Klal Yisrael saw the united Egyptian Army coming after them. The word nosea, traveling, is written in the singular, rather than in the plural form, nosim. Rashi explains that the Egyptians came after the Jews b’lev echad k’ish echad, “with one heart, like one person.” In a similar exposition in Parshas Yisro, Rashi comments concerning Klal Yisrael’s coming to Har Sinai. Vayichan sham Yisrael, “and Yisrael camped there” (Shemos 9:2). Vayichan is singular, as opposed to vayachanu, which would be the proper plural conjugation form. Rashi expounds, k’ish echad b’lev echad, as one person with one heart. Notably, concerning Klal Yisrael’s description of their unity, Rashi places ish, person (echad), prior to lev, heart; unlike, concerning the Egyptians, it was the heart first, b’lev echad, followed by ish echad, one person. Was there a difference in the relative types of unity?
In a well-known exposition, Horav Yitzchak Hutner, zl, explains that Egyptian unity is based upon a common cause, not a common attribute. The Egyptians have only one characteristic in common with one another: their hatred of the Jews. This is what unified them. Otherwise, they were each self-serving, lacking any allegiance to one another.
Thus, they were b’lev echad, one unified heart/cause, which made them into ish echad.
The Jewish People are different. They are k’ish echad, all compared to varied components of one body. All aspects of the body work together as lev echad. Their lev echad is the result of being an ish echad. The Jews, by definition, are one unit bound by their collective body. When one organ of the body is in pain, the entire body suffers. Klal Yisrael does not require a common cause to unite us. We are one unit, because we are all components of one body – Klal Yisrael.
We derive from here an important principle with regard to unity. One type of unity is synthesis unity, which is a composite of varied forms, people, elements to form an amalgamated front, position, stand. While this works under most conditions, the individuals involved are committed to a common goal – not to one another. In a symbiotic unity, a blending, a cooperative relationship exists between two persons or groups, whereby the two focus on unity among themselves in such a manner that the two become one.
We have as of late been plagued by movements who have positioned themselves with a common goal to undermine traditional Orthodoxy, to modernize halachah by transforming it to state-of-art status. The individuals involved each have his/her own personal agenda, but are united by a common goal. Such unity is like the Egyptian unity which was a synthesis of variant persons united under a common banner. Such unity, because it involves various personalities and egos, each devoted to no one other than him/herself, will not endure. Unity must be symbiotic, whereby everyone not only works for a common goal and under a common banner, but each individual component abnegates him/herself to focus first on self-unity before addressing the issues.
