The passage centers around Exodus 10:10, where Pharaoh says, "So let the Lord be with you, when I will let you and your children go; see that evil is facing you." It seems like a blessing. Almost… but not quite. The Shemot Rabbah cleverly unpacks Pharaoh's true intentions.
Pharaoh's advisors, sensing the impending doom, had pleaded with him to release the Israelites after yet another devastating plague. MOSES and AARON were brought back in for another round of negotiations. Moses, unwavering, declared, "We will go with our young and with our old…" (Exodus 10:9).
But Pharaoh, ever the master manipulator, saw through what he believed was a deceitful plan. "So let the Lord be with you… see that evil is facing you," he sneered. What did he mean by "evil"? According to the Shemot Rabbah, Pharaoh was essentially accusing Moses and Aaron of plotting an escape. He argued that while it was understandable for adults to participate in religious sacrifices, what business did young children have in such matters? "It is the way of youths and elders to sacrifice, but the young and the children?" he questioned, implying their inclusion was a ruse. This wasn't about genuine worship, he thought; it was about fleeing Egypt for good!
Pharaoh believed their request for a "three-day journey" (Exodus 5:3, 8:23) was just a smokescreen. He was convinced that if he let everyone go, they'd never return. Therefore, he warned, "See that what you are thinking, that you intend to flee, will return against you, so you will not depart from here."
He then proposed a compromise, dripping with suspicion: "Not so; let the men go now and serve the Lord; for that is what you seek" (Exodus 10:11). He challenged them: if their intentions were truly pure, why insist on bringing the children? After all, children aren't exactly essential for performing sacrifices. "Since the children are not fit to serve, why do you need them?" he asked. This was his "proof" that they were planning something sinister – that "you are seeking to perform evil, you wish to flee."
Unconvinced and enraged, Pharaoh ended the discussion abruptly. "He drove them out from Pharaoh's presence" (Exodus 10:11). And just like that, another opportunity for peaceful resolution was squandered due to Pharaoh's paranoia and unwillingness to trust in the Israelites' sincerity.
What's so powerful about this passage from Shemot Rabbah is how it highlights the destructive power of distrust. Pharaoh's suspicion, his inability to believe in the Israelites' stated intentions, ultimately led to his own downfall and the continued suffering of his people. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How often do our own biases and preconceived notions blind us to the truth, leading us down paths of unnecessary conflict and hardship?