וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים נִקְרָה עָלֵינוּ (שמות ג, יח). אָמְרוּ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן, שֶׁמָּא תֹּאמַר שִׁנִּינוּ אֶת הַלָּשׁוֹן, שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ לוֹ, כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (שמות ה, א). וּבִשְׁבִיל כָּךְ הִקְשָׁה כְּנֶגְדֵּנוּ. חָזְרוּ וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ: ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים נִקְרָא עָלֵינוּ (שמות ה, ג). And they said: “The God of the Hebrews hath met with us” (Exod. 5:3). Moses and Aaron declared: Perhaps You will say we altered Your words when we told him: “Thus said the Lord, the God of Israel (ibid. 5:1), and for that reason he became hardened against Him.” Thereupon they returned to him (Pharaoh) and said: The God of the Hebrews hath met with us (ibid., v. 3).
וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה הֵן רַבִּים עַתָּה עַם הָאָרֶץ (שמות ה, ה). אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר יוֹחַאי, וּמֶה עָשָׂה לָהֶם? הִתְחִיל מְחָרֵק עֲלֵיהֶם שִׁנָּיו וְאָמַר: נִרְפִּים אַתֶּם נִרְפִּים (שמות ה, יז). לְשׁוֹן טִנּוּף הוּא, יִשְׁתַּחֲקוּ עַצְמוֹתֵיכֶם, קְדֹשִׁים אַתֶּם קְדֹשִׁים, עַל כֵּן אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: שִׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל לֵוִי פָּנוּי הָיָה מֵעֲבוֹדַת פָּרֶךְ. אָמַר לָהֶם פַּרְעֹה? בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁאַתֶּם פְּנוּייִן, אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים נֵלְכָה נִזְבְּחָה לֵאלֹהֵינוּ. And Pharaoh said: Behold, the people of the land are now many (ibid., v. 5). R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: What did he do to them? He began to gnash his teeth furiously against them, and he called out to them, saying: You are idlers (nirpim) (ibid., v. 17). Nirpim means “uncleanness.” May his bones be ground up. “So you claim that you are holy men? and you say: Let us go (ibid., v. 17)?” R. Joshua the son of Levi said: The tribe of Levi was exempted from hard labor, and therefore Pharaoh said to them: “Perhaps it is because you are exempted from hard labor that you dare say: Let us go and sacrifice to our God (ibid., v. 8) (Get you unto your burdens.)
אָמַר לָהֶם: לָמָּה מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן תַּפְרִיעוּ אֶת הָעָם וְגוֹ' (שמות ה, ד). מַהוּ לָמָּה? אָמַר לָהֶם: אַתֶּם לְמָה וְדַבָּרֵיכֶם לְמָה כִּבְיָכוֹל, דַּיְּכֶם לְכוּ לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶם. And the king of Egypt said unto them: For what reason do you Moses and Aaron cause the people to break loose from their work? (ibid., v. 4). What is the meaning of lamah (“for what reason”)? He said to them: “For what (lamah) do you think you are? And for what purpose (lamah) are your words?” As though to say to them: “Enough! Get you unto your burdens.”
תִּכְבַּד הָעֲבֹדָה וְגוֹ'. מַהוּ וְאַל יִשְׁעוּ? שֶׁהָיָה בְּיָדָן מְגִלּוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ מִשְׁתַּעְשְׁעִין בָּהֶן מִשַּׁבָּת לְשַׁבָּת, לוֹמַר, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא גּוֹאֲלָן. אָמַר לָהֶם פַּרְעֹה: אַל יִשְׁעוּ בְּדִבְרֵי שָׁקֶר, אַל יִהְיוּ מִשְׁתַּעְשְׁעִין. כְּלוֹמַר, וְאַל יְהוּ נְפִישִׁים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְצַו פַּרְעֹה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת הַנֹּגְשִׂים בָּעָם וְגוֹ', Let heavier work be laid upon the men…. and let them not regard lying words (ibid. 5:9). What is the meaning of let them not regard lying words? They had scrolls which they delighted to read from Sabbath to Sabbath, in which it is stated that the Holy One, blessed be He, would redeem them. Pharaoh said to them: Let them not regard lying words, that is, let them not delight in it, and let them not rest (on the Sabbath),9Word-play on yish’u (“to linger”) and sha’ashu’im (“to delight”). as it is said: And the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people (ibid., v. 6).
וַיָּפֶץ הָעָם וְגוֹ'. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא כַּתְּמָרִין. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: מָחָר אֲנִי מֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם מַכּוֹת, וְהֵם אוֹמְרִים: פַּרְעֹה חוֹטֵא וְאָנוּ לוֹקִין. כֵּיוָן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל יוֹצְאִין לְהָבִיא קַשׁ לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ תֶּבֶן, הָיָה מִצְרִי רוֹאֵהוּ בְּתוֹךְ שָׂדֵהוּ, מַבְרִיחוֹ וּמְשַׁבֵּר אֶת שׁוֹקָיו, לְפִיכָךְ וַיָּפֶץ הָעָם. So the people were scattered (… to gather stubble instead of straw) (ibid., v. 12), because (the straw) was (as rare) as dates. The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: Tomorrow I shall inflict plagues upon them; but they replied: Pharaoh sins and we are smitten. When an Israelite went out to gather the straw with which to make bricks, an Egyptian upon seeing him within his field would pursue him and break his thighs. Hence, So the people were scattered.
וַיִּפְגְּעוּ אֶת מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת אַהֲרֹן נִצָּבִים, זֶה דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם, שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּהֶן: וְדָתָן וַאֲבִירָם יָצְאוּ נִצָּבִים (במדבר טז, פז). הִתְחִילוּ מְחָרְפִים וּמְגַדְּפִים כְּלַפֵּי מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן, וְאָמְרוּ: יֵרֶא ה' עֲלֵיכֶם וְיִשְׁפֹּט. אָמְרוּ לָהֶם: רְאוּ הֵיאַךְ עֲשׂוּיִין יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַמַּכּוֹת. רֵיחַ הָיָה בְּיַד הַמִּצְרִים שֶׁאָנוּ נִגְאָלִין, וְעַכְשָׁו בָּאתֶם וְהַעֲכַרְתֶּם אוֹתוֹ הָרֵיחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֲשֶׁר הִבְאַשְׁתֶּם אֶת רֵיחֵנוּ בְּעֵינֵי פַרְעֹה וְגוֹ'. And they met Moses and Aaron who stood in the way (ibid., v. 20). This refers to Dathan and Abiram, concerning whom it is written: Dathan and Abiram came out (Num. 16:27). They began to reproach and revile Moses and Aaron, saying: The Lord look upon you, and judge (Exod. 5:21). They shouted at Moses and Aaron: See how the Israelites have been compelled to suffer because of the plagues. The Egyptians previously had only a faint suspicion that we would be redeemed, but now you have come and acerbated their suspicion, as it is said: Because you have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh (ibid.).
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַלֵּוִי בַּר שַׁלּוּם: אָמְרוּ לוֹ: מָשָׁל נֶאֱמַר לְמָה אָנוּ דּוֹמִין? לְשֶׂה שֶׁבָּא הַזְּאֵב לִטֹּל אוֹתָהּ מִן הָעֵדֶר, רָץ הָרוֹעֶה אַחֲרֶיהָ לְהַצִּילָהּ מִפִּי הַזְּאֵב, בֵּין הָרוֹעֶה וְהַזְּאֵב נִבְקַע הַשֶּׂה. כָּךְ אָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמֹשֶׁה: מִבֵּינְךָ לְבֵין פַּרְעֹה אָנוּ מֵתִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיָּשָׁב מֹשֶׁה אֶל ה'. וְאִם תֹּאמַר: מָה אִכְפַּת לָךְ. אִם כֵּן לָמָּה זֶה שְׁלַחְתָּנִי (שמות כב, ו). וּמֵאָז בָּאתִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה לְדַבֵּר בִּשְׁמֶךָ. שִׁמְךָ חַיִּים וּרְפוּאָה לְכָל בָּאֵי עוֹלָם, וּבְשִׁמְךָ הֵרַע לָעָם הַזֶּה, מַה יַּעֲשׂוּ אוֹתָן הַנְּתוּנִים בְּתוֹךְ הַדִּימוֹס. אָמַר לוֹ: עַתָּה תִּרְאֶה וְכוּ'. R. Judah the Levite, the son of Shalum, stated: Dathan related a parable. To what may we be compared? To a lamb (in danger) of being snatched by a wolf from the fold. The shepherd pursues the lamb to rescue it from the mouth of the wolf, but between the wolf and the shepherd, the lamb was torn apart. Thus the Israelites said to Moses: Between you and Pharaoh we are being destroyed. Hence it is stated: And Moses returned unto the Lord (ibid., v. 22), and said: Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people? (ibid. 5:22). If you should say: What difference does it make to you? Then why is it that Thou hast sent me? (ibid.). For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name he hath dealt ill with this people (ibid., v. 23). Your name is a source of life and healing to all the inhabitants of the world, but despite Your name he has dealt ill with this people. What have they done that they should have been immured within the bricks? He answered him: Now thou shalt see what I will do to him (ibid. 6:1).