Beshalach: 

Miracles abound in this week's parsha. The Hebrew root נס, nes, is scattered through the parsha, with a variety of meanings. 

 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מִצְרַ֗יִם אָנ֙וּסָה֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל

Miżrayim said, Let us flee ( anusah) from the face of Yisra᾽el; 

וַיָּ֨שׇׁב הַיָּ֜ם לִפְנ֥וֹת בֹּ֙קֶר֙ לְאֵ֣יתָנ֔וֹ וּמִצְרַ֖יִם נָסִ֣ים לִקְרָאת֑וֹ

and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and Miżrayim fled(nasim) towards it;

In these instances, the word is translated as running, flight. I am sure that is correct, but as a non-native Hebrew speaker, I recognize a cognate word: אנס, anos a word that implies compulsion, entrapment. Certainly the Egyptians who were about to be engulfed by the sea's return to its former, natural state were trapped and forced to drown. 

The relationship between entrapment and flight seems appropriate to me. Flight is the natural reaction to impending danger and אנס,anos, implies a dangerous entrapment, a rape. 

Several times, the phoneme, the sound fragment נס, nes, is used to mean a trial, a test: 

 וַיּוֹרֵ֤הוּ יְ

 עֵ֔ץ וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ֙ אֶל־הַמַּ֔יִם וַֽיִּמְתְּק֖וּ הַמָּ֑יִם שָׁ֣ם שָׂ֥ם ל֛וֹ חֹ֥ק וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט וְשָׁ֥ם נִסָּֽהוּ׃ 

So he cried out to GD, and GD showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water and the water became sweet.

There a fixed rule was made for them; there they were put to the test (nisahu):

The test is not specified. This test might have been in the past. This sentence is the culmination of a story. Immediately after the drowning of the Egyptian army in the sea that had come together again, after the most miraculous splitting, the people came to Marah, a place named for the bitter water there. They grumbled and murmured against Moshe. Gd answered Moshe's entreaty by showing him a piece of wood. When the wood was added to the water, the water sweetened. Was the test concealed in these events? Was the test when the people  confronted bitter water, and they reacted by murmuring, and thus received a rather low grade ( Rashi's take)?  

The word נס, nes, meaning  banner  is inside the נִסָּֽהוּ׃, nisahu, the word we have been translating as test. That evokes the idea that the problem of the bitter water and the solution of the wood ( pointed out to Moshe by Gd)  was a demonstration. It was a miracle: an unexpected positive outcome; a rescue from a desperate circumstance. Gd had shown Moshe the wood, so we know where to attribute the credit. Gd had miracled the people. This is how seemingly  impossible problems will be solved: by a combination of faith, knowledge and human effort. 

The manna, the wonderous food from heaven, was another test/miracle. When the people complain about starvation, Gd says to Moshe: 

הִנְנִ֨י מַמְטִ֥יר לָכֶ֛ם לֶ֖חֶם מִן־הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְיָצָ֨א הָעָ֤ם וְלָֽקְטוּ֙ דְּבַר־י֣וֹם בְּיוֹמ֔וֹ לְמַ֧עַן אֲנַסֶּ֛נּוּ הֲיֵלֵ֥ךְ בְּתוֹרָתִ֖י אִם־לֹֽא׃ 

And GOD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread for you from the sky, and the people shall go out and gather each day that day’s portion—that I may thus test them, to see whether they will follow My instructions or not.

Rashi says that the test would be whether or not they follow the rules ( Shabbath, no left overs [generally]).  Ibn Ezra and Ramban emphasize the daily dependence on a miracle. I think they are making the association with the miracle meaning of nes. We lives thanks to unappreciated miracles every day. [I have taken many tests, and I have always felt that miracles contributed to my good grades. They generally ask the right questions]

The story of the lack of water in Refidim, which culminates with Moshe obtaining water from the rock  (this is not the bad one) is disturbing. 

וְאֵ֥ין מַ֖יִם לִשְׁתֹּ֥ת הָעָֽם׃

and there was no water for the people to drink.

יָּ֤רֶב הָעָם֙ עִם־מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ תְּנוּ־לָ֥נוּ מַ֖יִם וְנִשְׁתֶּ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהֶם֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה מַה־תְּרִיבוּן֙ עִמָּדִ֔י מַה־תְּנַסּ֖וּן אֶת־יְ

he people quarreled with Moses. “Give us water to drink,” they said; and Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you try[test] GD?”

What kind of question is that? 

The 19th and 20th century commentators (Netziv, etc) make the story palatable by claiming that the Israelites were not actually dying of thirst. They had water, but they were worried about the future in a parched desert. There may be details in the text that support this position, and it may be correct, but this reaction to a valid concern seems harsh. Is it presumptuous to call out for salvation in a time of grave distress? Sometimes a miracle is needed! Perhaps the message is that a person needs to be careful about how that person asks for help. It is another test. 

The last usage of  נס, nes, is after the [partial] victory over Amalek, the eternal enemy of Israel

וַיִּ֥בֶן מֹשֶׁ֖ה מִזְבֵּ֑חַ וַיִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ יְ

נִסִּֽי׃

And Moshe built an altar, and called the name of it the Lord is my Banner (nisi)

After a battle fought with soldiers, in which the Israelites prevailed only as long as Moshe's arms were raising the staff, Moshe confers the credit on Gd. All of the meanings converge. Gd performed a miracle (nes). Gd (and the situation) tested (nes) me, in that I had to keep the staff raised beyond my own strength. Gd forced (anas)  the people into this difficult situation. 

Miracles need collaborations between the Almighty and the puny human. It is always difficult when we are forced (anas) into these situations. The natural reaction would be to flee (nes). When it turns out well, it is a banner (nes) moment. We have passed the test (nes).