As we grow older, especially in old age, it becomes harder to change, and it becomes especially difficult to enact significant changes in our lives. An example of such a monumental change would be one who didn’t grow up Torah-observant but has ‘found the light’ and made great strides to change to the best of his or her ability. Hashem never gives up on a person and always hopes a person will change and repent until the very end. He ‘drops crumbs’” of support to try to guide us to choose a more righteous way of living.
We see this from how Hashem dealt with Pharaoh, based on a Medrish Tanchuma (11) in this week’s Torah portion of Vaera. Expounding upon a pasuk in Yeshayahu (47:10), he writes: “From the beginning I foretell the outcome; and from earlier times, what has not been; but I say My plan will stand, and I will carry out My every desire”, the medrish relates, “Rebbe Pinchas the kohen, the son of Chama says, whoever reads this pasuk, might think there are two G-Ds on high. That one says, ‘but I say My plan will stand’ and [one says], ‘and I will carry out all that I desire.’ [Meaning it seem repetitive, but in truth, the Etz Yosef (It’s the Anaf Yosef in the Hebrew edition below that you can click on.) explains, that it says ‘And I will carry out all that I desire’ to expound upon what He desires…] for He wants to make His creations righteous, as it says, ‘Hashem desires for the sake of his righteousness’ (Yeshayahu 42:21), [meaning] to make others righteous. He does not wish to hold people liable [for their sins] as it says, ‘for I do not desire the death of the one who should die’ (Yechezkel 18:32). Therefore, it says, ‘And I will carry out all that I desire’.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Etz Yosef explains this medrish by saying that Hashem always desires to cause His creatures to be righteous and He helps them in doing so by giving them the tools in their hand to do what He desires, in the manner of ‘one who comes to purify himself, He will help him.’ Included in this is the fact that Hashem doesn’t want to have to find people liable for their wrongdoings; that even after a person engages wicked deeds, Hashem doesn’t want to punish, but rather what He desires is to try to make them righteous and guide them towards repentance. Just like Hashem did with Pharaoh; that even though Pharaoh said “who is Hashem etc.,” still in all Hashem warned him before every plague and showed him a path towards repentance, as the medrish in this parsha goes on to spell out at a later point.
This is an incredible thing if you really think about it! Pharaoh not only denied the existence of Hashem, as the Etz Yosef points out, but he went so far as to proclaim himself a god, enslaved around 15 million people, brutally torturing and killing hundreds of thousands of them, perhaps millions; men, women and children, even babies! Not only did he do this, he even hardened his heart a number of times throughout the plagues, when Hashem was trying to get him to repent. And when he finally broke and gave in, letting the Jews go, he soon ran after them to the Red Sea with his army. We see that even the signs sent to help him to repent and change his evil ways he ignored or didn’t fully commit to; so why does Hashem have the patience to try to change evil people, and not just do away with evil doers before they do too much harm?
The answer is that in Hashem’s infinite compassion and mercy He doesn’t want to see one of his creatures, even the most abominable, fail. So He tries His best, working within the realm of free will, to guide those that shouldn’t even deserve it, towards repentance and righteousness.
At the end of the day, there are opinions that state that Pharaoh survived the splitting of the sea. He sent his army but himself stayed out of it and in fact finally repented. The Yalkut Shimone in Yonah (chapter 3) quoting a Pirkei DiRebbe Eliezer states: “Rebbe Nechunya ben Hakana said you should know about teshuva (repentance) from Pharaoh. For he rebelled very much against Hashem. He said ‘who is Hashem that I should listen to His voice.’ In the same language that he sinned did he repent, for he said ‘Who is like you among the heavenly powers oh G-D’ (Shemos 15:11). Hashem saved him from certain death in order to speak up about the power of His might, as it says “However for this reason did I leave you standing.” [Pharaoh] went on to become king of Nineveh. The people of Nineveh started… to steal… (and do other abominable sins) and Hashem sent Yonah to give prophesy about them that they will be destroyed. Pharaoh heard this, stood up from his throne and tore his clothes and put on sack cloth. He also announced to the entire nation to fast for 3 days… he influenced over a 100,000 people and Hashem overturned the decree of destruction [on Nineveh]…” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
It is never too late, and it is never a helpless cause! No one is ever too old!! If Pharaoh could repent and inspire an entire other nation to repent hundreds of years later (even if it was temporarily, Hashem granted an abnormally long life in order to make such a kiddush Hashem as he did in Nineveh), it is still a big kiddush Hashem worth noting. If Pharaoh could make such a turnaround, anyone, from whatever background, no matter what age, or how far gone and off the path of serving Hashem, can do the same if they so choose!