“Everything that exists on land also exists in the sea,” says the Talmud. The difference is only the extent to which their occupants are visible to the human eye: unlike their counterparts on dry land, the creatures of the sea are mostly out of sight. Accordingly, Chassidus interprets kerias Yam Suf, when the sea was transformed into dry land, as a spiritual experience in which spiritual realities that are normally unseen became clear and visible.
Kerias Yam Suf is not only a past event, but something we should strive for in our personal service of G-d as well. One such form of spiritual kerias Yam Suf in our personal lives is to bridge the gap between the spiritual heights we experience during prayer and the activities we engage in the rest of the day. The focus of prayer is to arouse in our hearts and minds conscious feelings of attachment and subordination to G-d. Though daily prayer automatically impacts our conduct throughout the rest of the day as well, nevertheless, the intensity of our feelings during prayer tends to fade and be “hidden” from our conscious thoughts when we are preoccupied by the mundane demands that each day brings. Kerias Yam Suf, however, in which the hidden world of the sea became exposed, teaches and empowers us to expose what is naturally “hidden,” and make it conscious and “visible.” Meaning that even while going about our ordinary activities, we can and must strive to maintain a constant and conscious submission before G-d like that which we experience during prayer.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 3, p. 1016e
