We all know the story of the Exodus, but some of the details… well, they're chilling.
According to Legends of the Jews, which draws from various Midrashic sources, the suffering inflicted upon the Israelites wasn't just about forced labor. Remember Balaam, the prophet hired to curse Israel? Apparently, he gave Pharaoh some truly awful advice. The text tells us that Pharaoh, in his paranoia, ordered the slaughter of Israelite babies. Can you imagine the horror?
And why? Because he was suffering from a terrible disease. The Midrash says he bathed in the blood of these innocents, hoping for a cure. For ten long years, this went on. Ginzberg, in Legends of the Jews, makes it clear: it was all in vain. The leprosy, instead of disappearing, morphed into something even worse – agonizing boils.
But Pharaoh, in his hubris, couldn’t see the connection. He hears that the Israelites in Goshen, despite their forced labor, are being "careless and idle." The nerve! This news, naturally, only fueled his rage and intensified his suffering. "Now that I am ill, they turn and scoff at me," he reportedly said. He demands his chariot be prepared so he can personally oversee their oppression and witness their supposed mockery.
The scene that follows is almost biblical in its poetic justice. He's so weak he can't even mount a horse himself. They hoist him up, and he sets off toward Goshen. But as they approach the border, the king's steed enters a narrow pass. The other horses, rushing, press in, and the king's horse stumbles. It falls, the chariot overturns, and Pharaoh is thrown to the ground, crushed beneath the horse and the wreckage.
The Legends of the Jews is explicit: "The king's flesh was torn from him, for this thing was from the Lord." He had heard the cries of His people. God intervened.
His servants, horrified, carry what's left of him back to Egypt and place him on his bed.
It's a brutal end, isn't it? A stark reminder that even the most powerful rulers are ultimately subject to forces beyond their control. And that, sometimes, justice—however harsh—does prevail. It also reminds us of the incredible power and resilience of the Israelite people even in the face of such unimaginable suffering. A story worth remembering, isn't it?