Page 5 - SCOPE_2022_P_JimF

05 of the maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, who entered the family as

A Message from our servants to Rachel and Leah. They did not act as brothers to
them. This was evil in G-d’s view, and the Divine spirit cried
Assistant Rabbi out, ‘You are entirely beautiful, My beloved!’ G-d declared: What
should I do, so that they will accept the children of the maids?
Rabbi Ian Lichter I will bring them down to Egypt, and all of them will be slaves.
When I redeem them, I will give them the mitzvah of Pesach,
for them, their children and their children’s children to per-
form. All of them will say, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh’ - and so
all of them will be equal.’” Rabbi Chanina attributes the slavery
of Bnei Yisrael to the conduct of the children of Yaakov among
themselves. G-d is pained by the corrupt relationship among
the brothers, which is apparently due to their different social
positions. As a response, G-d converts all of them into slaves,
with the goal of leading them to say, “We were slaves” - all of
us were slaves - all of us are equal.

The Imrei Emet used another Midrash to describe the relation-
ship among the Jews when they were slaves in Egypt. Moshe
Rabbeinu left the palace, saw an Egyptian beating a Jew, and
The fundamental mitzvah of the night of the Seder is to speak killed the Egyptian in attempt to expedite our redemption. On
of the Exodus from Egypt. The Mishna (Pesachim 10:4) tells the following day, he saw two Jews fighting, and he attempted
us how to recount the story: “Matchil B’Genut U’Messayeim to rebuke them. One of them insulted Moshe for the way he
B’Shevach” - “Begin with disgrace, and end with praise and had saved the Jewish victim on the previous day, and Moshe
glory.” The Maharal explains why we speak of the disgrace said, “The matter is known.” The Midrash explains what “was
of Bnei Yisrael, “[a]nd why begin with disgrace? The answer known”: “Moshe thought in his heart, ‘What sin did Israel
is because there cannot be true recognition of glory without commit, to be the only nation to be enslaved?’ When he heard
contrast.” Absent the disgraceful beginning informing us of the man’s words he said, ‘They have harmful speech among
the earlier reality, we could not understand and appreciate the them! How will they deserve redemption?’ Therefore, he said,
elevated state which came later. ‘The matter is known; now I know why they are enslaved.’”
This interpretation suggests that because Bnei Yisrael did
Rav and Shmuel debate (Pesachim 116): What is the disgrace not improve their deeds even when they were in Egypt, so it
which is supposed to begin our account of leaving Egypt? became known to Moshe that they were still not worthy of
“Rav says: In the beginning, our ancestors worshipped idols. ending their slavery and becoming the nation of G-d.
Shmuel counters: We were slaves in Egypt.” We are fully aware
that worshipping idols is a grave disgrace. But what is the From this discussion we see that “We were slaves” is a most
great shame in having been a slave? Slavery is a low socioeco- harsh disgrace, the disgrace of a bad relationship between
nomic state, where the slave is considered his master’s prop- the brothers to the point that they sold one of their own. This
erty, and the master sets his schedule. Certainly, the Torah disgrace is all the more powerful when we see that even in
is not excited about slavery, but it recognizes the economic Egypt, we did not improve our ways, despite the fact that this
need which drives it - one who lacks the means of supporting was the cause of our slavery. Thus, we recline at our Seder
himself, or who cannot pay for his theft, may sell himself as and speak of the disgrace of Bnei Yisrael - “We were slaves” -
a slave. It appears that slavery is viewed as an extreme and both historically and today. On this night, we are summoned
undesirable solution for a person’s financial crisis. Slavery is to examine ourselves, to right our wrongs and end the slavery,
unpleasant and even embarrassing, but in what way is this achieving the level of glory that comes from looking inward
outcome of financial distress equivalent to the disgrace of which will inevitably earn Klal Yisrael praise.
idolatry?
Katie and I wish the entire community a Chag Kasher
When departing for Egypt, Yaakov and his large family were in V’sameach!
good financial position - “Vayiknu et mikneihem v’et richush-
am asher rachshu b’eretz Cana’an” - “They took their livestock Rabbi Ian Lichter
and wealth that they had amassed in the land of Cana’an”
(Bereishit 46:6). Thus, their enslavement in Egypt was not a
remedy for financial distress. The Otzar Midrashim explains
the rationale for the slavery as follows. “Rabbi Chanina said:
Because all of the traits of G-d are conducted measure for
measure. In the beginning, before they descended to Egypt,
the sons of the matriarchs, Leah and Rachel, insulted the sons

SCOPE Magazine Passover 2022 5