Nachshon ben Aminadav: Who?

(7) From Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab.

(3) Camped on the front, or east side: the standard of the division of Judah, troop by troop. Chieftain of the Judites: Nahshon son of Amminadab.

(12) The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah.

(14) the first standard to set out, troop by troop, was the division of Judah. In command of its troops was Nahshon son of Amminadab;

(18) This is the line of Perez: Perez begot Hezron, (19) Hezron begot Ram, Ram begot Ammi-nadab, (20) Amminadab begot Nahshon, Nahshon begot Salmon, (21) Salmon begot Boaz, Boaz begot Obed, (22) Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.

(10) Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah.

(1) The LORD said to Moses: (2) Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. (3) Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, “They are astray in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.” (4) Then I will stiffen Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them, that I may gain glory through Pharaoh and all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so. (5) When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his courtiers had a change of heart about the people and said, “What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?” (6) He ordered his chariot and took his men with him; (7) he took six hundred of his picked chariots, and the rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officers in all of them. (8) The LORD stiffened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he gave chase to the Israelites. As the Israelites were departing defiantly, (9) the Egyptians gave chase to them, and all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his warriors overtook them encamped by the sea, near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. (10) As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing upon them. Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to the LORD. (11) And they said to Moses, “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? (12) Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness’?” (13) But Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which the LORD will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. (14) The LORD will battle for you; you hold your peace!” (15) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. (16) And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground. (17) And I will stiffen the hearts of the Egyptians so that they go in after them; and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his warriors, his chariots and his horsemen. (18) Let the Egyptians know that I am LORD, when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” (19) The angel of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them, (20) and it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon the night, so that the one could not come near the other all through the night. (21) Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split, (22) and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. (23) The Egyptians came in pursuit after them into the sea, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen. (24) At the morning watch, the LORD looked down upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. (25) He locked the wheels of their chariots so that they moved forward with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.” (26) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians and upon their chariots and upon their horsemen.” (27) Moses held out his arm over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state, and the Egyptians fled at its approach. But the LORD hurled the Egyptians into the sea. (28) The waters turned back and covered the chariots and the horsemen—Pharaoh’s entire army that followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. (29) But the Israelites had marched through the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. (30) Thus the LORD delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. (31) And when Israel saw the wondrous power which the LORD had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD; they had faith in the LORD and His servant Moses.

[What was it that Yehuda did? (That he sanctified G-d's Name publicly)--As it has been taught: R' Meir said: When Bnei Yisrael stood by the Red Sea, the tribes strove with one another, each wishing to descend into the sea first.] Then sprang forward the tribe of Binyamin and descended first into the sea; as it is said, There is little Binyamin their ruler--read not rodem [their ruler] but rad yam [descended into the sea]. Thereupon the princes of Yehuda hurled stones at them; as it is said, The princes of Yehuda their council (the word for council has the same root as the verb 'to stone'; so it is here understood as 'their stoners'). For that reason the righteous Binyamin was worthy to become the host of the All-Powerful (the Temple was erected on the territory of Binyamin, Yoma 12a), as it is said, He dwelleth between his shoulders (Hashem dwells in the land of Binyamin). R' Yehuda said to [R' Meir]: That is not what happened; but each tribe was unwilling to be the first to enter the sea. Then sprang forward Nachshon the son of Amminadav (he was the prince of the tribe of Yehuda) and descended first into the sea; as it is said, Ephraim compasseth me about with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceipt; but Yehuda yet ruleth with G-d (the last words are rad 'im el, which are interpreted: he descended (into the sea because his trust was) with G-d). Concerning him it is stated in Scripture, Save me O G-d, for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing etc. Let not the waterflood overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up etc. At that time Moshe was engaged for a long while in prayer; so the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'My beloved ones are drowning in the sea and thou prolongest prayer before Me!' He spake before Him, 'Lord of the Universe, what is there in my power to do?' He replied to him, Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward. And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand etc. For that reason Yehuda was worthy to be made the ruling power in Israel, as it is said, Yehuda became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion (the Temple was in the kingdom of Yehuda. 'His dominion' is understood as Yehuda's rule over Israel). Why did Yehuda become His sanctuary and Israel His dominion? Because the sea saw [him] and fled...

(1) And it was, when Pharaoh sent the nation, this is what Scripture said, "Your arid fields are as a pomegranate orchard," (Shir Hashirim 4:13). What's this pomegranate orchard, filled with Ilan trees that produce fruit; this is how Bnei Yisrael left Egypt, full with all the good types of blessings. (Because of this), it (the pasuk) says, "Your arid fields are as a pomegranate orchard." R' Gamliel says: 'The Egyptians chased after Bnei Yisrael until the Red Sea, and their enemies were camped behind them and the sea was in front of them, and Bnei Yisrael saw the Egyptians and they became very afraid/scared, and there they disposed of all the abominations of (from) Egypt from upon themselves, and they did great teshuvah, and they called out to their G-d, as it says, "Pharaoh drew near, and the children of Israel lifted up their eyes." Moshe saw Bnei Yisrael's plight; he was praying for them, and Hashem said to him, "Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel," (Shemot 14:15). Moshe said before Hashem, 'Master of the Universe, the enemy is behind us and the sea is before/in front of us; which way will we travel?' What did Hashem do? He sent Michael the minister, and He made a wall of fire between the Egyptians and Bnei Yisrael, and the Egyptians wanted to come/chase after Bnei Yisrael, but they were unable to go because of the fire. The angels saw Bnei Yisrael's plight all of that night, and they didn't give praise or thanks to their G-d (to Hashem--the angels stopped). As it says, "and one did not draw near the other all night long," (Ibd. 14:20). Hashem said to Moshe, 'Moshe, stretch out your hand over the sea and split it,' and Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea, and the water saw the face of Hashem and the depths quaked and trembled, as it says, 'The nations perceived You and trembled.' R' Eliezer said: On the day that Hashem said: 'The water gathered and the water became solid (frozen), and it was divided into twelve parts for the twelve tribes, and there were walls of water between each path, and they (Bnei Yisrael) could see one another (through the water) and they saw Hashem going before them and they didn't see their footprints, as it says: In the sea was Your way, and Your path in the waters [they saw]," (Tehillim 77:20). R' Akiva said: Bnei Yisrael went to the Red Sea and returned to the back scared/in fear that they wouldn't return to the water (scared to go in), and the tribe of Binyamin wanted to enter/go in, as it says, "Binyamin the youngest rules over them," (Tehillim 68:28). They began going down (in), and as they did, they were pelted with stones by the tribe of Yehuda, as it says, "The princes of Yehuda pelt them with stones," (Ibd.) And Nachshon jumped first and went down (in)to the sea, and his name was holy and great in/to the eyes of everyone (in Bnei Yisrael), and through Nachshon, the son of Yehuda's, domineering hand, all of Bnei Yisrael entered after him into the sea, as it says, "Yehuda became His holy nation, Israel his dominion." (Tehillim 114:2)...