Specifically, let's look at Shemot Rabbah 5, which delves into the pivotal moment when Moses and Aaron first approach the Israelites in Egypt.

The verse we're looking at is Exodus 4:30: "Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs before the eyes of the people." According to Shemot Rabbah, "Aaron spoke all the words" means he acted in accordance with God’s command: "He will speak for you to the people" (Exodus 4:16). And "performed the signs before the eyes of the people" is simply Aaron doing as God had instructed.

But here's where it gets interesting. Exodus 4:31 tells us, "The people believed; they heard that the Lord had remembered the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, and they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves." Did the people believe because of the signs, the miracles Aaron performed? The text pushes back on that assumption. "Could it be that they did not believe until they saw the signs? No, rather, 'they heard that the Lord had remembered'; they believed because of what they heard, and not the seeing of the signs."

So, what led them to believe?

It was the sign of remembrance, a powerful concept deeply rooted in their tradition. The Midrash, in Shemot Rabbah, tells us of a secret passed down through generations. Jacob revealed this secret to Joseph, who passed it to his brothers. Eventually, Asher, one of Jacob's sons, entrusted it to his daughter Seraḥ, who was still alive at this time. The secret? "Any deliverer who will come and say to my descendants: Pakod pakadti etkhem, he is a genuine deliverer."

Pakod pakadti etkhem. It’s a phrase that resonates with hope, a promise whispered through generations. It means, "I have surely remembered you."

And when Moses arrived and declared, "I have remembered you [pakod pakadti etkhem]" (Exodus 3:16), immediately, "the people believed." It wasn't just the miraculous signs, but the echo of a promise fulfilled, a connection to their ancestral past. That is what resonated. That is what sparked belief.

The text concludes by emphasizing this point: "That the Lord had remembered [pakad] the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, and they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 'They bowed' – for the remembrance, 'and they prostrated themselves' – for 'that He had seen their affliction.'" They bowed in recognition of the remembered promise, and they prostrated themselves in acknowledgement of their suffering that God had seen.

The power of a remembered promise. It speaks to the human need for connection, for continuity, for the assurance that we are not forgotten. Perhaps, in our own lives, we can consider the promises – both spoken and unspoken – that shape our beliefs and guide our actions. What "pakod pakadti etkhem" are we waiting to hear? And what promises are we called to fulfill for others?