AND PHARAOH DREW NEAR. Said R. Jose: It has been pointed out that the word hikrib (drew near, lit. brought near) is in the causative form, signifying that he brought the Israelites near to God by repentance.
So the Scripture says elsewhere, “O Lord, they have visited thee in trouble, they have poured out prayer when thy chastisement was upon them” (Isa. 26, 16), i.e. Israel do not turn to the Almighty when they are at ease, but only when they are “in trouble”; when He chastises them, then “they pour out prayer”. They are like the dove in the story which took refuge from a hawk in the cleft of a rock and found a serpent there. They drew nigh unto the sea; but when they beheld how stormy it was, and how its waves roared and broke, fear overtook them. Then they looked back, and lo! there was Pharaoh with all his hosts and their manifold weapons! Their fear increased at this sight, and their terror knew no bounds. Then “they cried”. Thus they came near to their heavenly Father, whose aid they invoked; and of this Pharaoh was indirectly the cause.’
They are like the dove in the story which took refuge from a hawk in the cleft of a rock and found a serpent there. They drew nigh unto the sea; but when they beheld how stormy it was, and how its waves roared and broke, fear overtook them. Then they looked back, and lo! there was Pharaoh with all his hosts and their manifold weapons! Their fear increased at this sight, and their terror knew no bounds. Then “they cried”. Thus they came near to their heavenly Father, whose aid they invoked; and of this Pharaoh was indirectly the cause.’
AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE PEOPLE, FEAR YE NOT, STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD. Said R. Simeon: ‘Blessed were the Israelites to have a shepherd like Moses! It is written: “Then he remembered the days of old, Moses his people” (Isa. 63, 11). This indicates that Moses was counted as of equal importance before the Lord with the whole people, and that the people’s shepherd does not merely represent them, but actually is himself the people. If he is worthy, then is the whole people likewise worthy; and if he be not so, then is the whole people punished for his guilt, as we have shown on another occasion.
“Stand still and see”, i.e. “you have no occasion to fight, the Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace”. On that night the Holy One gathered together His whole celestial Family to judge Israel, and had it not been for the merit and intercession of their ancestors they would not have been left unscathed.’ R. Judah said: ‘The merit of Jacob protected them from punishment, as it says, “If it were not for the Lord who was on our side, may Israel say” (Ps. 124, 2), where the reference is to the patriarch Israel.’
(שמות י״ד:י׳) וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב, וְהַאי קְרָא הָא אוּקְמוּהָ. דְּאַקְרִיב לְכָל חֵילוֹי וּרְתִיכוֹי, לְאַגָּחָא קְרָבָא. וְתוּ וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר, הָא אִתְּמַר דְּקָרִיב לוֹן לִתְשׁוּבָה. וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב.
AND PHARAOH DREW NEAR. Said R. Jose: It has been pointed out that the word hikrib (drew near, lit. brought near) is in the causative form, signifying that he brought the Israelites near to God by repentance.
כְּתִיב (ישעיהו כ״ו:ט״ז) יְיָ' בַּצַּר פְּקָדוּךָ צָקוּן לַחַשׁ וְגוֹ'. בַּצַּר פְּקָדוּךָ: לָא פַּקְדִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּנַיְיחָא, אֶלָּא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּעָקִין לְהוּ, וּכְדֵין כֻּלְּהוּ פַּקְדִין לֵיהּ. צָקוּן לַחַשׁ: וְכֻלְּהוּ צַלָּאן בִּצְלוֹתִין וּבְבָעוּתִין, וְאָרִיקוּ קָמֵיהּ צְלוֹתִין. אֵימָתַי. (ישעיהו כ״ו:ט״ז) מוּסָרְךָ לָמוֹ, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּפָקִיד לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּרְצוּעוֹי. כְּדֵין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא קָאִים עָלַיְיהוּ בְּרַחֲמֵי, וְנִיחָא קָמֵיהּ הַהוּא קָלָא דִּלְהוֹן, בְּגִין לְאִתְפָּרְעָא מִן שַׂנְאֵיהוֹן, וְאִתְמְלֵי עָלַיְיהוּ בְּרַחֲמֵי.
So the Scripture says elsewhere, “O Lord, they have visited thee in trouble, they have poured out prayer when thy chastisement was upon them” (Isa. 26, 16), i.e. Israel do not turn to the Almighty when they are at ease, but only when they are “in trouble”; when He chastises them, then “they pour out prayer”. They are like the dove in the story which took refuge from a hawk in the cleft of a rock and found a serpent there. They drew nigh unto the sea; but when they beheld how stormy it was, and how its waves roared and broke, fear overtook them. Then they looked back, and lo! there was Pharaoh with all his hosts and their manifold weapons! Their fear increased at this sight, and their terror knew no bounds. Then “they cried”. Thus they came near to their heavenly Father, whose aid they invoked; and of this Pharaoh was indirectly the cause.’
כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא, מְתָל לְיוֹנָה עִם הַנִּץ וְכוּ', כַּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲווֹ קְרִיבִין לְיַמָּא, וַהֲווּ חָמָאן לְיַמָּא קָמַיְיהוּ, אָזִיל וְסָעִיר וְגַלְגַּלּוֹהִי זַקְפִין לְעֵילָּא, הֲווֹ דְּחִילִין. זָקְפוּ עֵינַיְיהוּ וְחָמוּ לְפַרְעֹה וּלְמַשִׁירְיָיתֵיהּ, וְאַבְנֵי גִּירִין וּבַלִּסְטְרָאִין, כְּדֵין וַיִּירְאוּ מְאֹד. מַה עָבְדוּ, וַיִּצְעֲקוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מַאן גָּרִים הַאי דְּקָרִיבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְגַבֵּי אֲבוּהוֹן דִּלְעֵילָּא, פַּרְעֹה. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב וְהָא אִתְּמַר.
They are like the dove in the story which took refuge from a hawk in the cleft of a rock and found a serpent there. They drew nigh unto the sea; but when they beheld how stormy it was, and how its waves roared and broke, fear overtook them. Then they looked back, and lo! there was Pharaoh with all his hosts and their manifold weapons! Their fear increased at this sight, and their terror knew no bounds. Then “they cried”. Thus they came near to their heavenly Father, whose aid they invoked; and of this Pharaoh was indirectly the cause.’
(שמות י״ד:י״ג) וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָעָם אַל תִּירָאוּ הִתְיַצְּבוּ וּרְאוּ אֶת יְשׁוּעַת יְיָ'. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּהָא רַעְיָא כְּמֹּשֶׁה אָזִיל בְּגַוַּויְיהוּ. כְּתִיב (ישעיהו ס״ג:י״א) וַיִּזְכּוֹר יְמֵי עוֹלָם מֹשֶׁה עַמּוֹ. וַיִּזְכּוֹר יְמֵי עוֹלָם: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. מֹשֶׁה עַמּוֹ (מכאן שלי הוא) שָׁקִיל הֲוָה מֹשֶׁה כְּכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאוֹלִיפְנָא מֵהָא, כִּי רַעְיָא דְּעַמָּא הוּא מַמָּשׁ עַמָּא כֻּלְּהוּ, אִי אִיהוּ זָכֵי, עַמָּא כֻּלְּהוּ זָכָאן. וְאִי אִיהוּ לָא זָכֵי, עַמָּא כֻּלְּהוּ לָא זָכָאן וְאִתְעֲנָשׁוּ בְּגִינֵיהּ, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ.
AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE PEOPLE, FEAR YE NOT, STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD. Said R. Simeon: ‘Blessed were the Israelites to have a shepherd like Moses! It is written: “Then he remembered the days of old, Moses his people” (Isa. 63, 11). This indicates that Moses was counted as of equal importance before the Lord with the whole people, and that the people’s shepherd does not merely represent them, but actually is himself the people. If he is worthy, then is the whole people likewise worthy; and if he be not so, then is the whole people punished for his guilt, as we have shown on another occasion.
הִתְיַצְּבוּ וּרְאוּ, לֵית לְכוּ לְאַגָּחָא קְרָבָא, דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, יַגִּיחַ קְרָבָא בְּגִינֵיכוֹן, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר, יְיָ' יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם וְאַתֶּם תַּחֲרִישׁוּן. תָּא חֲזֵי, הַהוּא לֵילְיָא, כָּנַשׁ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְפָּמַלְיָא דִּילֵיהּ, וְדָאִין דִּינַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִלְמָלֵא דְּאַקְדִּימוּ אֲבָהָן עָלַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, לָא אִשְׁתֵּזִיבוּ מִן דִּינָא. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, זְכוּתָא דְּיַעֲקֹב אַגִּין עָלַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (תהילים קכ״ד:א׳) לוּלֵי יְיָ' שֶׁהָיָה לָנוּ יֹאמַר נָא יִשְׂרָאֵל, יִשְׂרָאֵל סָבָא.
“Stand still and see”, i.e. “you have no occasion to fight, the Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace”. On that night the Holy One gathered together His whole celestial Family to judge Israel, and had it not been for the merit and intercession of their ancestors they would not have been left unscathed.’ R. Judah said: ‘The merit of Jacob protected them from punishment, as it says, “If it were not for the Lord who was on our side, may Israel say” (Ps. 124, 2), where the reference is to the patriarch Israel.’