The Bible is stressing over and over again that there is a force within us that compels us to behave in a certain way and that it is almost impossible to find a release from this force. At the Red Sea the children of Israel prayed to God. It is obvious that they had a serious problem, for the Egyptians were behind them, and the sea was in front of them. Here we encounter the familiar response from God: Ma titzak elai? "Why do you cry to Me?"
"God gave us the tools by which we can fashion our own destiny."
The Zohar asks the same question and responds by saying that the Israelites were given the tools by which they could completely remove chaos, including death — the 72 Names of God. The Zohar says that the position of God was that the people have to do and take care of the removal of chaos, it was not His job. God did not bring the Israelites, or us for that matter, into the world to abandon us. God gave us the tools by which we can fashion our own destiny. However, there is another nature within mankind, the evil inclination, which seeks out the chaos that can bring doom to the individual. It is what drives us to do certain actions when we know them to be wrong. We should be aware that it exists; it is a war we wage every day. If we are not aware of this evil inclination, we are like a person sitting on the battlefield while bombs explode around him, thinking there is no war and that this is paradise.
"There is a phenomenon known as mind over matter, and through the 72 Names of God we can connect to it."
Studying the portion of Beshalach gives us the ability to connect to the consciousness of the Israelites at the splitting of the Red Sea — mind over matter. As we approach the section with the 72 Names of God in Exodus 14:19, 20, 21 we can program our minds that there is a phenomenon known as mind over matter, and through the 72 Names of God we can connect to it.
Each of us must also ask ourselves why we merit this knowledge that can remove chaos.
I know personally that when we are of the consciousness of certainty, we can get rid of doubt.
