“ויגד למלך מצרים כי ברח העם, ויהפך לבב פרעה ועבדיו אל העם ויאמרו מה 14:5זאת עשינו כי שלחנו את ישראל מעבדנו”
“And it was told to the king of Mitzrayim that the people had fled, and the heart of Paroah and his servants were transformed regarding the people, and they said: ‘What is this that we have done, that we have sent away Yisroel from serving us?’” Paroah sent Klal Yisroel out of his land. After they left, Paroah is told that “the people” fled. Paroah and his servants had a change of heart, so they sent Klal Yisroel out of their land. The posuk does not tell us who told Paroah, rather it says, “It was told.” Who told Paroah?
Rashi says that Paroah was not speaking to B’nei Yisroel, rather he was speaking about Klal Yisroel. Paroah’s supervisors told him that they left. Targum Yonason appears to argue with Rashi and says specifically that as the posuk says, Paroah was speaking to B’nei Yisroel – namely Dasan and Aviram, who did not want to leave Mitzrayim with Moshe, for they hated him and wanted to kill him.
Chazal tell us that all who did not want to leave Mitzrayim were killed during the makkah of choshech. If Dasan and Aviram did not want to leave Mitzrayim with the rest of Klal Yisroel, why were they still alive at that time? The Midrash tells us that Dasan and Aviram were the shotrim, the officers, who were chosen by the Mitzriyim to make their brethren work harder and oppress them. Dasan and Aviram did not do their job, and were therefore mercilessly beaten. They accepted that pain in order to alleviate a little pain from their fellow brothers. It was this great zechus that they had, that although they should have died during makkas choshech, they were saved because of the selfless acts they had performed on behalf of Klal Yisroel. The posuk says, “ופרעה הקריב” – when Paroah came close – Chazal explain that Paroah chasing after Klal Yisroel caused Klal Yisroel to become, “close” to Hashem – they did teshuva. This included Dasan and Aviram. Although Dasan and Aviram did many hideous things and did not want initially to leave with Klal Yisroel, they did teshuva, and were zoche to go along together with Klal Yisroel and traverse the Yam. (מהרי"ל דיסקין)
We see the tremendous koach of performing good deeds and doing teshuva. Dasan and Aviram showed themselves to be wicked people, yet in Mitzrayim, took the brunt of the beatings from their Mitzri masters in order that other Yiddin should not have as much pain. This was a great zechus for them, and they were zoche to live through makkas choshech, and ultimately be able to leave Mitzrayim. At first, they did not want to leave, but rather chose to remain with Paroah. In a moment of awakening, they did complete teshuva, and were zoche to cross the Yam with Klal Yisroel and have the Shechinah revealed to them. This is a great lesson for all, that no matter what one has done in his past, he must always know that Hakodosh Boruch Hu awaits his teshuva, and will accept his true heartfelt teshuva, and he can even be elevated to a level of having ruach hakodesh. May we be zoche to do a true teshuva and be zoche to see the second part of the geulah from Mitzrayim, the ultimate geulah, with the coming of Moshiach, במהרה בימינו אמן!
RABBI BEN ZION SNEH
