“Gather to Me” – had there not been elders in the past? Was it not already stated in Egypt: “Go and gather the elders of Israel”? (Exodus 3:16). Rather, why did the Holy One blessed be He say to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men”? It is to teach you that when Pharaoh said: “Let us be cunning with it…they appointed taskmasters over them” (Exodus 1:10–11), he assembled all Israel and said to them: ‘I am asking you, please, do me a favor today.’
That is what is written: “The Egyptians ruthlessly [befarekh] coerced the children of Israel to work” (Exodus 1:13); with a gentle mouth [befeh rakh]. He took a basket and a rake. Who could witness Pharaoh taking a basket and a rake and producing bricks and not produce? Immediately, all of Israel went diligently and produced with him with all their might, as they were mighty and powerful.
When it became dark, he deployed overseers over them and said to them: ‘Calculate the number of bricks.’ Immediately, they stood and counted them. He said to them: ‘Like this you shall produce each and every day.’ He appointed Egyptian overseers over the foremen of Israel, and the foremen were appointed over the rest of the people.
When he said to them: “You shall not continue to provide straw to the people [for making bricks]” (Exodus 5:7), and the overseers would come and count the bricks and they were found lacking, the overseers would strike the foremen, as it is stated: “The foremen of the children of Israel…were beaten” (Exodus 5:14). The foremen would be stricken on account of the rest of the people, but they would not hand them over to the overseers.
They would say: ‘It is preferable that we are beaten and let the rest of the people not suffer.’ Therefore, when the Holy One blessed be He said: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel” – Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, I do not know who is worthy and who is not worthy.’ He said to him: “Whom you know to be the elders of the people, and its foremen” – those elders and foremen who sacrificed themselves to be stricken for them in Egypt over the quota of the bricks, let them come and assume this prominence.
That is why it says: “Whom you know to be the elders of the people, and its foremen.” Because they sacrificed themselves to be stricken on behalf of the people; therefore, “they will bear the burden of the people with you” (Numbers 11:17) – it is to teach you that the Holy One blessed be He drew a parallel between them and Moses. From here you learn that anyone who sacrifices himself on behalf of Israel merits honor, prominence, and the Divine Presence.
That is why it is written: “Whom you know to be the elders of the people, and its foremen.” Who were they? They were the ones in whose regard it is written: “The foremen of the children of Israel…were beaten.”