Beshalach

The passuk states, “וירא ישראל את מצרים מת על שפת הים, and Yisrael saw the Mitzri’im dead on the banks of the sea.” Rashi writes the reason for this was so that Yisrael won’t say, “Just like we ascended from this side of the sea, so too the Mitzri’im are ascending from another side of the sea farther away, and they will continue to chase after us.” Hashem showed Yisrael, you are the only ones who were saved, and the Mitzri’im are punished, and lying dead on the shore.

The passuk states, “תבלעמו ארץ, the land swallowed them up.” Rashi writes this teaches that the Mitzri’im merited to be buried as compensation for them declaring in Parshas Va’eira, “ה’ הצדיק ואני ועמי הרשעים, Hashem is the righteous One, and I and my nation are the wicked ones.” The Ramban points out that after the Mitzri’im sank in the sea, the sea then spit them out onto the shore. And so, it states, “and Yisrael saw Mitzrayim dead on the edge of the sea.” There they deteriorated and returned to the ground. The Mechilta writes that once the Mitzri’im were on the shore, the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed them for the reward of declaring “Hashem is the righteous One, and I and my nation are the wicked ones.”

This is bothersome, the passuk explicitly states that Pharoah himself declared about Hashem being the righteous One, but does not mention his nation saying a word. Why then did the nation merit to be buried? Some suggest that if Pharoah admitted and confessed to the truth, the rest of the nation who already wanted to send out Yisrael earlier on, certainly followed along and also declared Hashem is the righteous One. Others answered that because Pharoah mentioned the nation in his own admittance and confession, therefore they merited to be rewarded as well.

We see that by just declaring, “Hashem is the righteous One and we are the wicked ones” the Mitzri’im merited to be buried. These are the same wicked people who chased after Yisrael by the Yam Suf, yet they expressed their awareness of Hashem and received reward. This is a lesson for us as well, to learn to also declare that Hashem is in charge who gives reward and punishment, and He watches over us and protects us. Let us remember to constantly think about Hashem and express His kindness and assistance, all the time!