This week's section is called "BeShalaj," "When He Sent." After the Exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people found themselves at the edge of the Sea of Reeds. On one side was the sea, while on the other, the Egyptians decided to return the Jewish people to slavery, so they set out with an army to pursue them. After some discussion, Moses stretched out his hands over the sea, and through a divine miracle, the waters parted so that the people could pass through. Then the waters closed over the Egyptians, clearing the way for them to journey to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah.
It was only after the parting of the sea that the Jewish people were truly free. Until then, they were still under the control of the Egyptians, to the point that a group of them even considered returning to Egypt rather than drown at sea.
As mentioned many times, the Torah is not (just) a history book, but contains practical teachings for daily life. We must understand the lessons of the events of the Exodus from Egypt, the Parting of the Red Sea, and the Giving of the Torah. Of course, there isn't just one lesson, and the idea here is to express one more, which only adds to those already existing.
In a simple sense, the Exodus from Egypt represents liberation from bondage. Bondage can be seen today as a surrender to society—that is, the fact that a person is constantly focused on the latest trends in fashion, food, appearance, sports, television, and so on, instead of focusing on themselves in relation to the Creator.
However, this overcoming of the environment is not enough; the Opening of the Sea is also required. Essentially, what happened in the sea was that what was hidden (the seabed) was revealed. The next step, after personal liberation, is the revelation of the very essence of the person. We all have a neshamah, a soul, which is invested in and hidden within the body, and the body, often, instead of becoming a tool of expression, does the opposite and prevents the soul from affecting the world. The Opening of the Sea is the total liberation of the person, the passage through which they are not only no longer limited by the environment, but are no longer even limited by themselves; their limit becomes their own will to transcend themselves.
That is the path to the coming of the Messiah, when the world will reach a state of perfection that only occurred during the Giving of the Torah. That is why the way to move toward that goal is by following the same steps that our ancestors followed: Exodus from Egypt, Parting of the Red Sea, Giving of the Torah.