Nature of the Bondage/1
Nature of the Bondage
Introduction
Models of Slavery
When trying to imagine what the enslavement in Egypt was like, readers naturally look to similar experiences of oppression in modern times and read them back into the narratives of Sefer Shemot. Some envision barracks, emaciated figures, and concentration camp conditions. Others picture plantation workers mercilessly being bought and sold from hand to hand, as occurred to slaves in the American South.
A close look at the verses in Sefer Shemot, however, suggests that such comparisons are inaccurate. The verses indicate that Israelites had their own homes and possessions,1 their families remained intact2 and some people apparently had freedom of movement and employment.3 In the Wilderness, the nation even nostalgically remembers their stay in Egypt,4 recalling the abundance of free fish and vegetables they had to eat!5 Do the nation's memories bear no resemblance to reality? What does all this suggest about the character of the Israelite experience and the harshness of the conditions in Egypt?
Taxation and Hard Labor
The initial enslavement of the Nation of Israel is described in Shemot 1:11-14:
(יא) וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלָיו שָׂרֵי מִסִּים לְמַעַן עַנֹּתוֹ בְּסִבְלֹתָם וַיִּבֶן עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹת לְפַרְעֹה אֶת פִּתֹם וְאֶת רַעַמְסֵס. (יב) וְכַאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ וַיָּקֻצוּ מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. (יג) וַיַּעֲבִדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָרֶךְ. (יד) וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים וּבְכׇל עֲבֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה אֵת כׇּל עֲבֹדָתָם אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ בָהֶם בְּפָרֶךְ.
(11) Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.
(12) But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were adread because of the children of Israel.
(13) And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.
(14) And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour.
The above verses contain several lexical difficulties which affect one's understanding of the conditions in Egypt:
- שָׂרֵי מִסִּים – The first stage of slavery entails the appointing of "tax officers". Does this imply a monetary tax or a labor quota? How does it relate to the building of storage cities described at the end of the verse?
- וַיַּעֲבִדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָרֶךְ – This verse appears to constitute a worsening of the slave conditions. How did this work? What does the term "פָרֶךְ" mean? Does the word "מִצְרַיִם" refer to the Egyptian king or to the entire Egyptian nation?
Additional Questions
- Genocide – Shemot 1 discusses not only enslavement but also a genocide of male infants. After the birth of Moshe in Chapter 2, however, this is never again mentioned in Sefer Shemot. Moreover, there is never any reference to this infanticide in any other Biblical books which discuss the slavery in Egypt. For how long was this particular decree in effect? How significant an effect did it have on the Israelite population?
- Were the Children of Israel unique? Were the Israelites the only group of people enslaved, or were there other Egyptians or minorities who were similarly oppressed?
