‘G-d will fight for you, and you will be quiet’. With these words Moses calms the excited people at the Reed Sea, as the Egyptian forces threaten to annihilate them. Interestingly, in the very next verse, it is Moses who is told to be quiet: ‘why are you crying to Me? speak unto the Children of Israel, that they should go forward’. It appears that at this critical juncture in Jewish history, speech is not required. This is made more interesting by the midrashic accounts of what had gone on before. According to the Midrash, a fully fledged debate broke out among the Jewish people as the Egyptian threat materialised. One group wanted to surrender to the Egyptians, another to go forward into the sea and a third to turn and fight. To all of them Moses says to be quiet. Debate at this juncture is obviously not helpful. What is needed is action, specifically G-d’s action. But Moses too, seems to misunderstand. He stands praying, an attitude not appreciated by G-d. G-d, somewhat strangely, informs Moses that when Israel is in danger, it is not time for prayer. Rather Moses must take the radical step of going forward into the sea. This passage offers us a fascinating insight into true leadership in a crisis. Firstly, even in a democracy, there is a time to end debate and begin action. Possibly, only the Jews, faced with imminent annihilation, could spend their time arguing. Yet even for us, debate has its limits. Moses took control of the situation by closing down the debate. This was a vital first step. Yet he then didn’t immediately follow through. He stood praying. This, of course, is what he had done throughout the confrontation with Pharaoh. Moses prays and G-d acts. Yet in such a crisis normal procedures will simply not suffice. What is needed is radical, unprecedented and indeed, dangerous action. Only if the Jews go forward into the sea will the deadly trap be broken. G-d informs Moses that He will not act unless Israel acts first. He will not show His power unless we show our faith and determination. Indeed, according to tradition, only when the Jews were up to their neck in water, did the waters part. This is an important lesson for our time. Both the Jewish people and the world as a whole face daunting challenges. Challenges that indeed threaten to overwhelm us. As religious people we must not believe that prayer will necessarily save us. We must take radical, risky action. G-d will not fight for us, if we are unwilling to take risks for Him.