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<h1>גלות ושעבוד – גזירת הקב"ה?</h1> | <h1>גלות ושעבוד – גזירת הקב"ה?</h1> | ||
| − | <div>< | + | <h2>Introduction</h2> |
| − | <h2></h2> | + | <p>Centuries before the Exodus,<fn>For discussion of exactly how long, see <a href="Duration of the Egyptian Exile" data-aht="page">Duration of the Egyptian Exile</a>.</fn> Hashem revealed to Avraham that his descendants would be exiled and enslaved in a foreign country for hundreds of years. <a href="Bereshit15-13" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15</a> reads:</p> |
| + | <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.</q> | ||
| + | <q xml:lang="en" style="margin-bottom:.3em;">(13) He said to Avram, "Know for sure that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and afflict them for four hundred years.</q><q xml:lang="en"> </q> | ||
| + | </multilang> | ||
| + | <p>The realization of this Divine master plan required the choreographed cooperation of two additional parties – the Children of Israel and the unidentified foreign nation to be named later (i.e. the Egyptians).<fn>The Covenant does not specify that the Egyptians will be the nation to enslave the Israelites. According to some commentators, Hashem did not predetermine who the nation would be. See <a href="Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice" data-aht="page">Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice</a>.</fn> Before Hashem could redeem the Israelites, they first needed to go into exile, and another nation had to enslave them.<fn>Visually, one might picture this as a triangular relationship with Hashem seated at the top of the triangle and the Israelites and Egyptians at the two bottom corners. At each stage of the process, the question is which of the players is deciding the course of action.</fn></p> | ||
| + | <p>To comprehend the dynamics of this entire process, one must first examine each of its multiple stages and try to establish to what extent each of Hashem, the Israelites, or the Egyptians played decisive roles in their implementation. Did Hashem control the entire process<fn>For each stage, there are verses which imply both Divine foreknowledge and active intervention.</fn> or did the Israelites and Egyptians exercise their own free wills at different stages?<fn>To a great extent, the issues for the Israelites and Egyptians are flip sides of the same coin. For the Israelites, the question is why were they punished with these events, while for the Egyptians the question is why were they punished for these actions.</fn> One can then proceed to analyze the motivations of each of the various participants and to address the theological ramifications of the interplay between all of these issues.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Exile">Exile: Hashem and the Israelites</h2> | ||
| + | <p>The Covenant of Pieces and Yosef's words to his brothers in <a href="Bereshit45-5" data-aht="source">Bereshit 45:5-8</a> imply Divine foreknowledge of the exile and Hashem's active intervention to make it happen. This raises several issues:</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>Did God's prophecy to Avraham suspend human free choice?<fn>For a general discussion of the relationship between Divine foreknowledge and human choice, see <a href="Philosophy:Free Will" data-aht="page">Free Will</a>.</fn></li> | ||
| + | <li>Why did Hashem decree the exile, and did He force the Israelites to emigrate to Egypt? Could Avraham's descendants have chosen not to leave Israel?</li> | ||
| + | <li>Why did the Israelites continue to remain in Egypt even after the famine was over?</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | <p>For discussion of these questions, see <a href="Divine Plans and Israelite Free Choice" data-aht="page">Divine Plans and Israelite Free Choice</a> and <a href="Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage" data-aht="page">Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Slavery">Slavery: Hashem and the Egyptians</h2> | ||
| + | <p>While at the Covenant of Pieces Hashem presents the slavery as a foregone conclusion, Shemot 1 describes how Paroh and the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites without mentioning any Divine role. Both of these also need to be reconciled with <a href="Tehillim105" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105</a> which implies that Hashem actively caused the bondage.</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>Could the Egyptians or Paroh have employed free choice and decided not to subjugate the Israelites?<fn>It also merits considering whether the Israelites could have done anything to avoid being enslaved.</fn></li> | ||
| + | <li>If Hashem impacted the Egyptians' decisions, how could He hold them accountable for their involuntary actions?</li> | ||
| + | <li>Why did Hashem cause, or at the very least stand idly by, while His chosen nation suffered? Did the Israelites deserve to be enslaved?</li> | ||
| + | <li>Why are we so grateful for Hashem's redemption of the Children of Israel, if He was also responsible for causing the exile and bondage?<fn>See the similar but slightly different question asked by the <multilink><a href="MaaseiHashem1" data-aht="source">Ma'asei Hashem</a><a href="MaaseiHashem1" data-aht="source">Ma'asei Mitzrayim 1</a><a href="R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (Ma'asei Hashem)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi</a></multilink>: "ראוי לנו לחקור מה זאת החזקת הטובה אשר חוייבנו לו ית' על הוצאתו אותנו משם, והוא המלך במשפט יעמיד ארץ למה לא יציל עשוק מיד עושקו והמוכה מיד מכהו אחרי היותו חף בלי פשע".</fn></li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | <p>For analysis of these issues, see <a href="Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice" data-aht="page">Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice</a> and <a href="Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage" data-aht="page">Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Delayed Redemption">Delayed Redemption: Hashem and Paroh</h2> | ||
| + | <p>Even after Hashem commissions Moshe to take the Israelites out of Egypt, a long time passes until the Exodus actually occurs.<fn>See <a href="Chronology of Shemot" data-aht="page">Chronology of Shemot 2-4</a> and <a href="Chronology of Shemot" data-aht="page">Chronology of Shemot 5-7</a> for the question of how long.</fn> This delay is caused by the hardening of Paroh's heart which Hashem, not only predicts already in <a href="Shemot3-19" data-aht="source">Shemot 3:19</a>, but actually causes according to <a href="Shemot4-21" data-aht="source">Shemot 4:21</a> and many other verses.</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>Was Paroh's fate determined and sealed with Hashem's proclamation, or could he still have exercised free choice and immediately released the Israelites?</li> | ||
| + | <li>If Paroh's flouting of God's word was a preordained conclusion, why was he punished and what was the point of making Moshe repeatedly go through the motions of trying to persuade Paroh to release the Israelites?</li> | ||
| + | <li>Why would Hashem force the Israelites to endure additional and even harsher slavery if He had already decided to redeem them?</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | <p>For further discussion, see <a href="Hardened Hearts" data-aht="page">Hardened Hearts</a>, <a href="SHE$">Delayed Redemption</a>, and <a href="Purpose of the Plagues" data-aht="page">Purpose of the Plagues</a>.</p> | ||
| + | <!-- | ||
| + | <h2>The Israelite Perspective</h2> | ||
| + | <p>Hashem's involvement in predicting and producing the exile and slavery raises a number of issues:</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>How does this Divine foreknowledge/intervention relate to the doctrine of free will? Could the actions of Avraham and his descendants have prevented or shortened the exile, or was the Divine decree indeed immutable?</li> | ||
| + | <li>What was the need for and the purpose of the exile and bondage? Did the Israelites do anything to deserve to be exiled and enslaved, or did Hashem have a different reason for the decree? Were the Israelites simply God's pawns with which to checkmate Paroh in front of the nations of the world? Was there a distinction between the reasons for the exile and the bondage?</li> | ||
| + | <li>Even if God's words at the Covenant of Pieces were simply predictions, why did God stand by idly by while His chosen nation suffered?</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | <p>For further analysis, see <a href="Philosophy:Free Will" data-aht="page">Free Will</a> and <a href="Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage" data-aht="page">Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | <h2>The Egyptian Perspective</h2> | ||
| + | <p>The flip side of the coin relates to the effects that this same Divine involvement had on the Egyptians. In addition to the verse from Tehillim cited above regarding the roots of the oppression, there are numerous verses in Shemot which describe how Hashem hardened Paroh's heart, preventing him from freeing the Israelites. We are thus left with several difficult questions:<fn>The questions from the Egyptian perspective focus on the slavery and redemption stages, while the questions from the Israelite perspective focus on the exile and slavery stages.</fn></p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>Could the Egyptians or Paroh have employed free choice and decided not to subjugate the Israelites?</li> | ||
| + | <li>If Hashem influenced their decisions, and especially if He actively hardened their hearts, how could He hold them accountable for their involuntary actions?</li> | ||
| + | <li>In sum, what was the point of forcing the Egyptians to punish the Israelites, just so the Egyptians, in turn, could be punished themselves?</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | <p>For further analysis, see <a href="Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice" data-aht="page">Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice</a>, <a href="Hardened Hearts" data-aht="page">Hardened Hearts</a>, and <a href="Purpose of the Plagues" data-aht="page">Purpose of the Plagues</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | <h2>Introduction</h2> | ||
| + | <p>The battle of wills between Hashem and Paroh dominates the landscape of the first third of Sefer Shemot, and Paroh and the Egyptians are punished severely for their defiance of God's will. However, Paroh and his nation were not acting in a vacuum. Centuries before them, Hashem himself had already designed the plans for the enslavement of the Israelites, as it constituted a central part of His master plan for the history of the world. Moreover, Hashem's knowledge and guiding hand appear at critical junctures of the bondage. This raises the issue of the complex interplay between predestination and free will. Did Paroh and the Egyptians have freedom of choice, and how can this be squared with the Divine decrees and foreknowledge? Did Hashem intervene to suspend free will at any point of the process, and if so why did the Egyptians deserve punishment? The categories below will attempt to unpack and organize the various pieces of this puzzle.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <p>Hashem's active role in taking the Israelites out of Egypt is emphasized explicitly and repeatedly throughout the Torah and Nakh.<fn>For the separate question of whether Hashem used natural means, see <a href="The Plagues – Natural or Supernatural" data-aht="page">The Plagues – Natural or Supernatural</a>.</fn> As such, the Exodus established the foundation for the belief in a Divine providence which punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. It is far more questionable, though, whether Hashem was similarly responsible for bringing about the earlier stages of the Israelites' exile and enslavement in Egypt. Did the Divine hand guide the Israelites to Egypt and cause the Egyptians to enslave them, or was this merely a natural course of events which transpired without any special heavenly input?</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Divine Intervention?">Divine Intervention or Human Choice?</h2> | ||
| + | <p>The various stages of the Egyptian Exile were foretold to Avraham already at the Covenant of the Pieces in Bereshit 15:14:</p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl">(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. | ||
| + | <div>(יד) וְגַם אֶת הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל.</div></q> | ||
| + | <p>At first glance, these verses would seem to support the notion that Hashem was responsible for all of the events in Egypt from beginning to end. 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 describes merely the roles of Avraham's descendants and an unidentified foreign nation. A similar distinction is true of the recounting of the actual events in Sefer Shemot. While Shemot 3–15 outline in great detail Hashem's active intervention to redeem the Israelites, Shemot 1–2 are pointedly silent about His role in facilitating the exile and bondage.<fn>This stands in stark contrast to many other Biblical punishments regarding which Tanakh emphasizes that it was God who was responsible.</fn></p> | ||
| + | <p>Two additional verses shed light on this issue. In Bereshit 45:8, Yosef assures his brothers that it was God who directed the course of events which sent him (and them) to Egypt:<fn>This verse may be the backdrop for the Haggadah Shel Pesach's exegesis "וירד מצרימה – אנוס על פי הדיבור".</fn></p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl">וְעַתָּה לֹא אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי הָאֱלֹהִים וַיְשִׂימֵנִי לְאָב לְפַרְעֹה וּלְאָדוֹן לְכָל בֵּיתוֹ וּמֹשֵׁל בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.<fn>Yosef repeats this theme in Bereshit 50:20 "וְאַתֶּם חֲשַׁבְתֶּם עָלַי רָעָה אֱלֹהִים חֲשָׁבָהּ לְטֹבָה לְמַעַן עֲשֹׂה כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה לְהַחֲיֹת עַם רָב". See also <a href="Tehillim105" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:17-22</a> which portrays Hashem as having pulled the strings which led to the Israelites' descent to Egypt.</fn></q> | ||
| + | <p>Similarly, <a href="Tehillim105" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:25</a> appears to imply that Hashem manipulated the Egyptians and caused them to hate the Israelites and plot against them:</p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl">הָפַךְ לִבָּם לִשְׂנֹא עַמּוֹ לְהִתְנַכֵּל בַּעֲבָדָיו.</q> | ||
| + | <p>Although some exegetes attempt to reinterpret these verses – see <a href="Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice" data-aht="page">Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice</a>,<fn>See also Abarbanel's position discussed in <a href="Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage" data-aht="page">Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage</a>.</fn> at face value the verses seem to imply that Hashem was actively involved in designing the course of the Egyptian Exile from beginning to end.<fn>See the note above that this seems to be the general thrust of <a href="Tehillim105" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105</a>.</fn> This has significant exegetical and theological ramifications from the perspectives of both the oppressed and the oppressing nations – the Israelites and the Egyptians.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Divine Decree">Divine Decree of Bondage</h2> | ||
| + | <p>The first prediction of the slavery occurs in <a href="Bereshit15-13" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15</a> at the Covenant of the Pieces when Hashem tells Avraham that his descendants will be enslaved and oppressed. In light of this, <multilink><a href="RambamTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Maimonides</a><a href="RambamTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Teshuvah 6:5</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About Rambam</a></multilink> formulates the following question as to why the Egyptians were punished:</p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl">והלא כתוב בתורה ועבדום וענו אותם, הרי גזר על המצריים לעשות רע... ולמה נפרע מהן?</q> | ||
| + | <p>Various solutions have been proposed to address this question:</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>Hashem only foretold the future but did not compel the Egyptians to act in any particular way – <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><multilink><a href="AbarbanelHaggadah" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelHaggadah" data-aht="source">Zevach Pesach s.v. "Baruch Shomer" Approach #3</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink> adopts a similar approach regarding the parallel question from the Israelite perspective.</fn></li> | ||
| + | <li>The decree was only general and the identity of the oppressing nation was not specified – <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>.</li> | ||
| + | <li>The decree was only on a nation and not any particular individual – <multilink><a href="RambamTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Rambam</a><a href="RambamTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Teshuvah 6:5</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About Rambam</a></multilink>.</li> | ||
| + | <li>The decree was only to enslave and oppress while the Egyptians went much too far and even attempted to exterminate – <multilink><a href="RaavadTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Raavad</a><a href="RaavadTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Teshuvah 6:5</a><a href="R. Avraham b. David (Raavad)" data-aht="parshan">About Raavad</a></multilink>'s second answer, <multilink><a href="RambanBereshit15-14" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanBereshit15-14" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15:14</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About Ramban</a></multilink>'s first approach.</li> | ||
| + | <li>The Egyptians were punished because their intention was not to fulfill the Divine decree – <multilink><a href="RambanBereshit15-14" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanBereshit15-14" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15:14</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About Ramban</a></multilink>'s second approach answer.</li> | ||
| + | <li>The Egyptians were not punished for enslaving the Israelites, but only for not freeing them immediately upon receiving Hashem's instructions – <multilink><a href="RaavadTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Raavad</a><a href="RaavadTeshuvah6-5" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Teshuvah 6:5</a><a href="R. Avraham b. David (Raavad)" data-aht="parshan">About Raavad</a></multilink>'s first answer.</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | <p>For similar cases and further discussion, see <a href="Philosophy:Free Will" data-aht="page">Free Will</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Divine Intervention">Divine Intervention to Initiate the Slavery</h2> | ||
| + | <p>Hashem's involvement may not have been limited to merely preordaining the slavery. <a href="Tehillim105" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:25</a> appears to imply that Hashem manipulated the Egyptians and caused them to hate the Israelites and plot against them:<fn><a href="Tehillim105" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:17-22</a> also portrays Hashem as having pulled the strings which led to the Israelites' descent to Egypt.</fn></p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl">הָפַךְ לִבָּם לִשְׂנֹא עַמּוֹ לְהִתְנַכֵּל בַּעֲבָדָיו.</q> | ||
| + | <p>But if Hashem caused the slavery, why should the Egyptians have to pay the price? This question motivated many commentators to reinterpret this verse:</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>The Egyptians changed their own hearts, and "הָפַךְ" should be read as נהפך – <multilink><a href="RasagShemot1-10" data-aht="source">R. Saadia</a><a href="RasagShemot1-10" data-aht="source">Commentary Shemot 1:10</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RadakTehillim105-25" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakTehillim105-25" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:25, 2nd answer</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About Radak</a></multilink></li> | ||
| + | <li>Hashem made the original decree centuries before but did not impact on the Egyptians' heart – <multilink><a href="RadakTehillim105-25" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakTehillim105-25" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:25, 1st answer</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About Radak</a></multilink>.</li> | ||
| + | <li>The Egyptians changed their own hearts, but the action is attributed to Hashem because He is the ultimate source of everything in the world – <multilink><a href="MeiriTehillim105-25" data-aht="source">Meiri</a><a href="MeiriTehillim105-25" data-aht="source">Tehillim 105:25</a><a href="R. Menachem HaMeiri" data-aht="parshan">About the Meiri</a></multilink>.</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | <p>For similar cases and further discussion, see <a href="Philosophy:Free Will" data-aht="page">Free Will</a>, <a href="New King or Dynasty" data-aht="page">New King or Dynasty?</a>, and <a href="Hardened Hearts" data-aht="page">Hardened Hearts</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Divine Foreknowledge">Divine Foreknowledge of Paroh's Obstinacy</h2> | ||
| + | <p>In Shemot 3:19-20, before Moshe encounters Paroh, Hashem states that Paroh will refuse to listen and will need to endure many plagues before letting the people go.</p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl">(יט) וַאֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי לֹא יִתֵּן אֶתְכֶם מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לַהֲלֹךְ וְלֹא בְּיָד חֲזָקָה.<br/> | ||
| + | (כ) וְשָׁלַחְתִּי אֶת יָדִי וְהִכֵּיתִי אֶת מִצְרַיִם בְּכֹל נִפְלְאֹתַי אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱשֶׂה בְּקִרְבּוֹ וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יְשַׁלַּח אֶתְכֶם.</q> | ||
| + | <p>Can this Divine knowledge and pronouncement be squared with the doctrine of free will? Was Paroh's fate determined and sealed with Hashem's proclamation, or could he still have exercised free choice and immediately released the Israelites? See <a href="Philosophy:Free Will" data-aht="page">Free Will</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="Hardened Heart">Hashem Hardens Paroh's Heart</h2> | ||
| + | <p>Shemot 4:21 goes a step further:</p> | ||
| + | <q dir="rtl">וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּלֶכְתְּךָ לָשׁוּב מִצְרַיְמָה רְאֵה כָּל הַמֹּפְתִים אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְיָדֶךָ וַעֲשִׂיתָם לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה וַאֲנִי אֲחַזֵּק אֶת לִבּוֹ וְלֹא יְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָעָם.</q> | ||
| + | <p>Here, we see not only Divine knowledge, but Hashem's active intervention in strengthening Paroh's heart in order to prevent him from releasing the people. Variations of this theme are then repeated so many times in subsequent chapters that it becomes almost a mantra. Is it possible to reconcile this with the principle of free choice?<fn>A similar question exists regarding verses which indicate that Hashem prevented a person from sinning or caused him to perform a virtuous deed. For more, see <a href="Philosophy:Free Will" data-aht="page">Free Will</a>.</fn> Or, alternatively, was there a justification for Hashem's suspending Paroh's ability to control his own actions? For a full analysis, see <a href="Hardened Hearts" data-aht="page">Hardened Hearts</a>.</p> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <h2 name="">What Was the Point?</h2> | ||
| + | <p>Hashem commands Moshe to expend significant efforts in engaging Paroh in dialogue both before and during the Plagues. This is a responsibility for which Moshe felt inadequate and which he shoulders only very reluctantly with Aharon's aid. But if Paroh's flouting of God's word was a preordained conclusion, what was the point of making Moshe go through the motions time and time again? For an analysis of the various approaches to this issue and related ones, see <a href="Hardened Hearts" data-aht="page">Hardened Hearts</a>.</p> | ||
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Version as of 08:49, 10 July 2019
גלות ושעבוד – גזירת הקב"ה?
Introduction
Centuries before the Exodus,1 Hashem revealed to Avraham that his descendants would be exiled and enslaved in a foreign country for hundreds of years. Bereshit 15 reads:
EN/HEע/E
(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה.
(13) He said to Avram, "Know for sure that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and afflict them for four hundred years.
The realization of this Divine master plan required the choreographed cooperation of two additional parties – the Children of Israel and the unidentified foreign nation to be named later (i.e. the Egyptians).2 Before Hashem could redeem the Israelites, they first needed to go into exile, and another nation had to enslave them.3
To comprehend the dynamics of this entire process, one must first examine each of its multiple stages and try to establish to what extent each of Hashem, the Israelites, or the Egyptians played decisive roles in their implementation. Did Hashem control the entire process4 or did the Israelites and Egyptians exercise their own free wills at different stages?5 One can then proceed to analyze the motivations of each of the various participants and to address the theological ramifications of the interplay between all of these issues.
Exile: Hashem and the Israelites
The Covenant of Pieces and Yosef's words to his brothers in Bereshit 45:5-8 imply Divine foreknowledge of the exile and Hashem's active intervention to make it happen. This raises several issues:
- Did God's prophecy to Avraham suspend human free choice?6
- Why did Hashem decree the exile, and did He force the Israelites to emigrate to Egypt? Could Avraham's descendants have chosen not to leave Israel?
- Why did the Israelites continue to remain in Egypt even after the famine was over?
For discussion of these questions, see Divine Plans and Israelite Free Choice and Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage.
Slavery: Hashem and the Egyptians
While at the Covenant of Pieces Hashem presents the slavery as a foregone conclusion, Shemot 1 describes how Paroh and the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites without mentioning any Divine role. Both of these also need to be reconciled with Tehillim 105 which implies that Hashem actively caused the bondage.
- Could the Egyptians or Paroh have employed free choice and decided not to subjugate the Israelites?7
- If Hashem impacted the Egyptians' decisions, how could He hold them accountable for their involuntary actions?
- Why did Hashem cause, or at the very least stand idly by, while His chosen nation suffered? Did the Israelites deserve to be enslaved?
- Why are we so grateful for Hashem's redemption of the Children of Israel, if He was also responsible for causing the exile and bondage?8
For analysis of these issues, see Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice and Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage.
Delayed Redemption: Hashem and Paroh
Even after Hashem commissions Moshe to take the Israelites out of Egypt, a long time passes until the Exodus actually occurs.9 This delay is caused by the hardening of Paroh's heart which Hashem, not only predicts already in Shemot 3:19, but actually causes according to Shemot 4:21 and many other verses.
- Was Paroh's fate determined and sealed with Hashem's proclamation, or could he still have exercised free choice and immediately released the Israelites?
- If Paroh's flouting of God's word was a preordained conclusion, why was he punished and what was the point of making Moshe repeatedly go through the motions of trying to persuade Paroh to release the Israelites?
- Why would Hashem force the Israelites to endure additional and even harsher slavery if He had already decided to redeem them?
For further discussion, see Hardened Hearts, Delayed Redemption, and Purpose of the Plagues.
