The story of the Exodus, as told in Shemot Rabbah, the compilation of rabbinic sermons on the Book of Exodus, gives us a fascinating glimpse into this idea, focusing on the final plague and the parting of the Red Sea. It's not just about physical liberation, but about confronting the forces that enable oppression in the first place.
The pasuk (verse) in (Exodus 12:2), "This month shall be for you," is linked to (Psalms 105:26), "He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen." According to Shemot Rabbah, when God afflicted the Egyptian firstborn and their gods, the Egyptians, in desperation, hid their children in their temples! Can you imagine the fear and desperation that drove them to such a measure?
Rabbi Berekhya paints a vivid picture: the Egyptians, frantic to escape the plagues, found no way out. Why? Because, as (Job 11:20) says, "The eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape is lost from them." Here, the Egyptians themselves are identified as the wicked, echoing their own confession in (Exodus 9:27), "I and my people are wicked." Their downfall, according to this midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), was their misplaced trust in false gods.
And what did God do? He struck those gods with the Egyptians. The wooden idols rotted, the stone ones dissolved, and the silver and gold ones melted back into their raw materials. (Numbers 33:4) confirms, "Upon their gods the Lord administered judgments."—the very foundations of their society, their beliefs, were being dismantled.
But here's a twist. All the idols were destroyed except for one: Baal Tzefon. Why was he spared? The Midrash tells us it was in order to mislead the Egyptians. As (Job 12:23) says, "He exalts the nations and eliminates them." God allows a glimmer of false hope to remain, setting the stage for the final act.
Remember the famous image from (Isaiah 43:16-17), "Who makes a way in the sea… Who takes out chariot and horse, army and a mighty force"? Shemot Rabbah connects this to the parting of the Red Sea. When the Israelites left Egypt, God directed them to "return and encamp before Pi Haḥirot" (Exodus 14:2). This seemingly odd move was deliberate. God wanted Pharaoh to think, "They are confused in the land; the wilderness has closed in [sagar] on them" (Exodus 14:3).
Pharaoh, believing Baal Tzefon had gathered lions in the wilderness against Israel (a parallel to (Daniel 6:2)3), rallied his army. But it wasn't just Pharaoh chasing them; it was "Egypt" itself, meaning their angel, their collective national spirit, as (Exodus 14:10) suggests.
The Israelites, terrified, cried out. But God reassured them: "Do not fear" (Exodus 14:13). God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand, and the sea parted. But get this – as (Exodus 14:27) says, "Egypt was fleeing toward it [the sea]." Shouldn’t they be fleeing from it? The Midrash explains that God misled them, disorienting them so they couldn't find an escape, driving them straight into the path of destruction. "The Lord tossed Egypt in the midst of the sea" (Exodus 14:27), as the Divine Spirit lamented, "And the eyes of the wicked will fail and escape is lost from them" (Job 11:20). Baal Tzefon, their last hope, proved to be a cruel illusion. "And their hope will turn into despair" (Job 11:20).
Shemot Rabbah doesn't stop there. It extends this idea to the future, envisioning a time when all idolaters will bring their gods for judgment, echoing (Micah 4:5), "For all the peoples will walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, for ever and ever." What will God do then? He will melt their idols, causing them shame and forcing them to hide, just as (Isaiah 2:12-20) describes.
Even if they hide on Mount Carmel, like Ḥiel (who, according to a Midrash, tried to secretly ignite the Baal's sacrifice and was bitten by a snake!), God will find them. As (Amos 9:3) declares, "Though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, I will search from there…Though they hide from before My eyes…from there I will command the serpent and it will bite them."
In the end, "the eyes of the wicked will fail" (Job 11:20). But for the righteous? "The name of the Lord is a tower of strength" (Proverbs 18:10).
So, what's the takeaway? The Exodus wasn't just about escaping physical slavery. It was about confronting the false idols, the misplaced trust, that enable oppression to take root. And even when those idols seem to be vanquished, the temptation to cling to them, to seek refuge in illusion, remains. The story reminds us that true liberation requires a constant vigilance, a willingness to confront the "Baal Tzefons" in our own lives, and to trust in something far greater.
Another interpretation: “This month shall be for you” (Exodus 12:2) – that is what is written: “He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen” (Psalms 105:26). When the Holy One blessed be He entered, as it were, He afflicted all their firstborn and their gods, as it is stated: “I afflicted Egypt” (Joshua 24:5), and likewise: “Upon their gods the Lord administered judgments” (Numbers 33:4). When He afflicted them with the plague of the firstborn, what did they do? They took their sons and concealed them in their temples of idol worship. Rabbi Berekhya said: The Egyptians were seeking and searching how to escape the plague but could not find [a way]. Why? It is as it is stated: “And the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape is lost from them” (Job 11:20). “The wicked” – these are the Egyptians, as it is stated: “And I and my people are wicked” (Exodus 9:27). What caused them to be afflicted by each plague? It was because they put their trust in their false gods. What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He smote their gods with them. Those that were made of wood rotted; [those] of stone dissolved; [those] of silver and of gold, He melted them into what they were originally, as it is stated: “Upon their gods the Lord administered judgments” (Numbers 33:4). All the idols in the world were eliminated except for their Baal Tzefon. Why? It was in order to mislead them; that is why it is written: “He exalts the nations and eliminates them” (Job 12:23). Likewise, Isaiah says: “Who makes a way in the sea.… Who takes out chariot and horse, army and a mighty force” (Isaiah 43:16–17). When Israel departed from Egypt, the Holy One blessed be He said: “That they should return and encamp before Pi Haḥirot” (Exodus 14:2). “Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: They are confused in the land; [the wilderness has closed in [sagar] on them]” (Exodus 14:3). He called all his armies and said to them: ‘Do you not know that Baal Tzefon has gathered all the lions in the wilderness against Israel, similar to the matter that is stated: “He sent an angel and closed [usegar] the mouth of the lions”’ (Daniel 6:23). Immediately, the angel of Egypt came down to eliminate them [the Israelites], as it is stated: “Behold, Egypt was traveling after them” (Exodus 14:10). It is not stated: Pharaoh traveling after them, but rather, “Egypt” – that is their angel. Immediately, [the Israelites] “were very frightened” (Exodus 14:10). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: “Do not fear” (Exodus 14:13). The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Extend your hand over the sea” (Exodus 14:26). Immediately, “Moses extended his hand” (Exodus 14:27). “Egypt was fleeing toward it [the sea]” (Exodus 14:27) – it should have said: Egypt was fleeing from it. Is there a person who flees from an entity and flees toward it? Rather, the Holy One blessed be He misled them, and they could not find where to flee, and they were fleeing toward it until the depths were reestablished, as it is stated: “The Lord tossed Egypt in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:27), while the Divine Spirit was crying: “And the eyes of the wicked will fail and escape is lost from them” (Job 11:20). Regarding Baal Tzefon, upon which they relied, it is stated: “And their hope will turn into despair” (Job 11:20). So, in the future, when all the idolaters will enter [for judgment], bringing their false gods with them to rescue them, as it is stated: “For all the peoples will walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God, for ever and ever” (Micah 4:5). When they come, what does the Holy One blessed be He do with them [the idols]? He melts them. And they see and are embarrassed, and they cast them away, and they go and conceal themselves in caves and among the boulders. Likewise, Isaiah says: “For it is a day for the Lord of hosts against everyone proud and lofty” (Isaiah 2:12) – these are their priests. “The false gods shall utterly pass away” (Isaiah 2:18) – what will they [the priests of the false gods] do? They will go and conceal themselves, as it is stated: “They will come into caves of rocks, and into tunnels of dirt” (Isaiah 2:19). And it is written: On that day a person will cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold” (Isaiah 2:20). The Holy One blessed be He will say to them: ‘Are you fleeing? Look what I have caused to be written: “Though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, I will search from there” (Amos 9:3). Ḥiel, who concealed himself for the Baal on Mount Carmel and [attempted] to ignite the wood, did not I smite him?40According to a midrash, when Elijah challenged the priests of the Baal on Mount Carmel (I Kings, chap. 18), Ḥiel hid in order to kindle the Baal’s sacrifice surreptitiously and was bitten by a snake. See addendum to Devarim Rabba (Lieberman). “Though they hide from before My eyes…[from there I will command the serpent and it will bite them]” (Amos 9:3). And it says: “If they dig into the grave, [from there My hand will take them, and if they ascend heavenward, from there will I take them down]”’ (Amos 9:2). At that moment: “And the eyes of the wicked will fail” (Job 11:20). But regarding the righteous it says: “The name of the Lord is a tower of strength” (Proverbs 18:10).
