Israel Kept Their Names Language and Purity in Egypt

"Did He strike him as He struck those who struck him?" (Isaiah 27:7). Rabbi Yehuda says: with the very stick by which the Egyptians struck Israel, they were themselves struck. Rabbi Nechemiah says: with the very sword by which they struck Israel, they were struck. "In full measure, by sending her away, You contend with her" (Isaiah 27:8). It was taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: by the measure with which a person measures, it is measured out to him. "By sending her away You contend with her": he was first stricken and afterward sent them away. Therefore it is said, "And it came to pass when Pharaoh let go." This is what Scripture says: "Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates" (Song of Songs 4:13). A parable of a king who had grown daughters and did not get around to marrying them off, and he went to a country across the sea and stayed many years. The daughters arose and took matters into their own hands and married honorable men, and each one took her husband's seal and his signet. After some time the king returned and heard people slandering his daughters, saying that the king's daughters had been unchaste. What did he do? He issued a proclamation and said, "Let all the people go out to the assembly square." He called his first son-in-law and said, "Who are you?" He said, "Your son-in-law." He brought out his seal. The king said, "Whose is this?" He said, "Mine." He brought out his signet. "Whose is this?" "Mine." And so with the second, and so with the third. The king said, "My daughters took matters into their own hands and married, and you say my daughters were unchaste!" So it was: because the nations of the world taunted Israel, saying they were the children of the Egyptians, and saying, "If the Egyptians ruled over the lives of Israel, how much more over their wives," Rabbi Oshaya said: at that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, called to the angel appointed over conception and said, "Form the features of the child in the likeness of its fathers." This is what is written, "To Reuben, the family of the Reubenites; to Simeon, the family of the Simeonites" (see Numbers 26:7,14). Rabbi Marinus son of Rabbi Oshaya said: like a man who says, "my son, my image, my likeness." Rav Idi said: the letter that begins the word [heh] and the letter that ends it [yod] spell "Yah," testifying about them that they are the children of their fathers. The rabbis said: "a locked garden" (Song of Songs 4:12) refers to the unmarried women; "a locked spring" refers to the married women; "a sealed fountain" refers to the males. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: "a locked garden, a locked spring" twice, meaning kept pure in the natural way and against the unnatural way. Rav Huna in the name of Rabbi Chiyya: Sarah came down to Egypt and fenced herself off from immorality, and all the women were kept pure by her merit. Abraham went down to Egypt and fenced himself off from immorality, and all the men were kept pure by his merit. Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: the fencing-off from immorality was worthy enough that Israel should be redeemed from Egypt by its merit. Rav Huna in the name of Bar Kappara: by the merit of four things Israel was redeemed from Egypt. They did not change their names: Reuben and Simeon went down, and Reuben and Simeon came up. They did not change their language, "for it is my mouth that speaks to you" (Genesis 45:12), in the holy tongue he was speaking. They were not given to slander, "Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask" (Exodus 11:2); you find that the matter was entrusted to them for twelve months and not one of them was found who informed against his fellow. And they were not loose in matters of immorality; know this, for there was a single woman and Scripture publicized her, as it is said, "and his mother's name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan" (Leviticus 24:11). Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Chiyya: by the merit that they fenced themselves off from immorality, by that merit "your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates," [read it as] "those you send forth." Therefore it is said, "And it came to pass when [Pharaoh] sent forth." The word "sending" everywhere means escorting, as it is said, "and Abraham went with them to escort them" (Genesis 18:16), "and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace" (Genesis 26:31). The mouth that said, "I will not send Israel away either," is the mouth that said, "I will send you away" (Exodus 8:24); and what reward did they take for this? "You shall not abhor an Egyptian" (Deuteronomy 23:8). The mouth that said, "I do not know the LORD" (Exodus 5:2), is the mouth that said, "Let me flee from before Israel" (Exodus 14:25); and what reward did they take for this? "On that day there shall be an altar to the LORD" (Isaiah 19:19). The mouth that said, "Who is the LORD that I should heed His voice" (Exodus 5:2), is the mouth that said, "The LORD is righteous" (Exodus 9:27); and what reward did they take, that they were given a place of burial, as it is said, "You stretched out Your right hand" (Exodus 15:12). "And God did not lead them": "leading" everywhere means guiding, as it is said, "You led Your people like a flock" (Psalms 77:21), and it is written, "He guided them with a cloud by day and all the night with the light of fire" (Psalms 78:14).