The desert rising on two sides, the great sea in front, and the mightiest cavalry on Earth is in a bloodthirsty, vengeful charge at their backs. Panicked, the Jews looked for Heavenly intervention. Salvation eventually comes. The Egyptians are routed by the waves of the Red Sea while their former captives escape on dry land. But before that is something equally crucial: The very moment Moses beseeches God for salvation, the fiery cloud leading the people to Sinai moves from the front of the column to the rear, squarely between the Jews and Pharaoh’s army. It is a band aid. But this temporary solution buys time for the wind to whip the sea into a wall.

All too often we focus on solving a problem permanently. Sometimes, though, there are real people with real needs who need help now. Sometimes, an urgent issue can’t wait for a fully vetted, well thought-out program. Sometimes what you need is a finger-in-the-dam kind of effort. That’s the lesson from a trapped but then rescued people.

Words to consider. Ideas to ponder. Politics and the parsha.

Howie Beigelman works at the intersection of nonprofit advocacy and Jewish communal affairs. Follow him on Twitter @howielb.

By Howie Beigelman