[Par-reg] for Parshat Shmot
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Thu Dec 19 15:51:13 EST 2013
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THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag
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PARSHAT SHMOT Let My People Go
Was Moshe Rabeinu's plea of 'Let My
People Go' just a
HOAX?
As preposterous as this might sound,
Rashbam claims that
this is the only way to explain the story in
Sefer Shmot!
In this week's shiur, we uncover the
basis for this
daring interpretation by Rashbam, while
arriving ourselves at
a very different conclusion.
INTRODUCTION
From youth, we are so familiar with the
story of the
Exodus that we rarely pay attention to the
Torah's detail of
that story. However, when one undertakes a
careful reading of
the first fourteen chapters of Sefer Shmot
(as Rashbam does),
the story that unfolds is quite different
from what is
commonly assumed.
In the first section of our shiur, we
will review the
story of the Exodus in the Bible to prove
Rashbam's basic
assertion - that Moshe never, not even once,
asks Pharaoh to
grant Bnei Yisrael freedom from slavery, or
to emigrate to the
land of Israel. Instead, each time when
Moshe goes to Pharaoh
and demands 'Let My People Go', he is only
requesting
permission to allow Bnei Yisrael a three-day
journey to
worship their God in the desert.
Afterward we must explain why Moshe never
tells Pharaoh the
'whole truth', and why this was all part of
God's master plan.
In the second section of the shiur, we
will show how this
analysis serves as the foundation for
Rashbam's conclusion
that this 'master plan' is merely a 'hoax'.
In the third section, we will question
this conclusion,
and offer a different approach that will help
us better
appreciate the theological significance of
the entire process
of the Exodus.
PART ONE
FREEDOM OF RELIGION or FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY
It is quite understandable why the
saying 'Let My People
Go' is commonly understood as a plea for
freedom from slavery.
After all, this was Moshe's recurring plea to
Pharaoh just
about every time they met. Furthermore, the
holiday of
Passover, when we commemorate the events of
the Exodus, is
commonly associated with freedom from slavery
['zman
cheruteinu']. Therefore, it only makes sense
that people
would understand Moshe's demand that Pharaoh
'let his people
go' as a request for freedom.
However, when we undertake a careful
analysis of the
story of the Exodus in the Bible, it becomes
quite clear that
Moshe is making a totally different request,
relating more to
'freedom of religion' than to 'freedom from
slavery'.
The proof of this point is rather
tedious but very
straightforward. All that we need to do is
to follow the plot
that unfolds in Sefer Shmot, tracing each
time that Moshe
Rabeinu goes to Pharaoh to make demands on
behalf of Bnei
Yisrael.
MOSHE'S REQUEST FROM PHARAOH
To be thorough, we begin our analysis by
first examining
God's original instruction to Moshe
concerning his mission to
Pharaoh, as explained to Moshe at the burning
bush:
"...Then you and the elders shall go to the
King of Egypt
and tell him: The God of the Hebrews had
come and told us -
we must embark upon a journey of a three
day distance into
the desert to offer sacrifices to our Lord"
(see 3:18).
As you review this pasuk and its
context, note how this
demand to Pharaoh makes no mention of any
request for freedom
from slavery. Instead, Moshe is instructed
to demand that
Pharaoh allow Bnei Yisrael the right to
worship their God in
the desert (at a site a three day distance
from Egypt).
And this is precisely what Moshe does
when he first goes
to Pharaoh. Let's take a careful look at the
Torah's
description of that first confrontation in
chapter five:
"Afterward, Moshe and Aharon came and said
to Pharaoh: Thus
said the God of Israel, let My People go
and worship Me in
the desert. [Pharaoh refuses.] And they
answered: the God
of the Hebrews has called upon us to embark
upon a journey
of a three day distance into the desert in
order that we may
sacrifice to our God, lest He strike us
with 'dever'
(pestilence) or 'cherev' (sword)." (5:1-3)
Note once again that all we find is
Moshe's request to
allow Bnei Yisrael to worship God in the
desert; no more - no
less!
However, we must also pay attention to
the implication of
the final phrase of this pasuk - "lest he
strike us with dever
or cherev". Moshe warns Pharaoh that should
he not allow Bnei
Yisrael this journey to worship their God in
the desert, a
severe Divine punishment will ensue and many
people -
Egyptians & Hebrews - mayl die from 'dever'
or 'cherev'.
Hence, Moshe's demand implies that it may be
in the 'best
interests' of the Egyptian people - to allow
Bnei Yisrael this
'short vacation' to worship their God in the
desert. [See Ibn
Ezra & Chizkuni on 5:3.]
The outcome of this first encounter is
disastrous for the
people of Israel, for Pharaoh not only
refuses this request,
he is so angered by it that he doubles their
workload (see 5:4-
10).
Nonetheless, God commands Moshe once
again to go to
Pharaoh and demand once again that he grant
them permission to
worship Him in the desert. This time,
however, God will
provide Moshe with some 'leverage' by
performing miracles
whose purpose will be to convince Pharaoh to
take his warning
seriously.
This background can help us appreciate
God's explanation
of the purpose of the Ten Plagues, when He
speaks to Moshe in
chapter seven. As a response to Pharaoh's
refusal statement
of: "lo yada'ti et Hashem" [I never heard of
this God ] (see
5:2), God explains to Moshe that the purpose
of the plagues
will be to convince Pharaoh that the God of
the Hebrews indeed
exists and He will bring plagues if His
people do not worship
him:
"And Pharaoh will not listen to you, so I
will put My Hand
against Egypt, and I will take People out
with great
punishments - "ve-yad'u Mitzrayim ki Ani
Hashem" - so that
Egypt will know that I am God" (see 7:4-5).
It will take ten Plagues to finally
convince Pharaoh that
it is in his best interest to allow Bnei
Yisrael to worship
their God; nevertheless, when Pharaoh finally
allows Bnei
Yisrael to leave (after the Tenth Plague), it
was only in
order to worship their God. To our surprise,
Pharaoh never
granted Bnei Yisrael freedom from slavery, or
permission to
emigrate! Nor did Bnei Yisrael ever ask for
it.
To prove this interpretation, we need
only note how Moshe
prefaces each and every warning to Pharaoh
before a plague
begins. For example, before the first
plague, God instructs
Moshe:
"Go meet Pharaoh in the morning... and say
to him: Hashem,
the God of the Ivrim has sent me to you
demanding Let My
People Go and worship Me in the desert, and
behold you have
yet to listen. Thus says the Lord, with
this (plague) you
will know that I am God..." (see 7:14-17).
Then, in each successive plague we find
an almost
identical opening warning: "shlach et ami -
Let My people go -
ve-ya'avduni ba-midbar - so that they can
worship Me in the
desert", [or else ...]
See 7:16 (first plague); 7:26 (second
plague); 8:16 (fourth
plague); 9:1 (fifth plague); 9:13 (seventh
plague); and 10:3
(eighth plague). [Note that Plagues 3,6,
and 9 don't have
any pre-warning.]
As you review these psukim and their
context, you will
also notice that this is all that Moshe
requests. Not even
once does he ever even hint to Pharaoh that
Bnei Yisrael plan
to leave for good!
NEGOTIATIONS & MORE NEGOTIATIONS
This interpretation can also help us
understand the
various negotiations that take place between
Moshe and Pharaoh
during the Ten Plagues. If you follow their
conversations,
you'll find that they focus ONLY on this
issue of a three-day
journey to worship God, and NEVER on
'emigration rights to
Palestine'.
Let's cite several examples that show
the progression of
these negotiations. Note how Pharaoh slowly
acquiesces to
Moshe's demand (to allow Bnei Yisrael to
worship God in the
desert).
ROUND ONE:
After 'makkat arov' (the fourth plague),
Pharaoh finally
budges. He grants Bnei Yisrael permission to
worship their
God, but not in the desert, rather within the
Land of Egypt
(see 8:21-23). But once again, pay careful
attention to how
Moshe rejects this proposal for technical
reasons. Moshe
claims that if Bnei Yisrael would offer
sacrifices in the
land, the local population of Egypt would
'stone them'.
Therefore, Moshe insists that Bnei Yisrael
can only worship
God in the desert.
Pharaoh then agrees to allow a short
journey into the
desert, but not a three-day distance:
"And Pharaoh said, I will send you out so
that you can
worship your God in the DESERT, but don't
go too far
away..." (see 8:24).
However, once that plague ended, Pharaoh
hardened his
heart once again and reneged on his promise
(see 8:25-28).
Even though Pharaoh is clearly worried about
giving Bnei
Yisrael permission to leave, he never accuses
Moshe that he
may be planning to run away! Likewise, Moshe
himself never
mentions the possibility that they may not
return. [Later in
the shiur we will discuss what Pharaoh is
afraid of.]
ROUND TWO:
Later, after Moshe warns of the
impending plague of
locusts, Pharaoh's own servants demand his
concession to Moshe
(see 10:7). In response, Pharaoh enters into
a new round of
negotiations with Moshe that eventually reach
an impasse over
the issue of WHO can leave. Moshe insists
that even the women
and children come along, while Pharaoh allows
only the men to
leave (see 10:7-11).
Again, note the reason for Moshe's
insistence on allowing
the women and children to join; not because
they are leaving
forever, but rather - "for all family
members need to worship
God" (see 10:9). Never does he tell Pharaoh
that everyone must
go because the entire nation plans to migrate
to Eretz
Canaan. Moshe's various 'excuses' all imply
that he plans to
return.
ROUND THREE:
Finally, after the ninth plague
['choshech'], Pharaoh
conducts one final round of negotiations.
This time, he is
willing to grant permission even for the
women & children to
leave, but not their sheep and cattle (see
10:24-25). Once
again, Moshe counters with a 'technical
reason', claiming that
all the animals must come along, since they
are not sure
precisely which type of animals God will
request for a
sacrifice (see 10:26!).
In summary, at every stage of these
negotiations, Moshe
consistently rejects any concession or
compromise, insisting
that EVERYONE must go. Still, despite
numerous opportunities,
he NEVER even suggests that they plan to
leave for good.
Likewise, no matter how resolutely Pharaoh
sticks to his hard
line, he NEVER states a suspicion that Bnei
Yisrael may be
leaving forever.
EVEN AFTER THE TENTH PLAGUE!
In the Torah's account of the Exodus (in
the aftermath of
the Tenth Plague / see 12:29-36) we find
conclusive proof for
this interpretation. Note Pharaoh's
immediate reaction when
he hears reports of the death of the Egyptian
first born:
"... and he [Pharaoh] called to Moshe and
Aharon at night
and said: Get up and get out... and GO
WORSHIP your God -
"ke-daberchem" - as you (originally / in
5:3) requested!
Even your sheep and cattle take with you,
as you requested
(in 10:26), and BLESS ME AS WELL..." (see
12:31-33).
The tenth plague awakens Pharaoh to the
realization that
Moshe's original warning of 'dever' or
'cherev' (see 5:3) has
actually come true. Now, he finally gives in
to the very last
of Moshe's demands - allowing them to take
their sheep and
cattle with them on their journey to the
desert. (Recall that
is where the last set of negotiations broke
down.)
Not only does Pharaoh allow Bnei Yisrael
a three-day
journey to offer 'korbanot', he even requests
that Moshe will
pray there on his behalf (to make a
MISHEBERACH for him - see
12:32 "u-berachtem gam oti")!
Clearly, even after the Tenth Plague,
Pharaoh only grants
Bnei Yisrael permission to worship God in the
desert! And for
the very simple reason - that's all that
Moshe ever asked for!
This also explains why the entire
Egyptian nation urges
Bnei Yisrael to leave as quickly as possible
(see 12:33-35).
They want to make sure that Bnei Yisrael can
sacrifice to
their God as soon as possible - thereby
bringing this
horrifying plague to an end (see 12:33).
This explains
beautifully why the Egyptians 'LEND'
['va-yish'alu'] Bnei
Yisrael their finest wares, to encourage them
to leave as
quickly as possible (see 12:35-36). As Bnei
Yisrael are only
taking a 'holiday leave' to worship their
God, the Egyptians
have every reason to assume they will return
afterward back
to Egypt - and bring back what they
'borrowed'.
The Torah uses the word 'borrowed' to
describe what Bnei
Yisrael took from the Egyptians, for that's
exactly what they
did!
THE LAST 'TRICK'
A final proof for this interpretation is
found in Parshat
Beshalach when Pharaoh is totally astonished
when he finds out
that Bnei Yisrael had 'run away':
"And it was told to the King of Egypt - ki
BARACH ha-am -
that the people had RUN AWAY..." (see
14:5).
Now, this pasuk makes sense only if
Pharaoh had not
granted them total freedom, but only a permit
to temporarily
worship God in the desert. Had he actually
set them free, why
would he be shocked to hear that the people
had 'run away'?
However, according to our
interpretation, Pharaoh is
shocked for the opposite reason - because
Bnei Yisrael DID NOT
travel into the desert. This may sound a bit
complicated, so
let's explain by taking a careful look at
these psukim.
First of all, recall from 12:37 and
13:17-18 that Bnei
Yisrael had left Egypt traveling toward the
desert. Then, in
the middle of that journey, God suddenly
commands Moshe to
execute a 'turn-around' maneuver.
"And God told Moshe, tell Bnei Yisrael to
TURN AROUND and
set up camp... near the Red Sea. [In order
that] Pharaoh
will say they are wandering in the land (of
Egypt), for the
desert has closed them in" (see 14:1-4).
In other words, God commands Bnei
Yisrael to turn around
in order to convince Pharaoh that they are
not going to the
desert. Had Bnei Yisrael continued on their
journey towards
the desert, Pharaoh would have had no reason
to chase them.
After all, he wants them to go to the desert
to worship their
God, as they requested. It is specifically
because they DON'T
go to worship God, but instead RETURN TO
EGYPT and set up camp
by the Red Sea, that Pharaoh concludes:
"...what have we done [we've been
tricked!], for we have set
Bnei Yisrael free from their slave labor!"
(see 14:5).
It is only now that Pharaoh realizes
that Bnei Yisrael
have left slavery. What leads him to this
conclusion? The
answer is quite simple.
Let's consider what Bnei Yisrael have
done. Clearly,
they did not travel to the desert (as they
had requested).
However, they also do not return to their
homes in Goshen,
i.e. to their slavery. Nor do they travel
towards Eretz
Canaan. Instead, they stay in Egypt, and set
up camp by the
sea. So what are they up to?
Pharaoh reaches the obvious conclusion.
Bnei Yisrael
have implicitly declared their independence -
in the Land of
Egypt! Therefore, for the sake of his
national security,
Pharaoh must immediately declare war on this
rebellious nation
(see 14:6-10). If he doesn't attack them
first, they surely
will soon attack him. After all, they are
numerous, and armed
(see 13:18).
In fact, this was Egypt's greatest fear
from the very
beginning. Recall that the enslavement began
because Bnei
Yisrael had become so numerous that Egypt
feared that they
would take over their own country (see
1:8-10, and Rasag,
Rashi and Ibn Ezra on 1:10)!
Pharaoh's decision to attack ultimately
leads to Bnei
Yisrael's momentous salvation at the Red Sea.
[That topic
will be discussed in detail in our shiur on
Parshat
Beshalach.] It also explains why Bnei
Yisrael can keep the
various wares that they had 'borrowed' from
the Egyptians.
After Egypt declared war on Bnei Yisrael,
their 'bank
accounts' are 'frozen'.
There can be no two ways about it. This
is the 'story of
the Exodus' in the Bible. Despite the
numerous movie versions
and the popular understanding that 'Let My
People Go' is a
request for 'freedom from slavery', in
Chumash it is simply a
request for the 'freedom to worship God in
the desert'!
Surely, this interpretation raises many
questions.
First of all, with the Ten Plagues 'up
his sleeve [or
staff]', Moshe is in a position to demand
just about anything
he wants from Pharaoh. Why should he ask for
a 'three day
vacation' when he can ask for total freedom?
Furthermore, what does he gain by not
telling the 'whole
truth'?
In Part Two of our shiur, we will first
discuss Rashbam's
approach to this question, showing how the
above analysis
forms its basis. Afterward, we will suggest
an explanation of
our own.
LET MY PEOPLE GO - PART TWO
In our introductory shiur to Sefer
Shmot, we explained
that God did not appear to Moshe (at the
'sneh') simply to
provide him with some information, rather God
charges Moshe
with a MISSION:
"And now go for I am sending you to Pharaoh
- and TAKE My
people the children of Israel out of Egypt"
(3:10).
Note that at first, God instructs Moshe
to take His
nation out of Egypt, without providing even a
clue concerning
HOW to get the job done!
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
As we would expect, Moshe Rabeinu is
startled by God's
commandment. Considering his having been a
fugitive from
Egypt for many years, why should Pharaoh even
allow him an
audience? Furthermore, Moshe has been away
from his people
for most of his adult life. [Recall that he
ran away at a
rather young age and returns only at age
eighty!] How could
they possibly accept him as their official
leader?
Therefore, Moshe's immediate response to
this command is
quite understandable:
"And Moshe said to God: WHO am I that I can
go to Pharaoh, -
VE-CHI OTZI - and [HOW can I] take Bnei
Yisrael out of
Egypt?!" (See 3:11, read carefully.)
No matter how we translate the phrase
've-chi otzi' in
this pasuk (its precise definition is a bit
problematic), it
certainly seems that Moshe is asking HOW he
is supposed to
take Bnei Yisrael out. However, God's answer
to his question
does not seem to address this issue at all:
"And He said: For I will be with you, and
this is the sign
that I have sent you - WHEN you take the
Nation out of
Egypt, you shall worship Elokim on this
mountain" (see
3:12).
How does this answer Moshe's question?
Moshe asks HOW he
is supposed to take them out, and God tells
him what to do
AFTER he takes them out! What Moshe asks -
God never answers,
and what God answers - Moshe never asked!
Now there are two basic approaches to
solve this problem.
Either we can 'reinterpret' Moshe's question
to fit God's
answer [see Rashi & Seforno], or we can
'reinterpret' God's
answer to fit Moshe's question [see Rashbam].
In our shiur we will deal primarily with
the latter
interpretation. But before we begin, let's
take a quick glance
at Rashi's approach.
RASHI - 'FOR WHAT PURPOSE'!
Rashi (on 3:12) deals with this
difficulty by
reinterpreting Moshe's question (in 3:11).
When Moshe asks
'VE-CHI OTZI', he asks not HOW to take them
out, but rather
WHY am I (and/or Bnei Yisrael) WORTHY of
being taken out of
Egypt? To this God responds that AFTER they
leave Egypt, Bnei
Yisrael are to worship Him and receive the
Torah on this
mountain. This merit alone renders them
worthy of Yetziat
Mitzrayim. In other words, God here explains
the PURPOSE of
Yetziat Mitzrayim - that Bnei Yisrael will
receive the Torah
at Har Sinai!
RASHBAM - 'HOW TO GET THE JOB DONE'!
Unlike Rashi, Rashbam refuses to
reinterpret the
question. Instead, he reinterprets God's
answer. He
accomplishes this by dividing God's answer
into two parts,
corresponding to both the two parts of God's
original command
& the two parts of Moshe's original question.
The following
table maps out this parallelism in psukim
3:10-12:
THE FIRST HALF OF EACH SENTENCE
3:10/ COMMAND: Go, I have sent you to
Pharaoh!
3:11/ QUESTION: Who am I, that I can go to
Pharaoh?
3:12/ ANSWER: For I will be with you, and
this [the sneh] is
the sign that I have SENT you...
THE SECOND HALF OF EACH SENTENCE
3:10/ COMMAND: Take Bnei Yisrael out of
Egypt!
3:11/ QUESTION: [HOW] can I take them out of
Egypt?
3:12/ ANSWER: [In order to] take them out of
Egypt, [tell
Pharaoh that] this nation must worship their
God on this
mountain.
Rashbam's interpretation of 3:12 is very
creative. He
claims that Moshe asks (in 3:11) that even if
he is allowed to
speak to Pharaoh, HOW can he possibly
convince Pharaoh to let
them free? God answers Moshe by telling him
to 'TRICK'
PHARAOH - "Tell Pharaoh that you must take
Bnei Yisrael [for a
short time] out of Egypt, in order that they
can worship their
God on this mountain."
In other words, Rashbam claims that God
instructs Moshe
to 'deceive' Pharaoh requesting permission to
worship God in
the desert. Once they leave, Moshe will lead
Bnei Yisrael to
the Promised Land, where they will live
forever, never again
to return to Egypt!
Rashbam clearly reads into this pasuk
much more than is
written. In fact, Rashbam himself admits to
doing so!
However, he explains that he bases this
interpretation on a
later pasuk in this 'hitgalut' - where God
issues more
specific instructions to Moshe regarding his
meeting with
Pharaoh:
"... Then you and the elders shall go to
the King of Egypt
and tell him: 'The God of the Hebrews had
come and told us
that we must go for a three-day journey
into the desert [to
Har Chorev] to offer sacrifices to our
Lord'" (3:18).
As we explained in Part One, Rashbam's
approach is based
on the above analysis that Moshe never asks
for freedom,
rather for a journey of a three day distance
to worship God in
the desert. Considering that Moshe's true
intention (as he
tells Bnei Yisrael) is to take them to the
Promised Land, the
'three day journey' request must be part of a
'master plan' to
'sneak' Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt.
Furthermore, the final phrase of 5:3:
"lest he strike us
with DEVER or CHEREV" - explains God's
intention in 3:12. The
plan is rather simple. Moshe warns Pharaoh
that if he does
not allow Bnei Yisrael to journey into the
desert and worship
their God, a severe Divine punishment will
ensue and many
people will die (including Egyptians).
As we explained above, a careful
analysis of the entire
Exodus narrative renders Rashbam's
explanation that God
commands Moshe to employ 'trickery' as the
simple 'pshat'.
Even though we have referred to this
plan as 'trickery',
Rashbam does not call this 'lying' - he
refers to it instead
as 'derech chochma' - a wise scheme. He
brings a parallel
example from Sefer Shmuel. When God
instructs Shmuel with the
mission to anoint David as king, Shmuel
expresses his fear
that Shaul may find out and then kill him.
To solve this
problem, God provides Shmuel with a 'cover
up', telling him to
claim that he is going to Bet-Lechem to offer
a public
sacrifice. Once there, he will secretly
anoint David as king.
[See Shmuel I/16:1-3!]
When you read this Rashbam inside, note
the 'confident'
style with which he begins his explanation:
"Anyone who would like to understand the
primary 'pshat' of
these psukim should study my interpretation
of this pasuk,
for those who explained it before me did
not understand it
at all!" [See Rashbam 3:11-12.]
Later on, Rashbam is so sure that his
interpretation is
correct that he concludes his commentary by
stating:
"Anyone who explains these psukim in any
other manner is
totally mistaken!" [See end of peirush to
3:11-12.]
'NOT SO FAST ...'
Despite the charm and appeal of
Rashbam's explanation,
there appears to be a major 'hole' in his
theory. Let's
explain:
Recall that, in addition to his mission
to Pharaoh,
Moshe's mission also included that he tell
Bnei Yisrael that
God had now come to take them out of Egypt to
the Promised
Land (see 3:16-17). And this is exactly what
Moshe does in
4:29-31.
Is it possible to expect that over one
million people
know the 'real' plan, and Pharaoh won't find
out? Can it be
expected that no one will leak the story?
Doesn't Pharaoh
have his own CIA [KGB, Shin Bet... take your
pick]?
Furthermore, it appears that Moshe has
nothing to gain by
not telling Pharaoh the whole truth? Either
way, God tells
Moshe that Pharaoh won't listen in any event
(see 3:19), so
why not tell Pharaoh the whole truth in the
first place?
Finally, is God not powerful enough to
bring plagues
capable of forcing Pharaoh to grant Bnei
Yisrael total
freedom? Is it better to deceive Pharaoh
rather than tell him
the truth?
NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE
When we read the story of the Exodus, it
is commonly
assumed that the only obstacle preventing
Bnei Yisrael's
return to Eretz Canaan was their enslavement
to Egypt.
However, if we consider their condition more
realistically, we
realize that Bnei Yisrael had no alternative
other than remain
in Egypt. Let's explain why:
Bnei Yisrael's population is over two
million. [The
census included 600,000 men over the age of
twenty. Figure an
equal amount of women, and considering the
high birth rate
figure as many children under twenty as
adults over twenty,
and you arrive at a figure of about two
million!]
To provide food and water for this size
population is not
an easy task. Egypt, thanks to the Nile
River and Nile Delta,
could provide their needs. However, survival
of a nation of
this size in desert conditions, even for a
few weeks, would be
impossible.
Even if Pharaoh had granted them
permission to emigrate,
could a nation of some two million people
[ex-slaves] survive
the lengthy, arduous journey through the
desert? And even if
they could make it to Canaan, could they
conquer the land with
its walled cities and formidable, armed
enemies? As the
'meraglim' themselves concluded, such a plan
would be suicidal
- and that's a conclusion reached by people
who had witnessed
the miracles of Yetziat Mitzrayim! [See
Bamidbar chapters 13-
>14.]
Without anything less than a 'miracle',
Bnei Yisrael have
no option other than to remain in Eretz
Mitzrayim.
Furthermore, Bnei Yisrael had been
living in Egypt for
(at least) the last two hundred years.
Certainly, in the eyes
of the Egyptians (and most likely in their
own eyes), even
though they may be 'third class citizens',
they remain a
distinct ethnic group within Egyptian society
and culture.
In fact, it is for this very reason that
their
enslavement begins when Bnei Yisrael become
so numerous.
Egypt fears that they may soon take over!
Many dynasties in
Egypt had been taken over by enemies from
within or by foreign
powers. They now fear that Bnei Yisrael may
soon become
powerful enough to take over their own
country or help others
do so (see 1:8-10).
Thus, despite the hardships of their
enslavement,
[without some sort of miraculous, divine
intervention] Bnei
Yisrael had no realistic alternative other
than staying in
Egypt. When Bnei Yisrael cry out for
salvation in 2:23-25,
they are an oppressed working class who
desire a lighter
workload and better living conditions; they
are NOT yearning
for Zion.
With this in mind, let's imagine what
would have happened
had Moshe presented Pharaoh with this plan of
an en-masse
emigration to Eretz Canaan. Pharaoh most
probably would have
dismissed him as insane! Moshe would have
lost all
credibility in the eyes of Pharaoh as a
responsible leader of
the Hebrew Nation. Instead, God instructs
Moshe to make a
fairly reasonable request - to allow his
afflicted brethren to
worship their God. Moshe does not lie to
Pharaoh, nor does he
deceive him. He simply claims the legitimate
right of
religious freedom for an oppressed people!
Furthermore, God can demand that Pharaoh
grant religious
freedom to an oppressed people, and hence
punish him for not
obeying; but He can't expect Pharaoh to act
as 'an ardent
supporter of Zionism' - allowing an entire
nation to embark on
a journey that would most certainly be
suicidal!
Hence, there would no point for Moshe to
demand that
Pharaoh allow Bnei Yisrael to emigrate.
Instead, he demands
that Pharaoh allow Bnei Yisrael the right to
worship their God
in the desert. This is not a lie, for this
is exactly where
Bnei Yisrael first plan to go (to Har Sinai),
and there they
will offer korbanot (see Shmot 24:4-11).
This explains why Pharaoh never accuses
Moshe (during the
Plagues) that he may really be planning to
take Bnei Yisrael
to Eretz Canaan, for Pharaoh never considers
this a realistic
option!
So what is Pharaoh worried about? Why
is he so adamant
not to allow them to worship their God in the
desert for a few
days?
The answer is quite simple, and it
explains every problem
that we have raised thus far.
Pharaoh has ONE fear, and only one fear:
>From the time
that the enslavement began until the day of
the Exodus,
Pharaoh's only fear is that Bnei Yisrael may
take-over his
country. That is exactly why he enslaved
them in the first
place (see 1:8-10), and this is exactly why
he is reluctant to
allow the entire nation to leave with all
their belongings.
Pharaoh fears that should he let them
free to worship
their God, they will take advantage of the
situation, and
instead of returning to slavery, they will
return and rebel;
or join with other nations and attack. By
not allowing them
to travel too far, and by leaving their women
and children (or
at least cattle) behind, Pharaoh remains with
a clear
advantage. But should the entire nation
leave to worship
their God, nothing guarantees that Bnei
Yisrael will return to
their servitude. Instead, they could take
advantage of the
situation and declare their independence when
they return to
Egypt, or possibly even attack Egypt.
And when Bnei Yisrael finally did leave
Egypt, what
Pharaoh feared most is exactly what happened.
Bnei Yisrael
DON'T go to the desert. Instead they march
away 'armed' (see
13:18), with all of their own possessions,
and with a
significant amount of 'borrowed' Egyptian
gold and silver -
everything they need to declare independence!
As soon as
Pharaoh realizes that they are not going to
the desert, he
concludes that he has a rebellion on hand,
and he launches a
pre-emptive strike before they attack him
(see 14:1-6).
With this in mind, we can suggest an
answer to our other
questions as well.
KEEPING A SECRET
Even though Moshe had told Bnei Yisrael
of God's promise
to take them to Eretz Canaan, had the
Egyptians heard this
'rumor', they would have scoffed at the very
thought. Could a
multitude of slaves possibly organize
themselves into an
independent nation? Could they survive the
journey through
the desert? Could they conquer the kings of
Canaan? Are
there any neighboring lands as good as Egypt?
No one was keeping any secrets. Even
the majority of
Bnei Yisrael felt that this idea would lead
to national
suicide (see 14:12!). Why should the
Egyptians believe this
'rumor' any more than Bnei Yisrael did?
Throughout Sefer
Shmot and Sefer Bamidbar, we find the people
time and time
again expressing their desire to return to
Egypt. As the
"meraglim" (spies) themselves later conclude,
it is the only
logical alternative (see Bamidbar 14:1-4).
Although God's promise of a land
'flowing with milk and
honey' (see 3:8,17) was originally endorsed
by the elders (see
4:29-31), only a short while later, after
their workload was
doubled, these hopes fizzled out (see
5:1-21).
THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
In addition to our explanation that God
has no intention
to fool Pharaoh, one could even suggest that
there is a
certain thematic value in the fact that
Moshe's request from
Pharaoh is specifically for 'religious
freedom' and not the
right to emigrate.
The story of the Exodus, and hence God
mission to Moshe
at the 'sneh', focuses on two independent
issues:
1) To redeem Bnei Yisrael from Egypt - to
fulfill Brit Avot;
2) To 'teach' Pharaoh and his country the
lesson of 'ANI
HASHEM' - that God of Israel exists.
In His 'hitgalut' to Moshe at the
'sneh', God charges
Moshe with the responsibility of dealing with
both issues.
Let's begin with the latter by asking a
more basic
question: why must Moshe confront Pharaoh in
the first place?
If the entire purpose of Yetziat Mitzrayim is
simply to
fulfill 'brit Avot' and take Bnei Yisrael to
Eretz Canaan, why
involve Egypt in this process at all? Surely
God could create
circumstances whereby Bnei Yisrael would
emigrate without
official Egyptian authorization. For
example, let God cause a
sudden change in Egyptian policy, or make
just one miracle
where all the Egyptians would fall asleep for
48 hours, etc.
[See Ramban on 3:13 for an interesting
perspective.]
Nonetheless, at the 'sneh' we see how
God insists that
Bnei Yisrael must receive Pharaoh's
permission to leave. Note
how the psukim emphasize this point:
"Now go, I have sent you to PHARAOH..."
(3:10)
and Moshe responds:
"Who am I that I should go to
PHARAOH?..." (3:11).
Moshe's confrontation with Pharaoh
constitutes a critical
element of God's plan. God does not tell
Moshe to 'trick'
Pharaoh. Rather, Moshe must confront Pharaoh
over the
fundamental issue of religious freedom - the
basic right of
any people, especially an oppressed nation,
to worship God.
The fact that Pharaoh, the king of Egypt -
the world
superpower and center of ancient civilization
- rejects this
request shows that he considers himself above
his fellow man.
He acts as though he himself is a god; God
must therefore
teach him (and any future Pharaoh/monarch)
the lesson of "ve-
yad'u Mitzrayim ki ANI Hashem" (see
7:5,9:16,11:9,14:4).
[One could suggest that the natural
resources of Egypt,
especially the inestimable Nile river,
granted power to the
Egyptian people. [See Yechezkel 29:1-3.]
This power not
only allowed their monarch to claim divine
power and
authority, but also led Egypt to their
self-proclaimed
privilege to oppress other nations - to act
as though they
were gods. It is not by chance that the
first plague
strikes specifically the Nile River.]
TWO PERSPECTIVES
Therefore, from a universalistic
perspective, the primary
goal of Yetziat Mitzraim is that Egypt - the
center of ancient
civilization - realize that God is above all
Man - "ve-yad'u
Mitzraim ki Ani Hashem." Moshe must deliver
this message to
the Egyptian people, in God's Name, directly
to Pharaoh (as
explained in 3:10-12, 18-20). The MAKKOT
ensure that the
Egyptians will ultimately internalize this
message.
Hence, when Moshe is commanded to go to
Pharaoh and
demand Bnei Yisrael's right to worship their
God, it's not a
'trick', but rather a basic, human demand.
On the other hand, from Am Yisrael's
perspective, the
central purpose of Yetziat Mitzraim relates
to the fulfillment
of God's covenant with the Avot, that Bnei
Yisrael return to
Eretz Canaan in order to become God's special
nation. As Bnei
Yisrael must prepare themselves for this
redemption (as we
will explain in next week's shiur), Moshe
must convey this
message to them (see 3:7-9, 13-17).
Ultimately, this
redemption will take place in wake of the
events that unfold
once Pharaoh allows Bnei Yisrael to leave
after the Ten
Plagues.
FROM MAKKOT TO DIBROT
In conclusion, it is interesting to note
the inter-
relationship between these two aspects of the
Exodus.
As we explained in Sefer Breishit, an
ultimate goal of
the Nation of Israel is to establish a model
society that can
bring all mankind to recognize God. At
Yetziat Mitzrayim -
when Israel becomes a nation - it is
significant that Egypt -
the center of ancient civilization and the
epitome of a
society that rejects God - must recognize
God, specifically at
the moment when Am Yisrael becomes a nation.
Initially (and unfortunately), this goal
must first be
achieved through force, by Moshe's MATEH and
God's TEN
Plagues. Ultimately, when Israel becomes a
nation in its own
land, this very same goal can be achieved in
a more 'peaceful'
manner - i.e. through education - should Bnei
Yisrael
integrate the message of Moshe's DIBUR and
the principles of
God's TEN Commandments.
shabbat shalom,
menachem
FOR FURTHER IYUN
A. Hashem's Response to Moshe's question -
3:12
Before presenting the various approaches
taken to this
pasuk let us first identify the various
problems that
immediately arise. The pasuk reads, "He
said, I will be with
you, and this shall be a sign that I have
sent you, when you
free the nation from Egypt, you will serve
God on this
mountain." The mefarshim must grapple with
the following
questions:
Most urgently, as we discuss in the shiur,
is the issue as
to how Hashem here responds to the concerns
Moshe expresses in
3:11: "Who am I, that I can go to Pharaoh and
that I can take
Bnei Yisrael from Egypt?"
To what does 'this' refer in the phrase,
"this shall be a sign
that I have sent you"? Does it refer to the
immediately
preceding clause - "I will be with you," that
somehow Hashem's
"being with" Moshe serves as a sign? Or does
it refer to the
immediately following clause, the nation's
serving Hashem at
this mountain after leaving Egypt? How could
Matan Torah
serve as a sign that "I have sent you"?
Significantly, an
'etnachta', signifying a pause in the
sentence, appears under
the word, 'shlachticha" ('that I have sent
you'), perhaps
suggesting that the 'sign' refers to what was
mentioned
earlier, rather than that which follows the
'etnachta'.
Why does Moshe need a sign that Hashem sent
him; did he ever
express any doubt that it was God who spoke
to him? He
doubted only his ability to speak to Pharaoh
and demand the
release of the slaves.
A question that necessarily relates to the
previous
questions: what does Matan Torah have to do
with Yetziat
Mitzrayim? Why does Hashem mention it here
to Moshe?
It is important to bear all these questions
in mind when
surveying the various interpretations. This
will help us
appreciate what prompted each mefaresh to
explain as he did.
In the shiur we accept the Rashbam's
interpretation of the
pasuk, that Hashem responds to Moshe's
concerns by telling him
that a) He will ensure Moshe's permission to
come before
Pharaoh and b) he would free Bnei Yisrael by
'fooling' Pharaoh
into thinking that he requests merely
permission for a three-
day trek into the wilderness to worship
Hashem.
Here is a brief survey of some other
explanations
offered:
A. Rashi, first interpretation: The burning
bush serves as a
sign to Moshe that he will succeed, since
"I have sent you".
Just as the bush was not consumed by the
fire in compliance
with Hashem's will, so will Moshe succeed
because he performs
Hashem's mission, which can never fail.
The second half of
the pasuk refers to a second question that
Moshe had asked: in
what merit Bnei Yisrael will be freed?
Hashem responds that
He will redeem them in the merit of their
eventual assembly at
that mountain for Matan Torah.
B. Rashi, second interpretation: The
clause, "this is the
sign that I have sent you." bears no
connection to the first
part of the pasuk. Hashem
'parenthetically' informs Moshe
that his success in freeing Bnei Yisrael
will serve as a sign
of the fulfillment of a different promise -
Matan Torah.
C. Ibn Ezra (Peirush Ha-katzar) cites an
approach that
completely separates the two halves of the
pasuk, before and
after the etnachta. That is, "when you
leave Egypt you will
serve God" is merely additional information
that does not
address Moshe's concern. Within this
approach, Ibn Ezra cites
two versions. According to the Geonim,
Hashem's 'being with
Moshe' will serve as a sign, while the
anonymous 'acheirim'
view the miracle of the burning bush as the
sign (recall
Rashi's first interpretation). Either way,
it seems, these
phenomena serve as a sign "that I have sent
you." As Ibn Ezra
notes, however, Moshe never doubted
Hashem's having sent him
(as noted earlier). Additionally, we
should add, this
approach leaves unresolved the question as
to why Hashem makes
mention of Matan Torah in this context.
D. Ibn Ezra himself (in his Peirush
Ha-katzar) suggests a
somewhat revolutionary pshat, claiming
(though somewhat
cryptically) that the word 'ot', generally
translated as
'sign', here means 'purpose'. Hashem thus
informs Moshe that
the purpose of His taking Bnei Yisrael from
Egypt is for them
to stand at Har Sinai and receive the
Torah. Ibn Ezra does
not explain why Hashem suddenly mentions
this now, rather than
when He initially instructed Moshe to go to
Pharaoh.
E. Ramban understands the reference to
Matan Torah as
Hashem's assurance to Moshe that Bnei
Yisrael will agree to go
to Canaan. Moshe was concerned that the
people would refuse
to go in fear of the nations they would
have to fight upon
entering the land. Hashem thus tells Moshe
that the nation
will first worship Him on that mountain,
and there they will
accept the mitzvot and Moshe as their
leader. They will then
follow him to Canaan. (One version
of the Seforno's
commentary on our pasuk has him adopting
this explanation -
see footnotes on the Seforno in the Torat
Chayim Chumash.)
Although Ramban does not make it clear how
this serves as a
'sign', he likely refers to Rambam's
reading of this pasuk, as
he explains in Hilchot Yesodei Ha-Torah
8:6. Ramban there
writes that Matan Torah served to firmly
establish Bnei
Yisrael's faith in Moshe as Hashem's
prophet. Thus, it serves
as a 'sign' to Bnei Yisrael "that I have
sent you".
F. Seforno explains the opening phrase, "I
will be with
you," as meaning that Hashem will guarantee
the fulfillment of
every one of Moshe's predictions. This
will serve as a sign
to one and all - Bnei Yisrael and the
Egyptians - that Hashem
has sent Moshe to free the slaves. As for
the mention of
Matan Torah, Seforno follows Rashi's
approach, that Hashem
here informs Moshe that the merit of Matan
Torah renders Bnei
Yisrael worthy of redemption.
G. Abarbanel - first approach: Like one
view mentioned
earlier, this approach identifies the
burning bush as the
sign. It serves as a sign to Moshe that
Hashem will assist
him in his meetings with Pharaoh. In this
approach, Abarbanel
suggests two possible explanations of the
second half of the
pasuk: the Ramban's explanation, that Matan
Torah will give
Bnei Yisrael the confidence and hence the
willingness to go to
Canaan, and Rashi's interpretation, that
Matan Torah renders
them worthy of deliverance from Egypt.
(Abarbanel expresses
his preference for this first approach.)
H. Abarbanel - second approach: The
prophecy Moshe now
received serves as sign for him that God
will accompany him to
Pharaoh such that he will succeed. The
mention of Matan Torah
responds to another question of Moshe,
which he expressed when
said, ". and that I will take Bnei Yisrael
out from Egypt."
Moshe here asks the question that, as we
discuss in the shiur,
many among Bnei Yisrael probably asked: why
must they leave
Egypt at all? Why can't Hashem simply free
them from bondage
without taking them from Egypt? To this
Hashem responds that
they must serve Him, and this worship
cannot take place in
Egypt, given the widespread idol worship in
the country; Moshe
must therefore take Bnei Yisrael out of
Egypt to worship
Hashem in the wilderness.
I. Abarbanel - third approach: Moshe had
questioned his
ability to undertake this mission on the
basis of his lowly
stature. Hashem responded that He will
accompany Moshe, and
his lowly stature will itself serve as a
sign to Hashem's
having sent him; a simple, old man could
not defy Pharaoh and
lead a multitude out of Egypt without
Hashem's help. For this
very reason, Bnei Yisrael will serve Hashem
after leaving
Egypt, rather than worship Moshe himself,
as they will clearly
recognize the Almighty's hand in this
process.
==
We should note that all these approaches
give rise to the
problem of "ikar chaser min ha-sefer", that
Hashem seems to
have omitted the primary component of His
message to Moshe in
this pasuk. This is characteristic of very
difficult and
ambiguous psukim. Since the pasuk makes
little sense as
written, the mefarshim have no choice but to
read external
information into the text in order to make it
comprehensible.
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