I Am the LORD and the Promises Sworn to the Fathers

"And God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the LORD" (Exodus 6:2). Rabbi Eliezer says: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am He who spoke and the world came into being, as it is said, "God of gods, the LORD has spoken and called the earth" (Psalms 50:1). I am He who said to Abraham your father at the covenant between the pieces, "Know surely that your seed shall be a stranger" (Genesis 15:13). Now behold, an oath rushes upon you and you have come before Me improperly, that I should bring out My children from Egypt, and you say, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yehoshua says: "And God spoke to Moses, I am the LORD": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am faithful to pay the reward of Isaac son of Abraham, who gave a quarter-measure of blood upon the altar, and to whom I said, "By the greatness of Your arm release the children of death" (cf. Psalms 79:11), and I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Shimon says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am faithful to pay what I said to Jacob, "And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth" (Genesis 28:14). Now behold, an oath rushes upon you and you have come before Me improperly, that I should bring out My children from Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yehudah says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am the Master of the world, I am full of mercy, I am faithful to pay the reward of My children who are enslaved at the hand of flesh and blood, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Nehemiah says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: It is revealed and known before Me the suffering of My children in Egypt, as it is said, "And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew" (Exodus 2:25). My children dwell in distress and you dwell in ease, and I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yose the Galilean says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: My children became wholly guilty before Me in Egypt, as it is said, "And I said to them, Let every man cast away the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; but they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me" (Ezekiel 20:7-8). Behold, I act with them for the sake of My great name, that it not be profaned, as it is said, "And I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned before the eyes of the nations" (Ezekiel 20:9). And behold, I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Tarfon says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Israel deserve to be given into the hand of Ammon and Moab and Amalek, but it is a decree from before Me that I shall not deliver them into their hand, as it is said, "For a hand is upon the throne of the LORD" etc. (Exodus 17:16), and it says, "And I acted for the sake of My name" etc. (Ezekiel 20:9). And behold, I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Israel did not deserve to be given the manna in the wilderness, but only hunger and thirst, naked and bare; but what shall I do, for I am paying them the reward of Abraham My beloved, who served before Me the ministering angels, as it is said, "And he stood by them under the tree, and they ate" (Genesis 18:8). And behold, I seek to bring them out of Egypt, and you say to Me, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send." Rabbi Akiva says: "And God spoke to Moses": The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: By word and by decree and by oath from before Me, you shall not enter the land. And thus it says, "Therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land" (Numbers 20:12), and "therefore" means nothing but an oath, as it is said, "And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli" (1 Samuel 3:14). And all this anger, why? Because he said, "And since I came to Pharaoh" etc. (Exodus 5:23). Rabbi Elazar of Modiim said: Far be it from that righteous man to speak in this manner; rather, thus he said before Him: Master of the worlds, is it not the One who redeems who delivers? Master of the worlds, I know that You are destined to bring out Your children from Egypt; perhaps by the hand of another are You destined to bring them out; I have not merited that they go out by my hand. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied and said to Moses: Moses, you have merited it, and by your hand I bring them out. Know this, for from the answer that He gave you, you learn it, as it is said, "And the LORD said to Moses, Now you shall see" etc. (Exodus 6:1).