We all know the story, but Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) – interpretations and expansions – on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating glimpse into the details, the drama, and even the divine payback.
The verse tells us, "Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh: So said the Lord, God of Israel: Let My people go, and they will hold a feast to Me in the wilderness" (Exodus 5:1). But where were the elders? God had instructed Moses, "And you shall come, you and the elders of Israel" (Exodus 3:18). According to our Rabbis, the elders were there… initially. They accompanied Moses and Aaron, but, overcome with fear, they snuck away, one or two at a time, until only Moses and Aaron remained. Imagine the scene: the weight of an entire people's freedom resting on just two men.
And the Holy One, blessed be He, doesn't forget their desertion. The Midrash explains that their moment of reckoning would come. Remember when Moses and Aaron later ascended Mount Sinai with the elders to receive the Torah? God turned the elders back, saying, "Wait here for us" (Exodus 24:14). A subtle but pointed divine consequence.
Now, picture this: It's Pharaoh's big day. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba tells us it was a grand reception, rulers from all over came bearing gifts and crowns, declaring Pharaoh the ruler of the world. All these leaders bring their gods with them. Talk about a show of force! In the midst of this opulent display, Moses and Aaron appear at the palace entrance.
Pharaoh’s servants announce the arrival of "two elderly people." He has them brought in, perhaps expecting tribute or submission. But Moses and Aaron offer neither. Instead, they declare themselves emissaries of the Holy One, blessed be He, and deliver the earth-shattering demand: "So said the Lord [God of Israel]: Let My people go…"
Pharaoh, naturally, is enraged. “Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2). He complains that they didn't even bring him a crown! He haughtily claims ignorance, saying, "I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go" (Exodus 5:2).
Then comes a truly bizarre moment. Pharaoh, in a desperate attempt to prove his point, says, "Wait for me until I search my ledger." He retreats into his palace to consult his records, poring over entries for the gods of Moab, Ammon, Sidon… anything!
Rabbi Levi offers an analogy: a priest with a foolish servant. The priest leaves town, and the servant goes to a graveyard, shouting, "Have you seen my master?" The people reply, "Idiot! Who ever looks for a priest in a graveyard?"
Moses and Aaron, in turn, rebuke Pharaoh: "Idiot, does one typically seek the dead among the living? Our God is living, and these that you mention are dead!" They proclaim that their God is the living God, King of the world.
Pharaoh, undeterred, demands details. "Is He young or old? How old is He? How many cities has He conquered?" He’s trying to box God into his limited, earthly understanding.
Moses and Aaron respond with a powerful description of God's infinite power and eternal existence. "Our God, His power and His might fill the world. He was before the world was created and He will be at the end of the entire world." They list His creations: the heavens, the earth, fire, mountains, rain, and even the formation of a fetus in the womb! (Isaiah 51:13, (Psalms 29:7), I (Kings 19:11), (Daniel 2:2)1).
But Pharaoh, blinded by his own ego, accuses them of lying. "I am the lord of the world, and I created myself and the Nile!" (Ezekiel 29:3). He then consults his wise men, asking if they’ve ever heard of this “God of these people.” They claim to have heard He is the son of wise men and the son of ancient kings.
The Holy One, blessed be He, rebukes them, saying, "You call yourself wise men, and Me [you call] the son of wise men?" (Isaiah 19:11). He reminds them of the prophecies foretelling the folly of Egypt's wise men (Isaiah 29:14).
Pharaoh stubbornly repeats, "Your God, I do not know who He is" (Exodus 5:2). The Midrash then takes a fascinating turn, playing on the Hebrew words. Pharaoh's question, "Mi [who] is the Lord?" becomes a prophecy of the plagues to come. Mi, spelled mem-yod, numerically represents fifty. These are the fifty plagues that would ultimately afflict Egypt – ten plagues for each of the five fingers of God’s "great hand" (Exodus 8:15, (Exodus 14:3)1).
Another interpretation reverses the letters of mi to form yam, meaning "sea." The sea, the parting of which would become a defining moment, would ultimately reveal God to Pharaoh (Exodus 14:25). The Midrash declares that Pharaoh, who now proclaims "Who is the Lord?" will eventually be forced to admit, "The Lord is righteous" (Exodus 9:27) and "I have sinned to the Lord your God" (Exodus 10:16).
The Midrash concludes with a final, cutting insult. Pharaoh boasts that even if the elderly Jacob were present, he would force him into servitude. But the tables will turn. Soon, Pharaoh himself will be begging the Israelites to leave, urging them to "Go in peace. 'Take both your flocks and your herds'" (Exodus 12:32).
What a powerful and multi-layered story! It's not just a historical account; it's a lesson in faith, humility, and the ultimate triumph of divine justice. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the moments in our own lives when we might be tempted to sneak away from a challenge, or to deny the power of something greater than ourselves?
“Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh: So said the Lord, God of Israel: Let My people go, and they will hold a feast to Me in the wilderness” (Exodus 5:1). “Afterward Moses and Aaron came” – where did the elders go, that they were not included with them, as the Holy One blessed be He already said to him: “And you shall come, you and the elders of Israel” (Exodus 3:18)? Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: The elders accompanied them, but secretively stole away one at a time or two at a time and left. When they reached Pharaoh’s palace not one could be found, as it is written: “Afterward Moses and Aaron came.” Where were the elders? They had left. The Holy One blessed be He said to them: This is what you did; by your lives, I will pay you back. When? At the time that Moses and Aaron ascended Mount Sinai with the elders to receive the Torah, the Holy One blessed be He turned them back, as it is stated: “To the elders he said: Wait here for us” (Exodus 24:14). “And said to Pharaoh: So said the Lord, God of Israel: Let My people go, and they will hold a feast to Me in the wilderness” – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: That day was the day of Pharaoh’s reception of ambassadors, and all the rulers came to honor him and brought gifts of crowns, and they crowned him, as it was the day that he was ruler of the world. They brought their gods with them. After they crowned him, Moses and Aaron were standing at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace. His servants entered and said: Two elderly people are standing at the entrance. He said to them: Let them enter. When they entered, he was looking at them; perhaps they would crown him or perhaps they would submit a writ [of submission or appeasement], but they did not even greet him. He said to them: ‘Who are you?’ They said to him: ‘We are the emissaries of the Holy One blessed be He.’ ‘What do you seek?’ They said to him: “So said the Lord [God of Israel]: Let My people go…” At that moment, he became angry: ‘“Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2). He did not have the sense to send me a crown, but you come to me with mere words? “I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go”’ (Exodus 5:2). He said to them: ‘Wait for me until I search my ledger.’ Immediately, he entered his palace and was looking at each and every nation and its gods. He began reading about the gods of Moav, the gods of Amon, and the gods of Sidon. He said to them: ‘I searched for His name in my archives and I did not find Him.’ Rabbi Levi said: To what is this matter analogous? To a priest with a servant who was an imbecile. The priest left the country. The servant went to search for his master in the graveyard. He began shouting to the people who were standing there: ‘Have you seen my master?’ They said to him: ‘Is your master not a priest?’ He said to them: ‘Yes.’ They said to him: ‘Imbecile, who ever saw a priest in a graveyard?’ So Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh: ‘Imbecile, does one typically seek the dead among the living? Are the living with the dead? Our God is living and these that you mention are dead. But our God is the living God and King of the world. He said to them: ‘Is He young or old? How old is He? How many cities has He conquered? How many countries has He captured? How many years have passed since He became king?’ They said to him: ‘Our God, His power and His might fill the world. He was before the world was created and He will be at the end of the entire world. He created you and placed in you a living spirit.’ He said to them: ‘What are His actions?’ They said to him: ‘“He stretched the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth” (Isaiah 51:13), His voice “hews flames of fire” (Psalms 29:7), He “smashes mountains and shatters rocks” (I Kings 19:11), His bow is fire, his arrows are a flame, His javelin is a torch, His shield is clouds, His sword is lightning, He forms mountains and hills, He blankets mountains with vegetation, He causes rain and dew to fall, He causes grasses to grow, He answers mothers in childbirth, He shapes the fetus in his mother’s womb, He takes it out to the atmosphere of the world, and “He removes kings and installs kings”’ (Daniel 2:21). He said to them: ‘From the outset, you are telling a lie, as I am the lord of the world, and I created myself and the Nile,’ as it is stated: “My river is mine, and I made myself” (Ezekiel 29:3).24The verse in Ezekiel attributes this verse to Pharaoh. At that moment, he assembled all the wise men of Egypt. He said to them: ‘Have you heard the name of the God of these people?’ They said to him: ‘We heard that He is the son of wise men and the son of the ancient kings.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘You call yourself wise men, and Me [you call] the son of wise men, as it is stated: “The wise counselors of Pharaoh are a senseless counsel; how can you say to Pharaoh: I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings” (Isaiah 19:11)? See what is written there: “The princes of Tzoan are utter fools” (Isaiah 19:11); “The wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their understanding men will be hidden”’ (Isaiah 29:14). He responded to them: ‘Your God, I do not know who He is,’ as it is stated: “Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice?” (Exodus 5:2). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Wicked one, “who [mi] is the Lord,” you said? You will be afflicted with mi’; mem – forty, yod – ten, they are the fifty plagues that the Holy One blessed be He brought upon the Egyptians at the sea, as it is stated: “The magicians said to Pharaoh: It is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:15), and at the sea, what does it say: “Israel saw the great hand” (Exodus 14:31). With how many were they afflicted with the finger: Ten plagues. Calculate: There are five fingers on the great hand, and on each and every one ten plagues; that is fifty. Another interpretation: “Who [mi] is the Lord” – reverse the order of mi [and the result is] yam;25Mi is spelled mem-yod; yam is spelled yod-mem. it is the sea that informed you of God.26As it is stated at the sea: “Egypt said: I will flee before Israel, as the Lord is waging war on their behalf against Egypt” (Exodus 14:25). You said: “Who is the Lord”; you are destined to say: “The Lord is righteous” (Exodus 9:27). You said: “I do not know the Lord”; you are destined to say: “I have sinned to the Lord your God” (Exodus 10:16). You said: ‘“And I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2); had the elderly Israel27Jacob been there, I would have placed the basket and the rake on his shoulder.’28And made him work as well. A parallel midrash (Tanḥuma, Va’era 5) continues: “Tomorrow you will take hold of each and every one of them and say: ‘Go in peace. “Take both your flocks and your herds”’ (Exodus 12:32).
