When we think of Biblical heroes splitting bodies of water, we normally think of Moses. But according to the Midrash, Jacob split the Jordan hundreds of years before Moses arrived at Yam Suf. Verse 32:11 says, "I am unworthy of all the kindness that You have so steadfastly shown Your servant:
with my staff alone I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps." Focusing on the phrase
with my staff alone, the Sages depict Jacob using his staff to split the waters of the Jordan and imagine him saying, "I crossed the Jordan without gold, silver, or livestock - only my staff."
The point of this Midrash is that although Jacob was a wealthy man, it is not his wealth that saved his life but rather his faith and gratitude to God. Time and again, Jews have faced the prospect of penury and starvation. Just as often, Jews have found a way to overcome their fears and not only survive but thrive in the face of near certain doom.
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