The verse says, "it was when Pharaoh let the people go," (Exodus 13:17) which leads us to Song of Songs 4:13: "Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates." Rabbi Levi uses a parable to unpack this connection. Imagine a farmer who owns a field, but all he sees is a pile of rocks. He sells it off without a second thought.
But the buyer? He's got vision. He clears away the rocks and discovers a hidden spring underneath! Suddenly, the land bursts with potential. He plants grapevines in neat rows, cultivates fragrant spices, and sets out pomegranate trees. He even builds a watchtower with a guard. Everyone who passes by marvels at the transformation. Now, imagine the original owner passing by, seeing this flourishing orchard, and lamenting, "Woe is me, that I sold it that way!"
Rabbi Levi then uses this parable to describe the Israelite's experience in Egypt. In Egypt, the Israelites were like that pile of rocks, a hidden spring as Song of Songs 4:12 puts it, "A locked garden is my sister, my bride; a locked fountain [gal], a sealed spring." They seemed insignificant, oppressed, and without potential.
But then, liberation! Pharaoh lets them go, and they transform into a vibrant "orchard of pomegranates." They become like a grapevine, echoing Psalm 80:9: "He transported a vine from Egypt." They organize themselves by tribe – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, and so on – forming neat rows.
And what about those spices? Shemot Rabbah connects this to Song of Songs 4:14: "Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon." And apples too, drawing a parallel to Song of Songs 8:5: "Under the apple tree I awakened you."
Even the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary, finds its place in the analogy. The branches of the Menorah, the Candelabrum, are like reeds supporting the burgeoning growth. They discover a "spring of gardens, a well of spring water," (Song of Songs 4:15), and build a tower, reminiscent of Isaiah 5:2: "And built a tower in its midst, and also hewed out a winepress." And who is the guard in the tower? None other than God Himself, as Psalm 121:5 says: "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shadow on your right hand."
As Ginzberg retells this in Legends of the Jews, the world watched in awe. Even the wicked Bilam, was forced to acknowledge their splendor, exclaiming, "How goodly are your tents, Jacob…like valleys outstretched!" (Numbers 24:5–6). He was astounded by what he saw. Pharaoh himself, seeing the Israelites organized into priests, Levites, and Israelites, divided by flags, cried out in anguish, regretting his decision to let them go.
And so, "it was [vayhi] when Pharaoh let the people go," (Exodus 13:17) because in that moment of liberation, the true potential of the Israelites was revealed, transforming them from a seemingly worthless pile of rocks into a flourishing orchard, a source of blessing and wonder for all the world.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What "pile of rocks" are we overlooking in our own lives, not realizing the potential for growth and transformation that lies hidden beneath?