<b>And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go (Exod. 13:17).</b> The word <i>let go</i> (<i>shallah</i>) indicates “to escort,” as in the verse <i>Abraham went with them to bring them</i> (<i>leshalleham</i>) <i>on the way</i> (Gen. 18:16). Similarly it states; <i>And Isaac sent them away</i> (<i>vaye-shallehem</i>), <i>and they departed from him in peace</i> (ibid. 26:31). Why does this scriptural portion open with this verse? Because the mouth (i.e., Pharaoh) that had declared: <i>And moreover, I will not let Israel go</i> (Exod. 5:2), now retracted and said: <i>I will let you go</i> (ibid. 8:24). This explains why this portion of Scripture begins with the words <i>When Pharaoh had let the people go</i>. What was his reward for doing so? <i>Thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian</i> (Deut. 23:8), for the mouth that had said: <i>I know not the Lord</i> (Exod. 5:2) reversed itself and declared: <i>The Lord is righteous</i> (ibid. 9:27). What was his reward for saying this? He gave them a burial place, as it is said: <i>Thou stretchest out Thy right hand—the earth swallowed them</i> (ibid. 15:12).
<i>God led them not by the way of the Philistines</i> (ibid. 13:17). He guided them in the manner indicated in the verse <i>Thou didst lead Thy people like a flock</i> (Ps. 77:21), and as in the verse <i>By day also He led them by a cloud</i> (ibid. 78:14). <i>By the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near</i>. The word <i>near</i> indicates that the promise the Holy One, blessed be He, had made to Abraham was soon to be fulfilled. <i>Near</i> also implies that it was the nearest way to return to Egypt. Furthermore <i>near</i> relates to the oath Abraham had sworn with Abimelech. <i>Now therefore, swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, or with my son, nor with my son’s son</i> (Gen. 21:23) was near fulfillment, even though his grandson had not yet been born. Furthermore, <i>near</i> implies that the previous war was too recent to risk another.<sup class="footnote-marker">1</sup><i class="footnote">The “previous war” being the one referred to in the continuation of the verse: <i>lest … the people repent when they see war</i> (Exod. 17:1). A tradition exists that the descendants of Ephraim left Egypt before the designated time and 300,000 were killed. See Ginzberg, <i>Legends</i>, vol. 3:8–9. Only ten escaped.</i> Another explanation of <i>Although that was near</i>. It was too close to the time in which the Canaanites had obtained the land, for it is written: <i>And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither</i> (ibid. 15:16), and the fourth generation had not yet come. God led the people about by the way of the wilderness (Exod. 12:18). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: If I lead them into the land by the most direct route, they will each take possession of a field and a vineyard and neglect the law. Therefore I will lead them through the wilderness for forty years and cause them to eat the manna and drink the water of the well so that the law may penetrate into their very beings.
Furthermore, when the Canaanites heard that the Israelites were soon to enter the land, they arose, burnt the seeds, uprooted the trees, cut down the shoots, destroyed the buildings, and stopped up the wells. Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Since I assured Abraham, their father, that they would enter into a land filled with everything that was desirable, I will keep them in the wilderness for forty years while the Canaanites restore what they have destroyed.
<i>And the children of Israel went up armed</i> (Exod. 13:18). This suggests that only one out of five (<i>hamishah</i>) went up <i>armed</i> (<i>hamushim</i>). However, others say: Only one out of fifty (<i>hamishim</i>) went up, while still others insist that only one out of every five hundred (<i>mihamesh</i>) went up. R. Nehorai declared: By the Temple service!<sup class="footnote-marker">2</sup><i class="footnote">An idiomatic exclamation with the sense of “By God!”</i> Not even one out of five thousand went up. When had the others died? During the days of darkness, they would bring their dead for burial while the Egyptians sat in darkness. The Israelites praised Him and thanked Him (for the fact) that their enemies were unable to see their misfortune and take satisfaction in it.