The Reward for Watching One’s Words

Two animals received reward for the way they acted in Egypt: the frogs and the dogs. The frogs were rewarded for risking their lives by jumping into the ovens and furnaces (Pesachim 53B). Their reward was that the fire did not kill them. The dogs were rewarded for remaining silent when the Jews passed by. Their reward was that they are given our treif meat, and they retain this reward until today.

Rav Dovid of Tolna zy”a famously asks why the dogs got a much bigger reward than the frogs. The frogs risked their lives but only received a one-time reward, whereas the dogs merely remained quiet for a short while, and their reward is eternal. He answers that we see from here that it is easier to jump into a fire than to keep one’s mouth shut.