Parshas Beshalach

Pharoh finally caves. The Jewish people take their first steps outside Egypt and out into the desert. But not long after, Pharoh has a change of heart. And in a stunning reversal that to any sane man can only look like a foolish act of suicide, Pharoh assembles whatever remained of his troops and set o to recapture his recently freed slaves. He chases after the Jews and manages to box them in, leaving them no place to go. To the left and right, there are uncrossable mountains and in front is the vast Red Sea. With no other choice, our nation prays to Hashem for salvation. Hashem tells us to trust Him and go inro the water. The sea parts leaving a dry path for the Jews to travel. The Egyptians, in another spectacular display of foolishness, chase the Jews into the sea. When the Jews exit the dry path from the sea, Hashem returns the water back to its original state, drowning the Egyptians and cementing the freedom of our Nation from the Egyptians. We have a song that was sung by the Jews in praise and thanks to Hashem as we traveled the sea floor. It has become part of our morning prayer that we have said ever since. The Talmud (Megillah 10b) says that at the time we were singing our thanks, the angels also joined in and sang praise to Hashem for the destruction of the evil Egyptians. Hashem immediately stopped them and said “The work of my hands [the Egyptians] are drowning in the sea, and you wish to say a song before me?”

On its face this seems very odd. The Egyptians were, in fact, very evil. They drowned babies in the river, killed, tortured, and enslaved an entire people. Why is it inappropriate for the angels to praise Hashem for getting rid of them, especially when the Jews sang their songs and Hashem didn’t say a word?

The answer is that Hashem is teaching us a powerful lesson about good and evil. The Jews were being saved from the Egyptians, and it was therefore very important that they show gratitude for that salvation. But, like a father who is forced to punish one child for hitting another, Hashem does not take pleasure in destroying the wicked, for they are also His creations–beings created in His image with potential to connect to the Divine.

It is normal to view the destruction of evil people with elation and satisfaction–justice well served. But let us remember that a part of us must also weep for the humanity that evil snatched away from us and forced us to destroy.