Six hundred thousand families, all on foot. That's already a crowd beyond imagining, right? But picture each family, not just with mom and dad, but with FIVE children riding horses!
It's a scene of epic proportions, ripped straight from the pages of Exodus. We’re talking about the Israelite exodus from Egypt, leaving behind generations of slavery. This isn't just a walk in the park; this is a nation on the move. And according to Legends of the Jews, it wasn't just Israelites either. There was also a "mixed multitude," a vast group of people from other nations who joined them, perhaps drawn by the promise of freedom or simply caught up in the momentum.
But here's what really gets me. These weren't seasoned survivalists, packing rations for a long journey. They were people placing every ounce of their trust in something… bigger.
The text tells us that they followed Moses into the wilderness "unmurmuringly," without stocking up on provisions. Can you imagine setting off into the unknown with nothing but the clothes on your back and a hope?
The only food they carried, we’re told, was the leftover matzah, the unleavened bread, and maror, the bitter herbs, from their hurried Pesach (Passover) meal. These weren't meant to be their survival rations, though. They carried these items "because they were unwilling to separate themselves from what they had prepared lovingly at the command of God."
Think about that. These weren't just leftovers; they were sacred objects, tangible reminders of God's command and their newfound freedom. They held onto them so tightly that they wouldn’t even burden their animals with them. They carried them on their own shoulders.
It’s a powerful image, isn't it? It speaks to a level of faith and devotion that’s almost impossible to fathom. They chose to carry the symbolic weight of their past rather than prepare for the uncertainties of their future.
What does that tell us about their priorities? About the kind of people they were becoming? About the power of a shared experience, a shared faith, to transform a group of slaves into a nation? Maybe, just maybe, that's a question worth pondering as we carry our own burdens, literal and metaphorical, through the wilderness of our lives.