Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice/1/he

תוכניות ה' ובחירה חופשית של המצרים

הקדמה

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 שמות ג'-ט"ו 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, בראשית ט"ו 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.

 

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, רמב״םהלכות תשובה ו׳:ה׳אודות ר' משה בן מיימוןformulates 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.

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 תהלים ק״ה:כ״ה:⁸

הָפַךְ לִבָּם לִשְׂנֹא עַמּוֹ לְהִתְנַכֵּל בַּעֲבָדָיו.

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.

¹ The books of Shofetim and Melakhim are replete with such examples.

² For the separate question of the means Hashem used, see המכות – דרך טבע או נס?.

³ For the question of Hashem's role in bringing Yaakov's family into exile, see תוכניות ה' ובחירה חופשית של בני ישראל.

⁴ The tetragrammaton (שם הוויה) does not appear at all in שמות א'-ב', and the name א-להים is found only in the story of the midwives (see מי היו המילדות? and ויעש להם בתים – שכר המילדות for discussion as to whether this refers to Hashem) and at the conclusion of פרק ב' (which provides the backdrop for the subsequent chapters – see מבנה – שמות ב').

⁵ See נחמה ליבוביץIyyunim Chadashim BeSefer Shemot pp.20-21אודות פרופ' נחמה ליבוביץ  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.

⁶ This is pointed out by the ר״ןבראשית ט״ו:י״דאודות ר' נסים גירונדי.

⁷ For the general question, see בחירה חופשית.

⁸ Tehillim 105:17-22 also portrays Hashem as having pulled the strings which led to the Israelites' descent to Egypt.