Why did Hashem lead Am Yisrael through the longer route?  First, the חפץ חיים says that from the fact that we went the longer route shows that sometimes the shorter route can hurt your ruchniyus. Second, the    דעת זקנים  explains that כי קרוב הוא is saying that ה׳ is close to us and Rav Moshe Shternbach explains that therefore we don’t follow the laws of nature, and that is why we didn’t go the shortest way which is what nature would dictate.  Third, Rav Dessler explains that ה׳ took them the long route in order to burn any connection they had with Egypt.  Fourth, the רל״ג explains that it was to teach us the quality of עמלות and toil. Similarly, the רמב״ם says that when you go through tests it makes you stronger, so therefore we went the long route.

Rav Moshe explains that the תורה says that יוסף made them swear to bring his bones to be buried in ארץ ישראל because he didn’t think he was a צדיק who would merit that on his own, and because of his humility he was זוכה that משה, the most humble person, was the person to bring his bones up. Rav Moshe Shternbach explains that ״ויקח עצמות יוסף עמו״ can mean that he took the essence of יוסף which was he בטחון teaching us that we need the בטחון of יוסף.

Several points on חמושים:  First, the חתם סופר explains that even though the Jews were armed they didn’t want to fight the מצריים because they felt gratitude towards them. Second, Rav Moshe Schechter explains that everyone has 4 weapons: 2 arms and 2 legs. חמושים however means 5 because בנ״י also had תפילה. Another פשט could be that it is תפילין because there are 5 פרשיות  all together and the פסוק says that when we have them on they the nations will be scared of us. Third, the רל״ג says that when רש״י explains the word ״חמושים״ to mean that בנ״י left Egypt with arms it means that even though they will no longer have open miracles to save them, they still need to start doing their own effort to fight. This is seen in the מן also because the people needed to leave their houses to go get it, and even the צדיקים still needed to open the door and go outside.  Fourth, Rav Moshe Schor explains that right it says that בנ״י came out armed it says that they carried the bones of יוסף to teach that they came out armed with the bones of יוסף.

Several messages about Kriyat Yam Suf: First, Rabbeinu Bachaya explains that the Jews walked at day and at night because they were so excited to get the תורה that they didn’t stop. Second, why does the פסוק need to say that the waters split if it already said that the ocean was dry? Rav Mordechai Gifter explains that it is coming to teach us that all the waters in the world split. Third, when the Egyptians were chasing us it uses the לשון יחיד so the מדרש says it is כלב אחד כאיש אחד, and when we were at הר סיני and it uses the לשון יחיד the מדרש says כאיש אחד בלב אחד. The שם משמואל explains that the only reason the Egyptians were united was because of their לב, their intention for the same mission, but once that disappeared then they didn’t have unity, but כלל ישראל is united because they are inherently איש אחד.  Fourth, the חתם סופר explains that ה׳ paid the Egyptians back by drowning them because they drowned babies. Rabbi Gluck explains that ה׳ didn’t just bring a מבול on מצרים because since there is an איסור to go to מצרים we would never be able to thank ה׳ at the spot of miracle, so He did the miracle outside of מצרים so that we can go there and thank ה׳.  Fifth, Rav Elly Storch explains that they asked for water right after קריעת ים סוף because they needed something to keep their אמונה, so ה׳ gave them a tree with is עץ חיים היא, showing that תורה always connects them.  Sixth, the כלי יקר says that the פסוק says that בנ״י walked בתוך הים ביבשה and then it says that they walked ביבשה בתוך הים. Why? This teaches that at first נחשון בן עמינדב needed to jump in while it was still a ים, and only afterwards did it split to become ביבשה בתוך הים.   Seventh, Rav Moshe Schor explains that the פסוק says that בנ״י feared the Egyptians and they cried out to ה׳, meaning that they were crying out to ה׳ that they didn’t want to fear the Egyptians because they only wanted to fear ה׳ after all they saw in מצרים.  Eighth, in the name of the בעל שם טוב we see from the פסוק of ״ויאמינו בה׳״ that miracles can only go so far, and really you need אמונה to move forward forever.

Several messages about Az Yashir:  First, one of the Belzer rebbes explains that ״זה קלי ואנוהו אלקי אבי וארוממנהו״ is saying two things: I will glorify ה׳ in the times when I see his direct impact on me, and I will glorify ה׳ even when I don’t see the impact on me because He is the God of my father and my ancestors.  Second, Rabbi Gluck explains that יד הגדולה is talking about חסד, and the פסוק is saying that בנ״י recognized the חסד of מצרים that even the apparently bitter times were for the best. Rabbi Moshe Samuels added that this is why it then says ״ויאמינו בה׳״ meaning that even the ability to have אמונה is a חסד from ה׳.   Third, the פסוק says ״והמים להם חמה מימינם ומשמאלם״. Rav Moshe says that חמה is the same as anger, meaning that the waters didn’t want to split for בנ״י because they said that בנ״י still served עבודה זרה. So ה׳ said that yes now they are like that, but in the future they will have the מצוה of ציצית that will surround them ״מימינם ומשמאלם״ and they will serve ה׳.  Fourth, the reason why when מרים gathered the women to sing it says that she was the sister of אהרון is because the same way that he was רודף שלום, so too she also tried to do that.

Bnei Yisrael complaints: First, Rav Yitzchak Volozhin explains that even though בנ״י complained against משה and אהרון the תורה still considers it like they complained against ה׳ because a צדיק or צדקת  represent ה׳. Second, Rav Moshe Shternbach explains that the פסוק says that בנ״י asked for water and then it says that they were thirsty to teach us that their sin was that they weren’t even thirsty when they asked and they were complaining about the future, one should not complain about the future.

The פסוק says that when משה was ״ירים״ his hands then the Jews would be winning against עמלק. Why is it in the future tense? The חפץ חיים explains that משה represents תורה so it is teaching us that whenever we support תורה we will win.