The story of the Exodus from Egypt 5783 – No one asks us
Parshah and its implementation - for Parshah Tzav - Shabbat HaGadol - 5783
Rabbi Eliezer Haim Shenvald
In memory of my dear brother Sergeant Meir Shenvald HY'D on his 28th Yahrzeit
Last week, another group of students from our Yeshiva enlisted to the IDF, to Golani, the Armored Corps, Intelligence Corps and Combat Paramedics. At the exit from the Bakum - בקו"ם, (Admission and Sorting Base) the 'Brothers in Arms' organization were protesting (middle-aged people, who are no longer in reserve duty). They were arguing with ultra-Orthodox people refusing to enlist. On our way out, we asked to talk with them as 'brothers in arms' about the reform, about taking the IDF out of the political debate, and the recruitment refusal. The conversation was conducted in a respectful manner, each one presented his opinion and what bothered him, until one person entered the tent and announced angrily, 'We are not brothers'! 'And added: maybe the time has come to separate our ways- you will establish your own state, 'the State of Judah'?!'... We did not have time to complete the discussion, we had to leave on time for our regular class in Yeshiva.
On Seder night we observe the Mitzvah of telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt, the founding story of the people of Israel. There is great importance in this story because it preserves our national historical memory - where we came from. As long as we know where we came from we will know where we are going.
However, our Sages present us with another challenge, which we read on Seder night in the Haggadah:
בְּכָל־דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת־עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהִגַּדְתָּ לְבִנְךָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא לֵאמֹר, בַּעֲבוּר זֶה עָשָׂה ה' לִי בְּצֵאתִי מִמִּצְרַיִם.
"In each and every generation, a person is obligated to see himself as if he left Egypt, as it is stated (Shmot 13:8); "And you shall explain to your son on that day: For the sake of this, did Hashem do [this] for me in my going out of Egypt."
There is a relevant and renewed meaning to the story of the exodus from Egypt in each generation and in each one of us (see Pesachim 87b, its meaning for the generation of the Babylonian exile). Would it be possible to derive meaning from it also for the special and complex time we are living in?
It is possible to point to some; we will focus on one. The story of the Exodus is structured in a methodical way:
מַתְחִיל בִּגְנוּת וּמְסַיֵּים בְּשֶׁבַח
"He begins with the Jewish people’s disgrace and concludes with their glory". (Mishna Pesachim 10:4).
מַאי בִּגְנוּת? רַב אָמַר: ״מִתְּחִלָּה עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ״. [וּשְׁמוּאֵל] אָמַר: ״עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ״.
"It was taught in the Mishna that the father begins his answer with disgrace and concludes with glory. The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the term: With disgrace? Rav said that one should begin by saying: At first our forefathers were idol worshippers, before concluding with words of glory. And Shmuel said: The disgrace with which one should begin his answer is: We were slaves." (Pesachim 116a)
According to Shmuel, the story of the exodus from Egypt and 'from bondage to freedom ' depends on the understanding of slavery and its causes. In Sefer Shemot, it is mentioned that the people of Israel became slaves as they stopped being separate tribes and became a 'nation'.
הִנֵּ֗ה עַ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֥ב וְעָצ֖וּם מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ הָ֥בָה נִֽתְחַכְּמָ֖ה ל֑וֹ פֶּן־יִרְבֶּ֗ה וְהָיָ֞ה כִּֽי־תִקְרֶ֤אנָה מִלְחָמָה֙ וְנוֹסַ֤ף גַּם־הוּא֙ עַל־שֹׂ֣נְאֵ֔ינוּ וְנִלְחַם־בָּ֖נוּ וְעָלָ֥ה מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
“Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.” (Shemot 1:9-10)
By enslaving them, the Egyptians meant several things: suffering that would reduce birth and natural reproduction; exploit them as slaves - as cheap labor for national projects; and a servitude designed to oppress them from being a nation, by emphasizing the Egyptian hegemony in front of them, and to prevent rebellion.
The Torah emphasizes that "the first time we were called 'a nation' was by Pharaoh who said: "Here is the nation of people of Israel" (Harav Zvi Yehuda Kook). This is an unusual thing, because it did not start with us, we did not call ourselves a 'Nation'. And the Egyptians did not ask us. Only later when Moshe spoke to Pharaoh did he day:
שַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־עַמִּ֖י וְיַֽעַבְדֻֽנִי׃
"Let My people go to worship Me". (Shemot 9:1)
Only then we called ourselves a 'nation'. It should be noted that our definition as a 'nation' by Pharaoh, as a single unit of all the tribes, was in the context of slavery. The Egyptians destined one fate and one judgment for all the tribes - they will all be enslaved! Without distinction, between those who were closer and more loyal to the Egyptian government, and those who were not. This was also the case when they decreed that the babies be thrown to the Nile river (Exodus 1:22), all of them! No differences! It can be assumed that the 'favorites' were outraged by the injustice, that they are not taken into account, and pass judgment on everyone indiscriminately.
This is the reason why there are special unity customs on Pesach: The Kimcha D'pischa קִמְחָא דְפִסְחָא, alms given to the poor for Passover - a mutual guarantee for those in need, and the opening of the Seder - הָא לַחְמָא עַנְיָא "This is the bread of affliction, which our forefathers ate” and a call to the needy to join us in the Seder:
כָּל דִכְפִין יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכֹל, כָּל דִצְרִיךְ יֵיתֵי וְיִפְסַח.
“Anyone who is famished should come and eat, anyone who is in need should come and partake of the Pesach sacrifice”. (Pesach Haggadah)
This is one of the lessons we must learn this year from the story of the Exodus. History shows that this phenomenon repeated itself throughout the generations, even in the cursed days of the Holocaust, and it still exists today. It won't change a thing if there are those among us who pathetically declare that 'we are not brothers'. The Iranians, Hezbollah, Hamas, and others, assign us all the same fate, without distinguishing between those who think that 'we are brothers' and those who don't.
On 'Shabbat HaGadol' in which the first rejection of Egyptian hegemony took place, Ashkenazim have a custom to say the Haggadah after Mincha; from the beginning of
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם,
“We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt” to
לְכַפֵּר עַל־כָּל־עֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ.
“…to atone upon all of our sins" (Rabbi Moses Isserles-Rema). To prepare for the Seder night and to learn about its meanings. (Rabbi Eliezer ben Yoel HaLevi -Ravia’h).