Exodus, the second window in the series, is awash in the colors of desert and sea. Beginning where Genesis ended, it is dominated by the splitting of the Red Sea, which runs diagonally across the window, dividing it into two pivotal areas of Jewish experience. The area to the right is Egypt: it sweeps upward in a majestic narrative of hardships and miracles from bondage to freedom. Moses, rescued from the bulrushes, becomes a national leader through whom God brings down plagues upon Egypt, and who confronts the mighty Pharaoh in an encounter painted in brilliant colors. God has the Red Sea defy nature and open a dry path for the fleeing Israelites. The turmoil of leaving Egypt and crossing the sea takes us to the window’s left, where the freed Israelites struggle through the desert, protected by the Almighty, nourished by manna and, under the raised arms of Moses, defeat the Amalekites. Gathered at Mount Sinai, they accept, as one, the Torah.
