Parsha Halacha – Parshat Beshalach
Pharaoh in Nineveh
Did Pharaoh Survive?
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In the Torah portion of Beshalach, we have the account of the splitting of the sea, after which the Egyptian army drowned, as it says,[1] לֹא נִשְׁאַר בָּהֶם עַד אֶחָד – “Not one of them (the Egyptians) remained.” King David reiterated this in Tehillim when he said,[2] וַיְכַסּוּ מַיִם צָרֵיהֶם, אֶחָד מֵהֶם לֹא נוֹתָר – “Water covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.” Despite this there is a famous Midrash which says that Pharaoh survived, living for many centuries and becoming king of Nineveh. At the time of Yonah, the prophet, he did teshuvah together with the people of the city, saving them from destruction. This article will explore this matter.
The Fate of Pharaoh
As mentioned above, the verse seems to indicate that Pharaoh perished together with his army. This is indeed the opinion of the Ibn Ezra. In addition to the above verses, he cites several proofs for this understanding:
1) Verse 17 says, “I will be glorified through (the destruction of) Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots, and his cavalry.”
2) In the next chapter (verses 9 and 10), the Torah says, “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils, I will satisfy myself; I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ You made Your wind blow, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.” Presumably the enemy in that verse refers to Pharaoh.
3) King David writes in Tehillim (136:15), “Who hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Sea of Reeds.”
Opinions in the Midrash
The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 138:1), too, cites various opinions. According to RabbiYehudah, Pharaoh perished, Rabbi Nechemiah says that he survived while others say he died last (so he could witness the destruction of his army).
The Midrash Aggadah (and Lekach Tov) adds to Rabbi Nechemiah’s opinion that G-d spared Pharaoh so that he could tell of G-d’s wonders to the world, as the verse says,[3]“Nevertheless, for this reason I have let you (Pharaoh) survive—to show you My strength—so that My Name will be declared throughout all the earth.”[4]
Countering the Proofs
In terms of the proof texts brought above which indicate that Pharaoh drowned, the Da’at Zekeinim MiBa’alei HaTosfot says that the words לֹא נִשְׁאַר בָּהֶם עַד אֶחָד can be interpreted to mean that “None were left except for one” (the word עַד can mean up to but not including [עַד ולא עַד בכלל]) and that on the contrary, this alludes to the fact that Pharaoh survived.
● The verse in Tehillim (quoted above), which says that not one was left, refers to the soldiers in the Egyptian army but not to Pharaoh himself.
● The verse, “I will be glorified through Pharaoh” can be referring to the fact that Pharaoh was defeated rather than that he was killed.
● The word enemy in the verse, “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue… the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters” can be referring to the Egyptian people as a whole rather than to any one individual. Alternatively, it can be referring to Pharaoh as well since he too sank like lead but was then saved by G-d (see below).[5]
The Hadar Zekeinim adds that, according to the Midrash, the angel Gabriel held Pharaoh under the depths of the sea for 50 days as punishment for him saying[6] מי ה’ אשר אשמע בקולו – “Who is G-d that I should listen to His voice” (the gematriyah of מי is 50). [It’s not clear how he breathed during that time.]
King for 500 Years in Nineveh
The Midrash Sechel Tov adds the following details to this matter (translation by AI). “Pharaoh descended into the sea, and the Holy One, blessed be He, overturned it upon him, and the waters covered him, yet his soul did not depart. At this point the Holy One sent His command, and an angel came and lifted him from the sea and brought him to Nineveh, in order that he might proclaim His Name throughout the earth, to show others His power and might, and that He might be glorified through him. So, too, did the Sages say that he later reigned in Nineveh for five hundred years. It is about him that Scripture says, ‘And the matter reached the king of Nineveh’ (Jonah 3:6), and he led the people of Nineveh to repentance.” The Pirkei DeRabi Eliezer (43:8) adds that this story teaches us the power of Teshuvah.
King Asnapar
The Midrash[7] gives another name for the king of Nineveh – Asnapar. The Talmud says[8] that Asnapar was one of the names of Sancheirev. This seems to be a different opinion than the one who says that Pharaoh was the king of Nineveh.
Chronology
The story of the Book of Yonah took place many more than 500 years after the Exodus as the first Temple wasn’t built until the 480th year after the Exodus[9] and Yonah was in the time of King Yehu[10] who reigned many generations later.[11] As such, it seems that, according to this Midrash, Pharoah didn’t become the king immediately after his surviving the exodus but rather, several generations later.
Why not Return to Egypt?
According to Rabbi Moshe ben Machir (of 16th century Tzfat and author of Seder HaYom)[12] Pharaoh didn’t return to Egypt because it had been so badly decimated that it lay in ruins.
Wandering Through the Lands
The Midrash Vayosha (a Midrash on Az Yashir translation by Chat GPT) adds:
“How did he (Pharaoh) reign there (in Nineveh)? He was wandering through the lands, recounting the mighty deeds of the Holy One, blessed be He. Once, the king of Nineveh had no son, and there was a dispute among them (as to who should be the next king) — some said this, and others said that. They said: ‘Let us go outside the city, and whoever we encounter first shall be king.’ They went out and found Pharaoh. They said: ‘It is fitting that this one be king, for he knows the mighty acts of the Holy One, blessed be He,’ and they immediately crowned him king. And when Jonah, the prophet, proclaimed and said,[13] “In forty days Nineveh shall be overturned,” he was shaken, rose from his throne, sat on the ground, and said: ‘I know that there is no other G-d.’ He performed great teshuvah.
How Long Did his Teshuvah Last?
According to the Pirkei DeRabi Eliezer (cited above) and the Yalkut Shimoni (Nach 550), the teshuvah of Pharaoh and the city of Nineveh only lasted for 40 years as they reverted to their old ways, and the city was then destroyed. This was a repeat of Pharaoh’s behavior in Egypt where he was always flip-flopping in his decision whether to let the Jewish people go or not.[14]
The 1,000-Year-Old Pharaoh
The Torah informs us[15] that before the Egyptians enslaved the Jewish people, a new Pharaoh arose “who didn’t know Yosef.” Since the verse doesn’t say that the previous Pharaoh died, one opinion in the Talmud[16] says that it was the same Pharaoh except that he promulgated new decrees. In addition, several years before the Exodus, the Torah says[17] that Pharaoh died and that the Jewish people cried out to G-d. Since the death of a wicked ruler should bring joy rather than an outcry, Rashi, based on the Midrash, explains that he didn’t die, but rather that he got leprosy and would kill Jewish babies and bathe in their blood to treat his disease. This explains why the Jewish people called out to G-d.
In addition, there is a Midrash[18] that indicates that the Pharaoh who abducted our Matriarch Sarah was the same Pharaoh from the time of Yosef.
If we put these opinions together, it’s possible that the same Pharaoh from the time of Abraham and Sarah was the Pharaoh who ruled in Nineveh. This would mean that he lived for at least 1,000 years. (Abraham was born in the year 1948 after creation and Nineveh was destroyed in approximately the year 3146 after creation.)
Son of Nimrod
According to the Targum Yonatan,[19] the Pharaoh of the time of Avraham was the son of Nimrod who had thrown Avraham into the fiery furnace.
Is Still Alive
According to the Midrash Vayosha Pharaoh is still alive in the netherworld, as it says, “And he is still alive and stands guard at the gate of Gehinnom. And when the kings of the nations of the world enter, he says to them: ‘Why did you not learn from me, who denied [G-d] and then believed against my will?’”
In What Merit?
The Torah recounts how Pharaoh and his army gave chase to the Jews before the splitting of the sea as follows;[20] וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב וַיִּשְׂאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם וְהִנֵּה מִצְרַיִם נֹסֵעַ אַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּירְאוּ מְאֹד וַיִּצְעֲקוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל הֹ “Pharaoh drew near, and the B’nei Yisrael looked up and beheld the Egyptians coming after them. They were very frightened, and the B’nei Yisrael cried out to G-d.” The word הִקְרִיב can mean “he brought others close” rather than “he came close.” As such, the commentaries explain[21] that by putting the Jewish people in (seemingly) inescapable danger, Pharaoh drew the hearts of the Jewish people closer to G-d.
This explains why Pharaoh merited to survive the stormy seas and to live for as long as he did, since he brought the Jewish people to teshuvah and since G-d doesn’t hold back reward from any creature,[22] He rewarded Pharaoh by giving him a long life so the could influence others to so teshuvah.[23]
This is similar to the Talmudic teaching that the grandchildren of Haman taught Torah in Benei Berak.[24] According to the commentaries,[25] Haman merited this because, as a result of his decree, there was a great teshuvah movement amongst the Jewish people.[26]
The Neshamah’s Mission
The holy sefarim say that the story of the prophet Yonah is a parable for every Jewish neshama (soul). Just as the prophet Yonah traveled through stormy seas and eventually inspired the wicked Pharaoh to do teshuvah, so too, every Jewish soul goes through many travails (like a stormy sea) but ultimately has the power to elevate this world and bring many people back to the A-lmighty.[27]
May we all live up to our mission!
[2] Tehillim 106:11 see Chizkuni on ibid.
[4] See also Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 550.
[5] Tama Dikra by Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky (Benei Berak 2013), Parshat Beshalach, D.H. Vayashuvu HaMayim.
[7] Yalkut Shimoni, Nach 550:4.
[11] Yehu was the 11th king of the Northern Kingdom which began in the time of King Solomon’s son Rechavam.
[12] In his pirush on the Haggadah (on the ten plagues).
[14] Rabbi Shlomo Kanievsky in Malkat Sheva on the Torah (Benei Berak 2015) page 121.
[18] Midrash Aggadah 49:23 but see Zohar, parshat Ve’eira 29b.
[21] Rabbeinu Bachya on the verse.
[23] Ein Avraham by Rabbi Avraham Cohen (Jerusalem 2020), Mo’adim vol. 2 page 299.
[25] See Chatam Sofer HaChadash on Numbers 25:14.
[26] See Megillah 14a that “The removal of Achashverosh’s ring for the sealing of Haman’s decree was more effective than the forty-eight prophets and the seven prophetesses as they were all unable to return the Jewish people to the right way, but the removal of Achashverosh’s ring returned them to the right way.”
[27] Torat Menachem 5745 vol. 1 page 668.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach!