will descend to pour wrath upon the whole of Egypt and their gods. We must do this so that the Angel of death will pass over us when he sees the blood mark."

Now, Eleazar stared at the roasted lamb meat of his dear Korban lying in a big plate, garnished with bitter herbs–maror: parsley, horseradish, lettuce. Flat pieces of unleavened bread–matzo was in another earthen dish on the table.

Uncle Moses was seated beside his father. Uncle Moses was a man of few words but Eleazar liked him. He had once heard him try to speak to the stubborn and unbelieving elders of Israel to pacify them after Pharaoh had increased their labour. He had a slight stutter and Eleazar guessed that that was why his father took the role of a spokesman for him. Eleazar thought they made quite a pair.

"Boys, eat up. Not a crumb must remain till tomorrow," Elisheba, his mother prompted, shoving yet another piece of toast lamb towards him.

Nadab and Abihu, his elder brothers, did as they were told, diving with joy into the food. When was the last time mother gave them such liberty to eat as much meat as they wanted?

Eleazar followed suit, eating the roasted lamb solemnly, secretly avoiding the bitter herbs, all the while listening yet again to the fascinating story Uncle Moses told of his encounter with I AM in the burning bush on Mount Horeb.

"I AM then said to me, remove your sandals for where you stand is holy ground..."

At twelve midnight, a deathly silence settled upon the whole of Egypt. Eleazar could feel all the hairs on his skin bristle as goosebumps covered him. The Angel of death. Was this what he felt like?

"It is done," Uncle Moses said after a second of silence.

Almost immediately, a horrifying, heart-wrenching cacophony of wails, laments, tears, curses on the gods of Egypt and Pharaoh arose from every Egyptian house, save for the Hebrews in Goshen who listened.

The distant howling of several dogs could be heard interjecting the human cries on this moonless night.

A man raced, breathless and trembling, into their house startling them. Worst of all, he was a royal Egyptian guard.

"Pharaoh seeks your immediate audience, sir Moses."

Eleazar almost burst into hysterical laughter. Sir Moses? From the mouth of a taskmaster?

Indeed I AM is a God to be feared.

By the time Uncle Moses and Aaron got back, it was time to leave. It was all done in a hurry. No wonder Mother had insisted that they wear their sandals and put on their tunics while they ate the passover.

Asses were laden with kneading bowls, filled with unleavened dough. Bundles containing clothes and household stuff were carried too. Mother had gotten a chest full of jewelry that their Egyptian neighbors had willing given in a bid to get them to hasten their exile.

Uncle Moses supervised those who were to bear the coffin that contained the mummified remains of Joseph, their Patriarch.

By dawn, a vast multitude of Israelites, more than six hundred thousand, along with their flocks, journeyed from Rameses, the border of Egypt towards Succoth.

Eleazar was excited to be in the forefront of this trek because before his very eyes, he saw as a pillar of cloud that seemed to have life in itself, swirling and undulating in density, descended.

What's more? The pillar morphed into blue-green fire that lighted the whole camp of Israel by night. It was the signature of I AM's presence leading them, Uncle Moses had said.

Eleazar had no reason to doubt this unusual phenomenon, for indeed it moved, and they followed.

~~~~~~~~~~

The journey had been tiring but exciting so far. Now, they were encamped at Pi-Hahiroth by the very shores of the Red Sea–Yam Suph.

It was a dead end. Had I AM brought them here to stay?

Anyway, Eleazar couldn't care less. He was having an amazing time building sand castles and picking shells alongside his new friend, a daughter of Putiel, much to the chagrin of his hollering mother.

Nadab and Abihu were no fun to be with. This girl was as carefree and exhuberant as him. She was like a skipping lamb, reminding him of poor Korban before his honorable demise. She was quite pretty too, with her big brown doe eyes and long, silky hair.

It was noon. Someone came running towards them.

"The host of Pharaoh..." he said gasping and panting like a war horse that had just run the whole length of the eastern desert. "They are after us. On our tails even."

Fear like bile rose up Eleazar's throat. He didn't particularly find Pharaoh a friendly King. No one in Israel did.

He watched as Moses stood still when the report came to him. What was his Uncle going to do? What would I AM do?

They were literarily stuck, hedged in by the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian army pursuing them from behind.

Murmurs rose up from the crowd.

"Why, O why did we decide to believe this Moses and follow him?"

"Do we even have any idea where we're going? Now we'll all die."

"Moses," another man called, "What have you done to us? Wouldn't it have been better for us to have stayed serving the Egyptians rather than dying out here in the wilderness?"

Uncle Moses seemed at loss of what to do. It seemed the whole of Israel had risen up against him to accuse him.

He leaned on his rod, that same rod that wroth wonders in Egypt during the time of the plagues, and said, "Fear not O Israel. Stand still and see what the Lord will do for us today. The Egyptians you see today, you shall see them no more."

Uncle Moses moved into the shallow part of the reddish brown waters of Yam Suph. Eleazar could see his mouth moving in petition to God.

In awe, with his little mouth agape, Eleazar watched as the pillar of cloud before them rose and began moving over the multitude to the back. What was going on? Why was the pillar of His presence leaving?

By the time Eleazar turned back to look at Moses, he saw that Moses' hand stretched out over the Red Sea, the Rod of God uplifted.

Suddenly, a mighty east wind started blowing, targeted straight at the sea. It didn't stop. All day it blew, until Eleazar saw the waters pile up into two giant wall like heaps by both sides with dry ground in the middle.

Eleazar could not stop staring at the uncommon sight before him.

Nevertheless, he was confused as to why the Egyptians had not caught up with them. The time was more than enough for them to have been caught.

News came, through a spy, that the pillar of His presence that moved had built a partition between the Israeli camp and the Egyptian camp. While it was day here, it was night there.

The spy reporting to those in the crew in the front gave an even more baffling and exciting news.

"It seems as if the host of Pharaoh has gone haywire. The horses are neighing frantically and the wheels of their chariots are either loose or clogged by the desert sand. It seems I AM is fighting for us. We can make it," the spy said.

Eleazar wanted to cry for joy at the announcement. I AM had not abandoned them after all. How could they have doubted so easily?

Moses cried out in a loud voice over the sound of wind and water, "The Lord is with us. Go forward."

And forward they went. Running and running.

It was so fascinating. It was enthralling. The sand beneath their running feet was wet, soft and very smooth. The water walls on both sides held in their treasuries many sea creatures, some he had never seen or heard of all his life.

If not for the fact that they were running from death, Eleazar would have enjoyed every single bit of the moment. All thanks to a prodding, pushing and hollering Elisheba, Eleazar was able to resist the temptation to stop and watch the magnificent view.

"Hey! Do you see that big fish over there?" Eleazar said excitedly to his new pal, pointing in the direction of the accursed creature who seemed to be as baffled as other living creatures resident in the Red Sea.

She shrieked and ran away from the sight. It was a shark, and it didn't look like a friendly pet at all.

"Don't be scared. Uncle Moses said the Lord is with us. It won't hurt us, I know."

The much younger, and rather frightened girl finally calmed down.

Eleazar entwined his hands with hers and held her as they joined the others to run. The other side wasn't far ahead. Eleazar could see it already.

After the whole multitude of Israel had crossed the red sea, Uncle Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea again. And the waters fell in a mighty thud. The sound was like the roar of a waterfall.

The Egyptians, who rather stubborn kept on pursuing them, were covered and buried. Indeed, I AM is the true God.

The whole of Israel cheered. Aunt Miriam, Elisheba and other women of Israel took timbrels. They went out singing and dancing to the glory of I AM who routed Pharaoh and his hosts for their sakes.