Weekly Zera Shimshon Shiur by Rabbi Simcha Bunim Berger
Moshe fled from before Pharaoh (2:15).
On this passuk, the Yalkut Shimoni teaches (§168) the following timely lesson:
The passuk says (Yeshaya 26:20), "Go my nation, come into your room, until the wrath has passed". When you see that the times are fierce, do not stand against them; rather give the fierce time its space. Whoever takes a stand against fierce times falls into their hands (either the fierce rulers of the time or the bad happenings that are coming due to the fierce times). And whoever gives the fierce times their space, the fierce times fall into his hands.
Navos stood up to those that were fierce in their times and fell into their hands. (This refers to when the wicked king and queen, Achav and Izevel, ruled. Izevel wanted Navos' field and he would not agree even to sell it. Achav came up with a plot, and had him killed and took his field (Melachim I 21). Avraham Avinu ran away from Nimrod instead of fighting him, and Nimrod eventually fell. Moshe Rabbeinu ran away from Pharaoh when he was in power, and eventually Pharaoh came to admit to Moshe Rabbeinu's greatness (see Yalkut for more examples).
The Zera Shimshon explains this concept as follows.
The passuk says (Shemuel I 2:9) ורשעים בחושך ידמו, "And the wicked are wiped out in darkness". The Rama Mipano writes that the word ידמו in Att Bash (a form of deciphering a hidden intent encoded in the words of the Torah, in which the first letter, א, is switched with the last, ת, hence א"ת. The second letter, ב, is switched with the second to last letter, ש, hence ב"ש , and so on), makes the word מקיף, surrounding. This is because when a person does the will of Hashem, he is protected by what is called an ohr makif, a Surrounding Light. When he sins, this protection is removed, and he is susceptible to punishments. This Surrounding Light stays in a certain place in Heaven until the person repents. This is the meaning of the passuk, "And the wicked are wiped out in darkness."
With this, the Zera Shimshon explains the Yalkut.
Sometimes, the times and the influence of good are held back for whatever reason. (In the case of the wicked person, it is due to his actions. In the case of tzaddikim, it can be the overall state of the world at that time and therefore, they too are not immune to the happenings in the world.)
This is what the tzaddikim listed in the Yalkut knew. Sometimes, judging by the power of the side of evil, one can only lose by taking a stand against it. He will only fall into its hands. The wise choice is to get out of its reach until the situation calms down, or until our good deeds alone overpower the evil and it falls into our hands.
This is what Moshe Rabbeinu chose to do – run away from Pharaoh. Eventually, Pharaoh fell into his hands.
Using this principle, the Zera Shimshon now explains why the curses – which result from the Jews who do not do the will of Hashem – were given to the Jews on the mountain called עיבל - Eival (Devarim 27). The word עיבל stands for the passuk that says (Koheles 9:8), כבל עת יהיו בגדיך לבנים, "At all times, your clothes should be white." This means a person should always be clean from sin. The first letters of the words עת יהיו בגדך לבנים, make up the word עיבל, the name of the mountain the curses were given on. The message is that if a person always makes sure that 'his clothes are white' and he is clean from sin, he will be protected from the curses of עיבל.
