A seventy year saga comes to a sad end.
From the very first moment Moshe appears upon the scene his two chief antagonists assert their opposition.
The young Moshe seeking the welfare of his brethren observes the cruel Egyptian taskmaster beating his fellow Jew, Moshe reacts by dispatching with the assailant. Subsequently Moshe sees two Jews fighting, confronts them and admonishes them for raising a hand against a fellow Jew. This quarreling pair was none other than Dasan and Aviram. Dasan deflects Moshe's attempt to reprimand and reconcile them, impudently challenging Moshe's imposition as judge and peacemaker. Dasan also cynically wonders aloud whether Moshe plans to kill them as well, as he did with the Egyptian taskmaster.
For the next nearly seven decades until the tragic episode of Korach and his cohorts — chief among them Dasan and Aviram — when they are swallowed up by the earth, Dasan and Aviram do not miss an opportunity to confront Moshe challenging his authority and moral stature.
They informed on Moshe revealing to Pharaoh his having killed the taskmaster, necessitating Moshe to flee and seek refuge in Midyan.
They hesitated initially to leave Egypt with the nation and only later had a change of heart, eventually crossing the sea as well.
They didn't adhere to Moshe's directive regarding the Manna, to not leave any overnight. Although Moshe told the nation the Manna would not fall on Shabbos, they clandestinely placed Manna out on Shabbos eve seeking to disprove Moshe.
After the debacle of the Spies, they sought to convince the populace to have themselves appointed as leaders to return them to the safety of Egypt.
Finally, they led the mutiny along with Korach accusing Moshe of leading the nation to their death in the desert, ignoring Moshe's repeated attempts to speak to them, finding their demise together with Korach.
How did they last this long? Didn't those who were reluctant to leave Egypt die during the Plague of Darkness?
Why was Moshe seemingly so tolerant of them even pleading with them to at least meet with him?
Rav Moshe Dovid Valle, a 18th century Italian sage and Kabbalist, who although his senior, was a disciple of the great Ramchal, Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzato, offers a fascinating suggestion in explaining Dasan and Aviram's durability despite their rebellious attitude towards Moshe. (ברית עולם ה כ)
After Moshe performs the signs given to him to gain allegiance from the זקני ישראל — the Jewish Elders, Moshe receives and carries out his instruction from G-d to tell Pharoah to 'send out My people'. Moshe is summarily rejected, as he was told by G-d that He would harden Pharoah's heart and not yet succeed in gaining permission to leave.
The Torah describes how upon leaving the palace, the valiant Jewish foremen — who have taken blows on behalf of their charges, sacrificing themselves to protect their fellow Jews — "They encountered Moshe and Aharon, נצבים — standing opposite them, as they left Pharoah's presence."
These foremen refer to Pharoah having increased the daily workload to impossible levels since Moshe's request, castigating Moshe saying, "May G-d look upon you and judge, for you have made our vey scent abhorrent in the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of his servants, to place a sword in their hands to murder us!"
We are taught that the ones speaking in this verse were none other than Dasan and Aviram, who served valiantly in their roles as foremen, protecting their fellow Jews.
In a notable parallel, when Dasan and Aviram make their 'last stand' before being consumed by the earth, the Torah describes how Moshe first warns the spectators to 'turn away now from near the tents of these wicked men'. It then depicts how Dasan and Aviram — יצאו נצבים — went out upright at the entrance of their tents, in defiance of Moshe, cursing and taunting him, and shortly thereafter are swallowed up alive by the ground.
Is this imagery of being positioned with determined purpose — which is implied by the word נצב, as opposed to the verb עמד which simply describes a physical stance — relevant to their conflict?
Dasan and Aviram who were loyally devoted to their fellow Jews in their plight as slaves, seeking to alleviate their anguish as much as possible, were dumbfounded after encountering Moshe and Aharon as they leave the palace appearing confident in their mission having fulfilled the will of G-d in confronting Pharaoh, yet knowing full well that Pharaoh had turned the screws on the Jews with more pressured work than before. How can they appear so smug, they wondered, in face of the increased anguish of the Jewish slaves?
Surely Moshe was only confident in having fulfilled his mission as scripted by G-d, knowing full well that Pharaoh would resist as G-d had indicated. But G-d is more exacting with the truly pious and takes them to task for not exhibiting worry and sadness over their fellows' troubles. It was in this spirit that G-d decreed that Moshe would have to endure antagonists who although misguided were motivated by what they truly believed was a sense of purposeful mission on behalf of their brethren. Moshe would face a similar challenge in observing Dasan and Aviram's misplaced confidence that was equally disheartening.
Perhaps the lesson within this tale is that although one must live with conviction to achieve success one must nevertheless never become self-righteous, and one must remain cautious in maintaining an open mind to the possibility of being misguided, checking oneself constantly that one is not overstepping or being insensitive to others.
Equally so, one must never write off those who have opposing convictions to one's own viewpoint.
Moshe never wavered in his own beliefs but developed an appreciation, tolerance, and respect for Dasan and Aviram holding out hope till the end that perhaps he would one day be able to have a purposeful dialogue with them, which unfortunately never happened due to their continued recalcitrance.
Perhaps the most remarkable facet of this message is the fact that Moshe endured and suffered their antagonism over a seventy year period, never giving up on them and calmly holding out hope for reconciliation. Something we can all take to heart in our own conflicts, no doubt.
באהבה,
צבי יהודה טייכמאן
