As the plague approached, Pharaoh found himself in a bind. He had committed himself, ideologically and addictively, to a path of rebellious resistance. He had no choice but to hold out further, knowing that everything left outdoors was doomed.
When Hashem’s promise came to pass, Pharaoh was exposed as a true rebel without a cause; he couldn’t help but admit to the wickedness of his actions and reverse his position. So much so that this same person would one day rise again as king of Nineveh (Yalkut Shimoni, Shemos 176) and serve as a paradigm for proper teshuvah (Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer 42).
The situation in our holy land is acute. After nearly three weeks of searching, praying, and doing everything possible to bring a positive conclusion to the kidnapping saga, our people now endure an endless barrage of rockets, physical as well as in the political and journalistic arenas.
Let us hope the outcome will feature some of the same redemptive qualities we witnessed the last time our foe put his own people in harm’s way to fulfill his twisted agenda.