By Rabbi Aharon Seleh
Harav Matisyahu Salomon zt”l asks the following. Hashem had decided to redeem the Jewish Nation. He sent Moshe Rabbeinu to Pharaoh. But not only did Pharaoh refuse to let the Jews go free, he actually made life much more difficult for them. Pharaoh stopped providing them straws for the bricks they had to make, but still demanded the same quota of bricks. If Hashem decided it was time for the redemption, why did life become more difficult?
Harav Matisyahu answers, Hashem wanted to redeem His Nation, but realized they lacked sufficient merit. Hashem set in motion a sequence of events that helped them achieve merit. When the Jews couldn’t reach their quota of bricks, the Egyptian masters asked the Jewish officers to give them the names of those Jews. The Jewish officers refused. The Egyptians beat the officers. This created a tremendous unity in klal Yisroel. It’s called loving your fellow Jew with Mesirut Nefesh.It was this Unity that brought about the redemption.