It's not just about freedom from slavery, but about a deeper truth about power, righteousness, and our relationship with the Divine.
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers us a powerful lens through which to view this pivotal moment in Jewish history. It delves into the verse, "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), connecting it to the idea that God gave the Israelites lands "so that they would observe His statutes," as we find in Psalms 105. The text paints a vivid picture of God bringing plagues upon the Egyptians, each one a lesson in humility and divine justice.
Think about the plague of darkness, described in Psalms as, "He sent darkness, and it was dark." Shemot Rabbah emphasizes that this darkness gradually descended upon Egypt, a physical manifestation of the moral darkness that had enveloped the land. "Egypt rejoiced at their departure," Psalms tells us. The Midrash draws an analogy to a king, Pharaoh, who was once revered. He received gifts and homage, and believed his power was absolute.
Then came Moses and Aaron. The text recounts that Pharaoh consulted his lists – lists of all the gods he knew – but could not find this Hashem, this ineffable Name, this God of Israel. Remember Pharaoh's defiant words in Exodus 5:2, "Who is the Lord, that I should heed His voice...I do not know the Lord." The Midrash compares this to a servant walking with his master, echoing a similar idea found earlier in Shemot Rabbah 5:14.
But the Holy One, blessed be He, is living and everlasting! As Jeremiah 10:10 declares, "But the Lord God is the true God, He is the living God, and the eternal King." The Midrash contrasts Pharaoh's indifference to the suffering of others with God's ultimate intervention. It's like a poor person pleading before a callous king, only to be ignored until the king himself experiences affliction.
Why couldn't God have freed the Israelites with just one plague? The text explains that it was to fulfill the verse in Job 12:23, "He exalts the nations and eliminates them," and Job 12:24, "He removes the heart of the leaders of the people of the land." The plagues weren't just punishments; they were a dismantling of Pharaoh's arrogance and a demonstration of God's absolute power. Pharaoh himself finally cried out, "The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked" (Exodus 9:27).
The plagues, the Midrash emphasizes, were localized to Egypt. Even a tiny plague, the size of an almond, would engulf the entire land but stop at the border. This, says the text, fulfills the verse in Isaiah 26:9, "For when Your judgments are on the earth, [the inhabitants of the world] learn righteousness."
Shemot Rabbah then offers a beautiful analogy: the congregation of Israel is compared to a beloved daughter of a king, separated from him by a river. The king extends his hand, brings her across, and seats her in his chariot. The text then references verses from Song of Songs, "How beautiful are your steps" (7:2) and "I did not know myself; he placed me on the chariots of my noble people" (6:12) along with Psalms 78:27, "He rained meat upon them like dust", Psalms 106:9 "He led them through the depths," and Exodus 13:21 "the Lord was going before them by day". These verses, the Midrash says, are all ways that God expresses His care for Israel.
Ultimately, all of this, the text concludes, was due to the merit of Abraham, as it is stated in Psalms 105:42-44: "For He remembered His holy word unto Abraham His servant; He took out His people with gladness…and He gave them the lands of the nations." And why? "So they would observe His statutes and keep His laws" (Psalms 105:45).
The Exodus, then, wasn't just a historical event. It was a transformative moment, a demonstration of God's power, and a reminder that true freedom comes with responsibility – the responsibility to live according to His laws and to act with righteousness in the world. It compels us to ask: What "Egypts" do we need to leave behind in our own lives? What steps towards righteousness can we take today?