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Shabbat Hagadol – Understanding the Message of Yetziat Mitzrayim

When we attempt to understand the exodus from Egypt, we must begin with the first of the aseret hadibrot. At Har Sinai, Hashem revealed himself to the entire nation for the first and last time in the history of mankind, and the very first message that he gave over to his children was “I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of Egypt”. 

The question that must be answered is why did Hashem begin specifically with the fact that He took us out of Egypt, and not the fact that He created the entire universe? An answer for this may be found in the writings of the Ramban on this pasuk:

“Hashem said ‘I took you out of Egypt’ because this shows [the reality] of His existence and His desire, because only with His knowledge and interaction [with humanity] could He take us out. It also shows His power to renew things, because since the beginning of the world things do not change in nature [and here things changed], and it also shows His ability, which in turn demonstrates His oneness, as the pasuk proclaims ‘in order that you will know that there is none like Me in the world’. This is the explanation of ‘who took you out’ because all those [present at Har Sinai] were witnesses to this event. [Hashem continued] ‘from a house of servitude’ in order to teach them that they were slaves to Pharaoh, but they would now be obligated to have Hashem, the Great, Honoured, and Awesome One as their G-d, and they should serve Him…” 

With these words lie hidden deep foundations of belief and faith, and the connection that the Bnei Yisrael have to their Creator. Through yetziat mitzrayim, Hashem demonstrated His existence, His sovereignty over the world, how He maintains all creation, that He is One in His Kingship, that He rules over everything, and that He is involved with His creations on an individual basis (hashgacha pratit).

Proof of Ability

There is a story related about the Chafetz Chayim that he was once a guest in someone’s house. His host had a young daughter who was exceptionally musically talented, and he instructed her to play for his guests so that they could appreciate her talents. The daughter flatly refused, stating that she had no interest whatsoever in proving her talents, when she already had a diploma that attested to her musical accomplishments; anyone who doubted this could see the diploma for themselves. The Chaftez Chayim sought to learn a big lesson from this event. Hakadosh Baruch Hu revealed Himself at Har Sinai to the entire nation, men, women and children, setting a diploma that attested to His power. Since then, there is no need for him to reveal Himself in the same way again, for anyone who, G-d forbid, doubts His powers could read the verses and see for themselves.

Being a Slave

Another purpose of the servitude in Egypt is in order that the Bnei Yisrael could understand what slavery is, and what it requires from a person. The nation could have learnt fear of Heaven and achieved great spiritual heights merely by being students of Ya’akov Avinu, or his twelve sons, the heads of the tribes. Nonetheless, if the people had not been forged through slavery, they would never have known how a slave relates to his master. Divine Providence wanted that they would be submerged in such a difficult situation in order to teach them what the true purpose of Am Yisrael is in this world – to be servants of Hashem.

The above ideas must stir each and every one of us. The soul of every individual in Am Yisrael is bound in servitude of Hashem from the moment of the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai. Sometimes, even those who keep the Torah and mitzvot on a daily basis can forget their duty of service to Hashem. A servant has no interest in his own body, or his own personal desires, but his entire being wishes to do the will of his Master. It is of utmost importance to internalise this concept, because the very purpose of learning Torah, keeping the mitzvot, and davening is because we serve Hashem; we must conduct all our physical and spiritual ambitions with this in mind.

Making the Right Decisions

Every decision that a person makes in any situation is influenced by one basic principle: to reduce his toil and increase pleasure. From the most important decisions to the least, his decision making process asks itself this pivotal question: “how can this action make my existence more pleasurable?” A person who understands our mission in this world and measures reality with spiritual tools will always choose to increase his spiritual pleasure, even if this comes about through a bigger physical toil. Conversely, a person who is cut off from his Divine duties and is in denial of his spiritual mission will almost certainly choose physical pleasure, even if this brings him spiritual suffering and sets a greater distance between him and his Creator. 

The true servant of Hashem builds his individuality with the correct decisions, and constantly strives to attain spiritual elevation. Climbing the personal ladder towards a more fulfilling life of Torah and mitzvot entails a devotion to the light of the real goal – to do the will of Hashem in every situation. In every decision, a person must be ready to hear what Hashem wants from him, and to internalise that everything we do is in order that we may serve Hashem in a better manner!

שבת הגדול שלום ומבורך!!

Rabbi Gad Bouskila