The Medrash says in the beginning of Sefer Shemos that Moshe saw the tremendous suffering that Klal Yisrael was experiencing. Moshe asked: What is the aveira (sin) of the Jewish people – more than any of the seventy nations – that they should need to endure such back-breaking labor? In effect, he asked a question which was a form of the age-old mystery of tzadik v’rah lo. (Why do the righteous suffer?)
Later, the pasuk relates that Moshe went out amidst his brethren and saw the fight between the Egyptian and the Jew: “He looked here and there and saw there was no man, and he smote the Egyptian.” (Shemos 2:12) Subsequently, Moshe went out on the second day and saw two Jews fighting. He asked the attacker, “Why are you hitting your fellow man?” to which the accused asked, “Who made you officer and judge over us? Are you going to kill us like you killed the Egyptian?” The pasuk then says: “Moshe was very fearful and he said, 'So now the matter is known.” (Shemos 2:13-14)
The simple interpretation is that Moshe’s statement “So now the matter is known” is that Moshe was alarmed that his killing of the Egyptian, which he thought was done in total secrecy, had become public knowledge, and the matter would eventually get back to Pharaoh, who would take punitive action against Moshe. However, Rashi brings a Medrash that Moshe’s statement “So now the matter is known” is an answer to his earlier question. Moshe said that he now understood why the Jews in Mitzrayim were experiencing such a terrible exile and suffering: I now realize that there are “dilturin” (talebearers and squealers) amongst the Jewish people.
The Sefas Emes raises a question: Yesterday, Moshe had a question for which he had no answer: How could it be that Klal Yisrael is worse than all the seventy nations of the world? Why do they need to suffer so much? The next day, he sees that they speak lashon harah, and he claims, “Now I understand their exile and suffering! The Sefas Emes asks: How does this simple observation answer Moshe’s incomprehensible theological problem?
The Sefas Emes answers that the point of the Medrash is to emphasize the tremendous severity of the aveira of lashon harah. Perhaps the Sefas Emes is saying that when Klal Yisrael functions as a tzibbur (united people), then Moshe could not understand why they should be worse than any other nation.
However, Moshe observed, “When I see that they speak lashon harah, then something happens – they no longer have unity, and they cease to function as a tzibbur.”
Initially, Moshe was looking at the phenomenon of the Jews’ suffering from the perspective of the concept of “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh l’zeh.” He could not understand the suffering because Klal Yisrael a nation, has so much zechus (merit) – why would they be suffering so much? But once Moshe realized that they spoke lashon harah – that destroys the unity of Klal Yisrael. Once that happens, the Heavenly decree is not directed at a tzibur anymore. Hashem sees a bunch of individuals rather than a unified and holy people.
Dissension forfeits the status of a klal (community), which in turn forfeits the zechusim (merits) of the klal, such that the question “Why is Klal Yisrael suffering so much?” cannot be asked. They become just a bunch of individuals. Anything can happen to an individual. Once they are reduced to the status of individuals, the principle of ‘tzadik v’rah lo‘ – as incomprehensible as it may seem – can be invoked to ‘explain’ suffering that we cannot quite understand. However, the principle of ‘tzadik v’rah lo‘ does not apply to a tzibur. The Torah promises “And it will be if you will hearken to the mitzvot that I command you... You will have rain, everything will be good, you will gather in your crops, etc., etc.” As a nation, if you do the mitzvos, I am going to take care of you!
Righteous individuals may suffer, but not the nation as a whole, when it is righteous!
