In the Torah portion of Shemot we find the story of how Moshe tried to break up a fight between two Jews who then informed Pharaoh that Moshe had killed an Egyptian the day before, as the verse says,
“He found two Hebrews fighting, so he said to the wicked one, ‘Why do you strike your fellow?’”
Our sages say the troublemakers were Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eliav, who later participated in the rebellion of Korach and were swallowed up by the earth. This is based on the fact that the verse here calls them אֲנָשִׁים (men) which is how Datan and Aviram are called in the story of Korach. In addition, the word נִׁצִִּׁ֑ים (fighting) used here is similar to the word נִׁצָבִׁים (standing) which is used regarding Datan and Aviram in the Korach story.
This article will discuss the lives of these villains who caused much strife to the Jewish people yet were the only wicked people that we know of who survived the plague of darkness.
Lineage
Datan and Aviram’s father Eliav was the grandson of Reuven, son of Yaakov Avinu. They joined Korach’s rebellion because they were hoping to establish Reuven as the most important tribe since he was the firstborn.
Datan Married his Step-Sister
Our sages say that the reason the Egyptian who was killed by Moshe was beating the Jew is because he had tricked that man’s wife into cohabiting with him. When the Jewish husband found out about this and confronted him, he began to beat him mercilessly.
The Jewish man was none other than Datan, and his wife was Shlomit bat Divri whose son that was born from that Egyptian was the man who blasphemed in the desert.
Shlomit was the maternal sister of Aviram but was not related to her husband Datan who was Aviram’s paternal brother. Datan wanted to divorce his wife when he found out that she had been abused, and her brother Aviram was arguing with him about it. The argument led to blows.
Meaning of their Names
Datan comes from the word dat, law, indicating that Datan transgressed the law. Aviram comes from the word avir, mighty, indicating that Aviram strengthened his heart and refused to repent.
The Trouble Makers
The Midrash says that Datan and Aviram used their wisdom in cunning ways, that they were brazen and divisive, and that we can blame any negative event on them.
Here is a list of the negative incidents which our sages ascribe to Datan and Aviram (besides the ones mentioned above).
- They complained to Moshe and Aharon that they were causing Pharaoh to make the Jews work harder due to them asking him to free the people.
- Datan and Aviram did not leave Egypt together with the Jewish people. Before pursuing the Jewish people, Pharaoh consulted with them. They joined Pharaoh in the chase but then rejoined the Jewish people at the splitting of the sea.
- They rebelled at the Sea of Reeds and said “Is it because of a lack of graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the desert?”
- They left Manna over to the next day.
- They went to collect Manna on Shabbat after putting it out themselves.
- When the spies convinced the Jewish people to return to Egypt, the plan was to appoint Datan and Aviram as the replacements of Moshe and Aharon.
- They were partners in the rebellion of Korach and were swallowed up by the earth.
Why Did They Survive?
According to the Midrash, the wicked Jewish people who wanted to stay in Egypt died in the plague of darkness. (The reason they died during the plague of darkness is so that the Egyptians should not see them dying as they might conclude the Jews deserved punishment just as they did.) Since Datan and Aviram were so evil, how is it that they did not die at that time?
Here are ten answers that are given to this question:
1) Moshe Davened for Them
According to Rabbi Zechariya HaRofeh of 15th-century Yemen, Moshe was disturbed by the fact that so many Jews were dying in the plague of darkness. He prayed to G-d and asked why He was killing His own children. G-d said He would spare two of them, but it would be a lesson for Moshe. He then spared Datan and Avihu who continued in their wicked ways as enumerated above.
2) They Believed in the Redemption
Although they were wicked, Datan and Aviram were redeemed because they believed in the redemption.
3) They were Poor
Some say that they were considered dead during the plague of darkness since they were poor, and the Talmud writes that a poor person is considered as if he is dead.
4) They Did Not Know About the Redemption
Rabbi Yaakov Yukel Horowitz wrote that only the wicked who denied the coming redemption from Egypt died during the plague of darkness. Datan and Aviram were unaware of the coming redemption and therefore could not deny it. He explains that Moshe told the Jewish people that although he was asking for a three-day holiday from Egypt, the true plan was never to return. This information was hidden from Datan and Aviram who were known informants and would have passed it on to the Egyptians who would thus not have agreed to “lend” their wealth to the Jewish people. Since they could not be faulted for denying the redemption, Datan and Aviram survived the plague of darkness.
5) To See Moshe’s Success
The Chatam Sofer explains that G-d spared Datan and Aviram so they would see the success of Moshe Rabeinu. The best revenge against an enemy is for him to see the success of his enemy.
6) They Should Not Die Innocent
In addition, the Chatam Sofer writes, those who died in the plague of darkness were not completely wicked. Yet G-d took them before their time so that they die as (relatively) innocent people rather than as thoroughly wicked. Datan and Aviram were not deserving of this so G-d spared them, and they ended up dying as thoroughly wicked men.
7) Left Alive to be a Miracle
When describing Datan and Aviram being swallowed up by the earth, the Torah says וַיִׁהְי֖וּ לְנ ֵֽס - this event was a miracle. This means that G-d kept them alive so they could be punished in a miraculous way, thus sanctifying the name of G-d by their deaths.
8) Took Part in the Pesach Sacrifice
Rabbi Aryeh Leib Tzintz writes that, despite their wickedness, Datan and Aviram had already planned on participating in the Pesach sacrifice. In this merit they were spared during the plague of darkness.
9) Had Mesirat Nefesh for the Jewish People
The Maharil Diskin points out that Datan and Aviram were foremen who oversaw the work of their fellow-Jews. The verse says that the foremen would get beaten for the Jewish people, which means that they would get beaten by the Egyptian taskmasters when the quota of bricks was not reached. Despite this, Datan and Avirom, along with the other foremen, would not beat their fellow Jews to force them to fill their quota. It emerges that they had mesirat nefesh, self-sacrifice, for the sake of the Jewish people. While many of these foremen became prophets and leaders of the Jewish people, Datan and Aviram were at least spared from death in this merit.
10) Saved by their Association with Pharaoh
The reason that the wicked Jews died in the plague of darkness was so the Egyptians not see how they died and claim that the Jews died during the plagues just as they did. Since Datan and Aviram were well known to Pharaoh, if they had died during the plague of darkness, it would have become known to him which would have enabled Pharaoh to make that claim. Therefore, G-d spared them.
May We Merit to Live a Life that Sanctifies G-d’s Name!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom Umevorach and a Chodesh Tov!
Copyright 2024 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
