Difference between revisions of "Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice/1/en"
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<h1>Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice</h1> | <h1>Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice</h1> | ||
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<h2>Introduction</h2> | <h2>Introduction</h2> | ||
| − | <p>In Tanakh, exile, subjugation, and salvation are almost always Divinely directed processes, and Hashem's role in bringing them about is generally made explicit.<fn>The books of Shofetim and Melakhim are replete with such examples.</fn> | + | <p>In Tanakh, exile, subjugation, and salvation are almost always Divinely directed processes, and Hashem's role in bringing them about is generally made explicit.<fn>The books of Shofetim and Melakhim are replete with such examples.</fn> The redemption from Egypt is no exception to this rule, as Shemot 3–15 depict in great detail Hashem's active intervention in redeeming the Israelites and punishing the Egyptians.<fn>For the separate question of the means Hashem used, see <a href="The Plagues – Natural or Supernatural" data-aht="page">The Plagues – Natural or Supernatural</a>.</fn> In contrast, though, the first two chapters of Shemot are totally silent about any role Hashem may have played in facilitating the exile<fn>For the question of Hashem's role in bringing Yaakov's family into exile, see <a href="Divine Plans and Israelite Free Choice" data-aht="page">Divine Plans and Israelite Free Choice</a>.</fn> and bondage.<fn>The tetragrammaton (שם הוויה) does not appear at all in Shemot 1-2, and the name א-להים is found only in the story of the midwives (see <a href="Who are the Midwives" data-aht="page">Who are the Midwives</a> and <a href="ויעש להם בתים" data-aht="page">ויעש להם בתים – Rewarding The Midwives</a> for discussion as to whether this refers to Hashem) and at the conclusion of Chapter 2 (which provides the backdrop for the subsequent chapters – see <a href="Structure – Shemot 2" data-aht="page">Structure of Shemot 2</a>).</fn> Did Hashem play a role behind the scenes in the events that led to the enslavement of the Israelites, and the text merely preferred not to emphasize it? Or did Paroh and the Egyptians have free reign to do as they wished to the Children of Israel, while Hashem just watched from the sidelines?<fn>See <multilink><a href="NechamaShemot" data-aht="source">Nechama Leibowitz</a><a href="NechamaShemot" data-aht="source">Iyyunim Chadashim BeSefer Shemot pp.20-21</a><a href="Prof. Nechama Leibowitz" data-aht="parshan">About Prof. Nechama Leibowitz</a></multilink>  who notes the hidden presence (הסתר פנים) of Hashem in the first two chapters. According to the first possibility here, Hashem is not just hiding his mercy, but actually inflicting the punishment.</fn></p> |
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| − | <h2 | + | <h2>Divine Foreknowledge</h2> |
| − | <p> | + | In contrast to the silence of the Book of Shemot, Bereshit 15 records how Hashem told Avraham already at the Covenant of the Pieces that his descendants would be enslaved and oppressed:<multilang style="overflow: auto;"> |
| − | + | <q xml:lang="he" dir="rtl">(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. (יד) וְגַם אֶת הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל.</q> | |
| − | < | + | <q xml:lang="en">(13) He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years. (14) I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth,</q> |
| + | </multilang> | ||
| + | <p> </p> | ||
| + | <p>At first glance, these verses might seem to support the notion that Hashem was the guiding force behind all of the events in Egypt from beginning to end. In light of this, <multilink><a href="RambamTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Maimonides</a><a href="RambamTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Teshuvah 6:5</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Maimon</a></multilink><br/> formulates the following question as to why the Egyptians were punished:</p> | ||
| + | <multilang style="overflow: auto;"> | ||
| + | <q xml:lang="he" dir="rtl">וַהֲלֹא כָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם <span class="source-link">(<a class="source" data-book="Bereshit" data-ref="15,13">בראשית ט״ו:י״ג</a>)</span>, הֲרֵי גָּזַר עַל הַמִּצְרִיִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת רַע... וְלָמָּה נִפְרַע מֵהֶן.</q> | ||
| + | <q xml:lang="en">Is it not written in the Torah: "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them" <span class="source-link">(<a class="source" title="Bereshit 15,13" data-book="English Bereshit" data-ref="15,13">Gen. 15:13</a>)</span>, lo, here is a decree against the Egyptians to do evil?... then why visit retribution upon them?</q> | ||
| + | </multilang> | ||
| + | <p>Upon closer examination, though, these verses differentiate between the exile and slavery stages on one hand, and the redemption on the other. Only the latter mentions Hashem's direct involvement, while the former merely forecasts what will happen to Avraham's descendants and an unidentified foreign nation.<fn>This is pointed out by the <multilink><a href="RanBereshit15-14" data-aht="source">Ran</a><a href="RanBereshit15-14" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15:14</a><a href="R. Nissim Gerondi (Ran)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Nissim Gerondi</a></multilink>.</fn> This leaves room for debate between the commentators as to the extent of God's role in bringing about the bondage, and how Divine foreknowledge can coexist with free choice.<fn>For the general question, see <a href="Philosophy:Free Will" data-aht="page">Free Will</a>.</fn> Or, more pointedly, could the Egyptians or Paroh have employed free choice and decided not to subjugate the Israelites?</p> | ||
| + | <h2>Active Intervention</h2> | ||
| + | <p>The clearest indication that Hashem played an active part in initiating the slavery comes from <a href="Tehillim105" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:25</a>:<fn>Tehillim 105:17-22 also portrays Hashem as having pulled the strings which led to the Israelites' descent to Egypt.</fn></p> | ||
| + | <multilang style="overflow: auto;"> | ||
| + | <q xml:lang="he" dir="rtl">הָפַךְ לִבָּם לִשְׂנֹא עַמּוֹ לְהִתְנַכֵּל בַּעֲבָדָיו.</q> | ||
| + | <q xml:lang="en">He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants.</q> | ||
| + | </multilang> | ||
| + | <p>This verse appears to imply that Hashem manipulated the Egyptians and caused them to hate the Israelites and plot against them. But why would Hashem take away Egyptian free will? And if Hashem caused the slavery, why should the Egyptians have to pay the price? In sum, what would be the point of forcing the Egyptians to punish the Israelites, just so the Egyptians, in turn, could be punished themselves? These vexing problems have prompted some commentators to attempt to offer solutions, while motivating others to try to reinterpret the words of the Psalmist.</p> | ||
</page> | </page> | ||
</aht-xml> | </aht-xml> | ||
Latest revision as of 10:13, 30 July 2019
Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice
Introduction
Introduction
In Tanakh, exile, subjugation, and salvation are almost always Divinely directed processes, and Hashem's role in bringing them about is generally made explicit.1 The redemption from Egypt is no exception to this rule, as Shemot 3–15 depict in great detail Hashem's active intervention in redeeming the Israelites and punishing the Egyptians.2 In contrast, though, the first two chapters of Shemot are totally silent about any role Hashem may have played in facilitating the exile3 and bondage.4 Did Hashem play a role behind the scenes in the events that led to the enslavement of the Israelites, and the text merely preferred not to emphasize it? Or did Paroh and the Egyptians have free reign to do as they wished to the Children of Israel, while Hashem just watched from the sidelines?5
Divine Foreknowledge
In contrast to the silence of the Book of Shemot, Bereshit 15 records how Hashem told Avraham already at the Covenant of the Pieces that his descendants would be enslaved and oppressed:
(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. (יד) וְגַם אֶת הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל.
(13) He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years. (14) I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth,
At first glance, these verses might seem to support the notion that Hashem was the guiding force behind all of the events in Egypt from beginning to end. In light of this, Maimonides
formulates the following question as to why the Egyptians were punished:
וַהֲלֹא כָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם (בראשית ט״ו:י״ג), הֲרֵי גָּזַר עַל הַמִּצְרִיִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת רַע... וְלָמָּה נִפְרַע מֵהֶן.
Is it not written in the Torah: "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them" (Gen. 15:13), lo, here is a decree against the Egyptians to do evil?... then why visit retribution upon them?
Upon closer examination, though, these verses differentiate between the exile and slavery stages on one hand, and the redemption on the other. Only the latter mentions Hashem's direct involvement, while the former merely forecasts what will happen to Avraham's descendants and an unidentified foreign nation.6 This leaves room for debate between the commentators as to the extent of God's role in bringing about the bondage, and how Divine foreknowledge can coexist with free choice.7 Or, more pointedly, could the Egyptians or Paroh have employed free choice and decided not to subjugate the Israelites?
Active Intervention
The clearest indication that Hashem played an active part in initiating the slavery comes from Tehillim 105:25:8
הָפַךְ לִבָּם לִשְׂנֹא עַמּוֹ לְהִתְנַכֵּל בַּעֲבָדָיו.
He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants.
This verse appears to imply that Hashem manipulated the Egyptians and caused them to hate the Israelites and plot against them. But why would Hashem take away Egyptian free will? And if Hashem caused the slavery, why should the Egyptians have to pay the price? In sum, what would be the point of forcing the Egyptians to punish the Israelites, just so the Egyptians, in turn, could be punished themselves? These vexing problems have prompted some commentators to attempt to offer solutions, while motivating others to try to reinterpret the words of the Psalmist.
