Our story begins in Exodus 3:7: “The Lord said: I have seen My people’s affliction that is in Egypt, and I have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, as I know their pain.” But the Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, doesn't let us stop there. It dives deeper, exploring what it truly means for God to "know their pain."
The midrash, the interpretive tradition, cleverly connects this verse to Job 11:11: “For He knows vain men [metei shav].” Now, metei shav can be understood in a few ways. One interpretation suggests that God knows those who "die" to perform vanity, those who perish chasing empty pursuits. Another, even more poignant reading, suggests that God knows those who are destined to perform vanity and be killed for it. As Isaiah 3:25 says, "Your men [metayikh] will fall by the sword.”
But here's the twist: the same verse in Job also says, "He sees iniquity but does not consider it." How can God know the future, know the pain and suffering to come, and yet still act? The Shemot Rabbah uses the story of Hagar and Ishmael to illustrate this point.
When Hagar and her son were cast out into the desert and ran out of water, she cried out to God, questioning His earlier promise to multiply her descendants. According to Rabbi Berekhya, she even reproached Heaven. The angels, Rabbi Simon tells us, even argued against saving Ishmael, pointing out that he would be the ancestor of people who would cause the Israelites to die of thirst. They argued, shouldn’t the well be saved for the six hundred thousand Israelites destined to proclaim “This is my God and I will glorify Him!”? (Exodus 15:2).
But God's response is profound: "Now, is he righteous or wicked?" He declares, "I only judge a person at his time." Even though God knows what Ishmael's descendants will do in the future, He judges him based on his present actions. He sees the potential for iniquity but doesn't "consider" it in this moment.
Similarly, when God says, "I have seen [ra’o ra’iti]" the affliction of the Israelites in Egypt, the doubled expression is significant. It doesn’t just say ra’iti – “I have seen,” but rather, ra’o ra’iti – implying a deeper, twofold vision. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: ‘You see one sight but I see two sights. You see them arriving at Sinai and receiving My Torah, and I see them receiving My Torah, that is ra’o; [but I also see] ra’iti, that is the sight of the deed of the calf, as it is stated; “I have seen [ra’iti] this people” (Exodus 32:9).
God sees them receiving the Torah at Sinai, but He also sees the future sin of the Golden Calf. He sees their potential for greatness, but also their potential for failure. The midrash even imagines God descending in His tatramoli, his chariot drawn by four animals, and the Israelites removing one of them – a bull – to create the idol.
Yet, despite knowing this future transgression, God doesn't refrain from delivering them. He judges them in the present, not based on what they are destined to do. Even though, as the midrash interprets, "As I know their pain" refers to how much they are destined to pain God in the wilderness, as stated in Psalms 78:40: “How often did they defy Him in the wilderness, and aggrieve Him in the wasteland,” He will not refrain from delivering them.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman even tells us that Otniel ben Kenaz argued before God, reminding Him of His promise to Moses: whether the Israelites do His will or not, He will deliver them, as it is stated: “The spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel” (Judges 3:10).
So what does this all mean for us? It means that even when we are destined to stumble, even when our future actions might cause pain, there is still hope for redemption. God sees our potential for both good and evil, but He judges us in the present, offering us the chance to choose righteousness.
It's a powerful reminder that we are not defined by our future mistakes, but by the choices we make today. And even when we do falter, God's promise of deliverance remains. Knowing our pain doesn't stop Him from acting on our behalf. It's a message of hope, resilience, and the enduring power of divine grace.