Bekhol Dor VaDor – Echoes of the Egyptian Exilic Experience¹

Introduction

In Tanakh, suffering on a national scale usually comes as punishment for evil deeds. Yet, in the case of the Egyptian bondage, there is no indication that any particular sin was responsible for the decree.²  As a result, commentators throughout the ages have struggled to understand what necessitated Israel’s exile and subsequent slavery in Egypt.  While doing so, many attempted to also answer the "bekhol dor vador" question:  Why it is specifically our nation which is always targeted for persecution in every generation.³  Naturally, these commentators utilized their own exilic experiences to illuminate the narrative of the Egyptian encounter, while reciprocally using the Biblical story as a model through which to comprehend all future oppression.⁴  This bi-directional process leads to many fascinating insights.
 
Several commentators focus on how life in exile was critical for the formation of Israel’s national identity and the prevention of assimilation.  R. Ovadiah SfornoBereshit 46:3About R. Ovadyah Sforno (15th-16th Century Italy) asserts that had Yaakov's family remained in Canaan, they would have gradually absorbed the culture and values of their neighbors.  Being exiled to a society which abhorred them⁵ and later enslaved them is what enabled the Children of Israel to grow and develop into a nation.⁶  As R. HirschBereshit 45:11About R. S"R Hirsch (19th Century Germany) further elaborates, in medieval times, ghettos continued to play the same role as Goshen, ensuring that the Jews remained distinct and did not assimilate.
 
NetzivShemot 1:7Bemidbar 23:9Haggadah Shel Pesach "Vehi Sheamedah"About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (19th Century Lithuania) moves in a similar direction, but focuses on the second stage of the narrative, the oppression, and its utility in combatting assimilation.  In contrast to Sforno, he asserts that it was in Egypt that the Children of Israel first began to assimilate, and that it was anti-Semitism which proved to be their salvation.  The Netziv adds that, historically, every time the Jews attempted to join surrounding society, the result was non-acceptance and even persecution, the perfect antidote to acculturation.⁷
 
R. HirschBereshit 45:11About R. S"R Hirsch views the tribulations of exile as a vehicle not only for religious growth, but also for societal and interpersonal maturation.   He claims that both the Egyptian and later exiles resulted from jealousy and class distinctions. Yaakov's preferential treatment of Yosef and the difference in status between the sons of his primary wives and those of his maidservants led to internecine strife.  Similar sectarian divisions have plagued Judaism ever since.  Anti-Semitism, though, is blind to such divisions, and it serves as the great equalizer, promoting unity and forging common experiential bonds.
 
Finally, R. Eliezer AshkenaziMa'asei Hashem, Ma'asei Mitzrayim 1About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (16th Century Poland) focuses on how the exilic experience affects not merely the nation of Israel, but also the world at large.  The exilic encounter with other nations facilitates the spread of ethical monotheism and Torah values throughout the world, and the miraculous process of redemption from Egypt proclaimed Hashem's existence to all.⁸  May it be His will that this process be completed speedily and during our lifetime!

¹ This brief synopsis focuses on the positions of only a selection of commentaries. For a more comprehensive treatment of the topic, see Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage.

² For an analysis of the Midrashim and Parshanim who nevertheless attempt to identify specific sins as responsible for the exile, see: Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage.

³ See Tanchuma (Buber) Vaera 17Vaera 17About the Tanchuma which places the following question in Moshe's mouth: "רבונו של עולם מפני מה זאת האומה משתעבדת, שבעים אומות יש בעולם ואינן משועבדות אלא האומה הזאת בלבד".

⁴ In some cases, commentators are probably also motivated by a desire to counter Christian polemical claims that the misfortunes of the wandering and downtrodden exilic Jew are a sign of Divine rejection. See, for example, R. Chasdai CrescasOr Hashem 3:1:8:2About R. Chasdai Crescas (14th Century Spain) who valiantly tries to explain that the Children of Israel suffered in both Egypt and his own day, as part of "afflictions of love" which God brings upon the righteous.

⁵ Sforno notes that since the Egyptians were xenophobic (as per Bereshit 43:32) and would not even eat with the Hebrews, let alone marry them, there was a greatly reduced chance of assimilation in Egypt than in Canaan.

⁶ It is noteworthy that similarly Rabbinic Judaism developed and flourished in the aftermath of exile and destruction. By necessity, adversity leads to both self-reflection and innovation.

⁷ In fact, Netziv suggests that Hashem's promise at the Covenant of Pieces that Abraham's descendants would always remain foreigners is what maintained Jewish identity throughout history, and is the referent of "vehi" in "והיא שעמדה לאבותינו ולנו". According to his reading, the Jewish people's best efforts to assimilate instead engender the anti-Semitism of "בכל דור ודור עומדים עלינו לכלותינו", through which "והקב"ה מצילנו מידם" and prevents our assimilation.

⁸ He goes so far as to suggest that when Avraham heard news of the upcoming bondage and redemption, he was thrilled that his descendants would serve as the vehicle through which the wonders of Hashem would become manifest to the world.