The Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, offers a remarkable insight into the nature of obedience. The Torah says of the Israelites: "and they did" — referring to the Passover commands that Moses and Aaron had relayed from God. But the Mekhilta immediately challenges the plain reading. Did they actually do it yet? The command had just been given. The night of the plague had not yet arrived.
The rabbis resolve this apparent contradiction with a striking principle: their taking it upon themselves to do is regarded as their doing. The moment the Israelites accepted the commandment — the instant they committed to performing the Passover ritual — the Torah credits them as though they had already completed it. Intent, sincerely held, counts as action.
The Mekhilta then draws attention to a second phrase in the verse: "as the Lord commanded." This, the rabbis say, tells us something about the character of the people. Exactly as Moses and Aaron commanded them, thus did they do. No improvisation. No shortcuts. No additions. Complete and precise obedience.
These two readings together paint a portrait of an ideal community at its finest hour. The Israelites demonstrated both wholehearted commitment — earning credit for the act before performing it — and meticulous faithfulness to every detail. On the eve of their liberation from Egypt, they showed themselves worthy of it (Exodus 12:28).