Nature of the Bondage/2

Nature of the Bondage

Exegetical Approaches

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Slaves to the State

Slavery in Egypt was State sponsored and involved serving Paroh rather than acting as house slaves to individual Egyptians..

Sources:Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelYitro HaChodesh 5About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot, RashiShemot 1:11-13Shemot 5:4About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorShemot 1:11-14About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RalbagShemot Beur HaMilot 1:11-14Shemot Beur HaParashah 1:11-22About R. Levi b. Gershom, HaKetav VeHaKabbalahShemot 1:13About R. Yaakov Mecklenburg, ShadalShemot 1:11-14Shemot 5:4About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, R. David Zvi HoffmannShemot 1:11-14About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

"וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלָיו שָׂרֵי מִסִּים" – Most of these sources understand that this refers to a labor tax, and that the nation was conscripted to work in building storehouses for the State. ¹

"וַיַּעֲבִדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָרֶךְ"

Slaves to the Sate and to Individuals

Not only were the Israelites conscripted to work for Paroh, but in addition any Egyptian who so desired was free to enslave an Israelite to work for them personally.

Sources:TanchumaVayetze 9About the Tanchuma, RambanShemot 1:10-14Shemot 5:4About R. Moshe b. Nachman, R. BachyaShemot 1:10About R. Bachya b. Asher, AbarbanelShemot 1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, perhaps Seforno,  R. S"R HirschShemot 1:11-14About R. Samson Raphael Hirsch

"וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלָיו שָׂרֵי מִסִּים"

"וַיַּעֲבִדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָרֶךְ" – According to these sources the word "מִצְרַיִם" refers to individual Egyptians.  This verse represents a worsening of the oppression as lay Egyptians were given permission to take Israelites as their personal slaves.

"וּבְכׇל עֲבֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה" – Abarbanel asserts that this refers to working the lands of individual Egyptians.  The State sponsored bondage focused instead on building.

Where did the Israelites live? This position raises the possibility that while many Israelites might have lived in private homes in Goshen, others might have lived with their masters in Egypt proper.

Borrowing from neighbors

¹ R"Y Bekhot Shor asserts that while the rest of the Egyptians gave a fifth of their produce to Paroh, the Israelites, who were exempt from this, were instead forced to build the cities to store the grain.