"If Pharaoh Had Known They Were Leaving for Good

The Exodus from Egypt was a dramatic event, but not everyone was a full partner in it. Dathan and Abiram did not believe in Moses; they thought the departure was temporary, and ultimately, they experienced the Splitting of the Sea in an unusual way. And what about Balaam? He viewed himself as the leader worthy of taking the Children of Israel out, and when he realized Moses had taken his place—he began to burn with anger.

In this article, we will dive into the depths of these stories and the meanings behind them—these are the holy words of our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a:

"(When the Children of Israel left Egypt), Dathan and Abiram did not follow Moses Rabbeinu. The sea split for them a second time (on their own merit). The Me'or Einayim brings down in Parshas Beshalach (regarding the verse), 'The water was a wall for them on their right and on their left,' asking: How did Dathan and Abiram not die during the days of darkness? The Midrash explains that the Children of Israel did not tell them that they were leaving Egypt, that they were going to the Land of Israel. They did not reveal the secret to them. Consequently, Dathan and Abiram thought they were only going as far as Mount Horeb and then returning. They said, 'To go all the way to Mount Horeb just to come back isn't worth it for us.' They didn't tell them they were leaving for good; had they told them they were leaving (and not returning), they would have left."

If Pharaoh had known the Nation of Israel was not returning—he would not have chased after them, and there would have been no Splitting of the Sea!

"Why (didn't they tell them)? Because they would report everything to Pharaoh. If they had told Pharaoh (that the Children of Israel did not intend to return), he would not have chased after them, and (then) there would have been no Splitting of the Sea. If Pharaoh had known they were leaving completely, he would have agreed to let them go completely. (But) they told him (Exodus 8:23, after the plague of wild beasts), 'We will go a three-day journey into the wilderness,' they didn't tell him 'we won't return.' Moses didn't lie to him; he said, 'We will go a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Hashem our God.' So Pharaoh understood that they were returning, (and that they were only asking), 'Let us leave for three days.' Moses didn't say, 'We will return after we go out for three days,' so Pharaoh understood it simply: they are going now for three days, implying they would return. Hashem said three days, Moses said only three days. Therefore, Dathan and Abiram thought they were only going to Mount Horeb for the Giving of the Torah, and that it wasn't worth the effort. 'There will be a Giving of the Torah? We will hear the Giving of the Torah in Egypt as well; the Giving of the Torah was heard in Egypt too.'"

"A person thinks he can just listen to a cassette, but the main thing is to see the movements (of the Tzaddik); the main thing is the gestures when speaking. A person hears a cassette; he can listen to a cassette under the blanket as well. So (Dathan and Abiram said), 'We will hear the Giving of the Torah in Egypt. We will listen; there will be thunder and lightning from one end of the world to the other, it will be in 70 languages, we will hear it too.' So Dathan and Abiram didn't want to leave Egypt at all. Suddenly, they heard they were going to the Land of Israel. The messengers (whom Pharaoh sent with the Children of Israel) returned (and reported), 'They have no intention of returning at all.' (Then) they immediately started to run. They already saw that the sea had split, that there was no sea—the sea had already covered the Egyptians. That is why it is written a second time, 'and the waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left'—a second time. So when did they accept faith in Moses Rabbeinu? Because those who left Egypt did not do so because they believed he was the Tzaddik HaDor (Tzaddik of the Generation); (rather) they believed he was a good leader, they believed he knew how to use holy names, knew how to bring the plague of wild beasts (via) all kinds of names, to bring the plague of the firstborn. Perhaps he knew how to curse, (but) Balaam knew that too, (as Balak said to him), 'For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.' Balaam also knew how to curse; if Balaam cursed someone, everyone died. So who says Moses is better than Balaam?"

Balaam saw himself as the natural leader of the Nation of Israel—and he did not forgive Moses for "taking over" his place

"It is written in Midrash HaGadol that Balaam was certain that when they left Egypt, they would call for him. Balaam was sure that if Israel left Egypt, they would summon him. One opinion says he was Laban himself (a reincarnation), another says he was Laban's son, and another says he was Laban's grandson. If he is Laban's son, he is the brother of Rachel and Leah, and if he is Laban's grandson, he is the nephew of Rachel and Leah. So he is already over 400 years old; he has been around for almost 400 years now. So it would have been fitting to call him (to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt), not some (young) one who is 80 years old. They should have called Balaam! So Balaam said (Psalms 112:10), 'The wicked shall see it, and be angry; he shall gnash his teeth, and melt away.' He said, 'I will take revenge on Moses Rabbeinu for this. I will not forgive Moses Rabbeinu for daring to take my place. What? Moses Rabbeinu, this little child at age 80, is 300 years younger than me! What! He took my place!' So the Midrash says, 'The wicked shall see it, and be angry; he shall gnash his teeth, and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.'"

Not everyone who blesses and has their curse fulfilled is necessarily the Tzaddik of the Generation

"In the end, after 40 years, they saw (his end, that they killed him by the sword). All this is according to the Midrash, (but) not according to the interpretation (in the Gemara) that 'men of bloodshed and deceit shall not live out half their days' (which is said of Balaam). In Sanhedrin, it is written that he only lived 33 years. However, there is a Midrash that he was the grandson of Laban or the son of Laban, so he had already lived almost 400 years. So he said, 'I will take revenge on Moses Rabbeinu for taking my place. He should have called me; (he should have) behaved with derech eretz (proper respect). There is an old man, the nephew of Rachel and Leah, and everyone knows (what is written), "he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."' So those who went with Moses Rabbeinu did not believe that he was the Tzaddik HaDor; they thought he had the power to curse, the power to bless—and Balaam also has the power to curse and bless. (So) what is the difference between Moses and Balaam? We haven't seen the difference between Moses and Balaam yet. Balaam also curses, Balaam also blesses; he curses too, he blesses too."

A true Tzaddik does not just bless, but also connects the person to the root of their soul

"The fact that a person's blessing is fulfilled—perhaps he is a Balaam. Who says he is the Tzaddik? It could be some Arab who gives a blessing once and it comes true; that is not yet proof that he is a Tzaddik. So the fact that they followed Moses Rabbeinu was not yet... there is no proof here yet that they believe in him as the Tzaddik HaDor, as the messenger of God. (Rather), they believe in him as a good leader, as someone who can bless, who can give blessings. But who says he can rectify souls? That he can rectify the root of the souls? After all, a person can be a 'tzaddik' who gives blessings, but we are talking about a Tzaddik who can connect you with the root of your soul in Heaven!! A person can toil for 120 years, says the Zohar in Parshas Pinchas on the first page—a person can work his entire life, his whole life, and in the end, it will turn out he did nothing. This wasn't your task at all; this wasn't your tikkun (rectification) at all. So a person can give blessings, and his blessings do not mean he is the Tzaddik HaDor. Rather, it means the blessings are fulfilled because he blessed (at a time when) there was a time of favor, there are all sorts of things (reasons why a blessing is fulfilled even from a person who is not the Tzaddik of the Generation)."