Parashat Beshalah- The Reward for Kiddush Hashem
Parashat Beshalah begins with the words, "It happened, when Pharoah sent the nation…" This opening verse seems to give Pharaoh undeserved credit for the Exodus from Egypt. Was it Pharaoh who "sent the nation" out of slavery? Beneh Yisrael left Egypt only after ten devastating plagues, including the deadly plague of the firstborn. Pharaoh consistently and stubbornly refused to set the slaves free until he was compelled to do so by the overpowering Hand of God. Why does the Torah give him credit, as though he voluntarily sent Beneh Yisrael out of Egypt?
A number of Rabbis answered by noting the uniqueness of the Misva of "Kiddush Hashem" – glorifying God’s Name in the world.
The Torah introduces this obligation in the Book of Vayikra (22:32), where God proclaims, "Ve’nikdashti Be’toch Beneh Yisrael" ("I shall be sanctified among the Israelites"). As Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky (1891-1986) observed, the Torah did not command, "You shall sanctify Me"; it rather instructed that God’s Name shall be sanctified. What this indicates, Rav Yaakov explained, is that one fulfills this Misva regardless of whether or not he intends to make a Kiddush Hashem. Whenever a person acts in a way that results in a Kiddush Hashem, he is credited for creating a Kiddush Hashem – even if this was the farthest thing from his mind at the time.
This premise emerges from a famous statement in the Mishna (Abot 4:4), "Ehad Shogeg Ve’ehad Mezid Be’hilul Hashem" – one who desecrates God’s Name is held accountable regardless of whether he did so intentionally or unintentionally. The sin of Hillul Hashem (desecrating God’s Name) is so grievous that one is liable to punishment even if he defames God inadvertently. We know that God’s compassion and kindness exceed His attribute of strict justice. Hence, we may deduce that if He punishes a person for inadvertently desecrating His Name, then He certainly rewards those who bring honor to His Name even if they did so unintentionally.
This explains why some of the most vicious villains in history were rewarded. The Gemara in Masechet Gittin lists a number of sworn enemies of the Jewish people who had descendants who converted, and from whom great Torah sages emerged. These include people like Sisera (the Canaanite general who waged war against Beneh Yisrael), Sanherib (the Assyrian emperor who besieged Jerusalem) and Haman. All three men had descendants who were great Torah scholars and teachers. In what merit did they deserve to have righteous people descend from them? The answer is that they all caused a Kiddush Hashem. Although their intent was to destroy the Jewish people, the fact remains that their efforts resulted in God’s miraculous intervention and hence the glorification of His Name in the world. As such, they were deserving of reward, because, as we have seen, God dispenses reward for Kiddush Hashem regardless of whether this was the individual’s intent.
Pharaoh was responsible for the greatest Kiddush Hashem of all time – the Exodus from Egypt. He oppressed and tormented Beneh Yisrael, but these efforts resulted in the sanctification of God’s Name through the miracles of the Exodus. He was therefore rewarded by being described in the Torah as sending Beneh Yisrael from Egypt. Having the Torah speak about him in this way undoubtedly has an incalculable impact upon his soul in the heavens. This was Pharaoh’s reward for creating a Kiddush Hashem – despite the fact that he created this Kiddush Hashem specifically through his cruel, inhumane treatment of Beneh Yisrael!
We can only imagine, then, what kind of reward we earn when we create a Kiddush Hashem willfully and proactively. By conducting ourselves in a manner becoming of a Torah Jew, we bring glory and honor to God and His Torah, thereby creating a Kiddush Hashem – and earning reward that cannot possibly be even imagined.
