Question: In the berachah recited in the morning following Krias Shema, we say: וים סוף בקעת וזדים טבעת וידידים העברת ויכסו מים צריהם אחד מהם לא נותר – “and You split the Yam Suf, and You drowned the wicked sinners, and You brought across Your dear ones, and the water covered their oppressors, and not a single one of them remained.” Why is it written in a manner that seems far from chronologically accurate?
Answers:
i) The Moshav Z'keinim explains that when the Egyptians chased the Jewish people into the Yam Suf, Hashem transformed the ground under them into muddy clay, which caused them to sink and prevented them from pursuing the fleeing Jews. Only after the Jewish people had safely emerged onto dry land did Hashem instruct Moshe to return the waters to their normal position, at which time the Egyptians drowned. In light of this, the wording of our tefillah is accurate, as Hashem first split the sea for us, then caused the Egyptians to sink into the ground, then brought us through the water onto dry land, and finally covered the Egyptians with the water and drowned them. Rav Moshe Sternbuch (Taam V’Daas) adds that Hashem did this to enable them to cross through the sea calmly without needing to worry about the possibility that the Egyptians would catch up to them.
ii) Alternatively, the Rokeach (Siddur Rokeach) writes that when the water split, it first traveled throughout Egypt and drowned the wicked Egyptians who remained behind. After the Jews crossed through onto dry land, the water then returned to drown the Egyptians who had pursued them into the sea, which explains our twofold reference to the Egyptians drowning as well as the order of events. (R’ Ozer Alport, Parsha Potpourri)
