<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">The following Midrash from Yalkut Shimoni Exodus 176 is somewhat troubling:<div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; ">"Though Pharaoh accompanied his army when they went after Bnai Yisroel, he </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; ">did not go into the sea and drown, but instead <span onclick="Page_Glossary.complete_show(this);" onmouseover="show_glossary(this);" onmouseout="Page_Glossary.hide(this);" class="glossary_item" glossary_item="44423" style="text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: pointer; "> made his way to <span onclick="Page_Glossary.complete_show(this);" onmouseover="show_glossary(this);" onmouseout="Page_Glossary.hide(this);" class="glossary_item" glossary_item="45292" style="text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: pointer; ">Nineveh</span>, <span onclick="Page_Glossary.complete_show(this);" onmouseover="show_glossary(this);" onmouseout="Page_Glossary.hide(this);" class="glossary_item" glossary_item="45294" style="text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: pointer; ">Assyria</span>, </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; "><span onclick="Page_Glossary.complete_show(this);" onmouseover="show_glossary(this);" onmouseout="Page_Glossary.hide(this);" class="glossary_item" glossary_item="44423" style="text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: pointer; ">where he became king—the same king who when hearing the prophet <span onclick="Page_Glossary.complete_show(this);" onmouseover="show_glossary(this);" onmouseout="Page_Glossary.hide(this);" class="glossary_item" glossary_item="45941" style="text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: pointer; ">Jonah</span>'s message </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; "><span onclick="Page_Glossary.complete_show(this);" onmouseover="show_glossary(this);" onmouseout="Page_Glossary.hide(this);" class="glossary_item" glossary_item="44423" style="text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: pointer; ">from God foretelling Nineveh's destruction, encouraged all his subjects to repent in order </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; "><span onclick="Page_Glossary.complete_show(this);" onmouseover="show_glossary(this);" onmouseout="Page_Glossary.hide(this);" class="glossary_item" glossary_item="44423" style="text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); cursor: pointer; ">to avert the divine decree."</span></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">If someone in contemporary times wrote a Midrash stating that God had spared Hitler so </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">that he could encourage others to do teshuva, we wouldn't take too well to it. Aren't there </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">plenty of tzaddikim who could encourage their people to repent?Also, aren't there plenty of </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">non Jews, such as the Pope, who could encourage <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><b>their</b></span> people to repent. Why use a rasha? </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; ">Of course, a Midrash doesn't mean it really is so, but nevertheless, the mindset of those who </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; ">wrote the Midrash is very puzzling to me. I just wonder what they were thinking </span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">and how their minds worked. </span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">Looking at it from the other side, it is true that there are terrorists today who did a total turn</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">around and go around preaching peace and risk their lives constantly. Walid Shoebat, former</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">terrorist turned Zionist, comes to mind.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">I guess then, one way to look at those who wrote the Midrash in question, were the ultimate and</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">quintessential optimists.</span></font></div><div><br></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">Kol tuv.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;">ri</span></font></div></body></html>