Chazal teach us that four distinct groups confronted Moshe. The first group were the fatalists, who felt the end was near, no vestige of hope remained. They might as well walk into the sea and die, rather than fall into Pharaoh’s hands. The second group consisted of the pacifists, who felt that the only way out of their present predicament was to return to Egypt and adopt the Egyptian culture. Their motto was: If you cannot fight them – join them. These people were scared of their own shadow, submitting before they ever had a chance to fight. The third group were the warriors who would fight to their last drop of blood for the preservation of their freedom. Either it was to be a life of freedom or it was to be death. There were no gray areas. Last was the group that protested – and protested. They challenged the Egyptians politically. How could the Egyptians dare to chase after them and retract their freedom? Just a few days previously they had let them leave Egypt. What justification did they have for reneging on their word.
Horav Y.A. Hirshovitz, zl, notes that times have not changed. We are still plagued by these four types who, each in his own way, feels he knows it all. Each group has its own way of responding to crisis, regardless of how it might affect the rest of the community. We tell all of them what Moshe told their predecessors: To the fatalists, who were passively ready to accept their future, Moshe said, “Do not fear, stand fast and see the salvation of Hashem.” The only way out of this challenge is through yeshuas Hashem, salvation from the Almighty. Trust in Him and you will see His redemption. To the pacifists, who were prepared to discard their religion, to cower and assimilate, to return to Egypt, Moshe said, “You shall not see them ever again.” You cannot return to Egypt and become one of them. Once you leave – you are gone. Moshe told the warriors, who were willing to fight to the end, “Hashem will battle for you.” Do you think that you could triumph in battle without Hashem? He fights for you. Let Him fight for you – but you must turn to Him in prayer and implore His salvation. Last, to the group that thought that the solution was protest, Moshe said, “And you shall remain silent.” Screaming at the Egyptians, protesting with outrage, is an exercise in futility. You will get nowhere by raising your fist at the enemy. If you raise your voice, raise it to Hashem. Pray to Him to save you.
While these four groups were taking turns negotiating the right course of action for Klal Yisrael, what was the majority of Klal Yisrael doing? All of Klal Yisrael were not included in these four groups. Not everybody acquiesced to their line of thinking. Horav Hirshovitz claims that others took the appropriate action:. They prayed to Hashem. They shut their ears to the warriors and to the spineless, to the assimilationists and the politicians. When Moshe turned to Hashem and asked Him what to do, Hashem said, “Why do you cry out to Me? Klal Yisrael has already cried out to Me.” The majority of Klal Yisrael knows what to do. Hopefully, this concept has not changed even though, regrettably, the four divisive groups still exist in our midst.
