Nachshon didn’t walk alone. He walked first.

There is a moment in the Passover story that does not appear in the Torah but lives in the heart of our tradition. The Israelites have fled Egypt. The sea stretches before them, vast, cold and impassable. Behind them, the thunder of Pharaoh’s chariots grows louder. The people cry out to Moses, and Moses cries out to God, and still no one moves.

Then, one man steps forward.

Nachshon, of the tribe of Judah, walks into the sea. Not when it parts — before it parts. He walks until the water reaches his knees. Then his waist. Then his neck. Then his mouth. And only when the sea is about to wash over him completely does the miracle occur. The waters divide, and an entire people walk through to freedom on dry ground. The sea did not split for Moses’ prayer. It split because of Nachshon’s feet.

Nachshon’s actions have been top of mind for me more as of late, and not just because Passover is upon us. Our community is navigating a world that, in many ways, feels like a vast, churning sea. Antisemitism continues to rise persistently, and the definition of Jewish identity has never been more complex. The institutions our grandparents built are being tested as never before, and yet our community continues to show up, to give, to learn, to celebrate, to grieve and to hold each other.

Nachshon didn’t walk into the sea because he was fearless. He walked in because he believed deeply, uncomplicatedly and at great personal risk that what lay on the other side was worth the terror of the water around him. He had faith not as a passive feeling but as an act. He embodied what our sages call emunah: trust, faithfulness and the courage to act on it.

That is what leadership looks like in every generation. Not the absence of fear but the decision to move forward despite it, grounded in principles that are larger than our anxiety.

At the Aaron Family JCC, our principles are clear: We are a place of belonging for every Jew, and for everyone who loves and stands with the Jewish community. We believe in the power of Jewish life lived fully and joyfully; in programs for young children and for elders, in the fitness center and the mind-body studio, in holiday celebrations and everyday acts of tzedakah. We believe that a strong Jewish community is not only good for Jews; it is good for Dallas and the world.

Not every step forward is easy, as we must make decisions that involve real risk: how we grow our programs, allocate resources and respond to a world that does not always welcome Jewish pride or Jewish presence. There are moments when the cautious path is tempting, when waiting seems safer than moving. But I keep thinking of Nachshon’s feet. I keep thinking that miracles — or at least the more modest version of them available to the JCC — do not happen to those who stand at the water’s edge and deliberate. They happen to those who walk in.

What gave Nachshon his courage, I believe, was not only his faith in God. It was the knowledge that an entire people stood behind him. He was not walking alone into the sea. He was walking first. And there is a profound difference.

As we move through this season of reflection and renewal, I want to extend an invitation. Walk into the sea with us. Show up for a program you have never tried. Volunteer your time or your expertise. Bring a neighbor who has never visited. Give generously so that our doors remain open to every member of this community, regardless of their means.

The water before us is real, and the existence of the unknown is valid. But we are not standing at the shore empty-handed; we carry our values, our history, our covenant to be there for each other, and we embrace the stubborn, magnificent Jewish insistence that life, lived with purpose, community and joy, is worth every step.

Nachshon walked in, and the sea parted.

Let us walk in, together, and see what opens before us.

Todd Polikoff is CEO of the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center of Dallas.