Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage/1/en

Purposes of the Egyptian Bondage

Introduction

English Study Guide: PDF

Obvious Omissions

Over two centuries before Yaakov's sons arrived in Egypt, their exile, bondage, and ultimate redemption were foretold to their great-grandfather Avraham at the Covenant of Pieces.¹ Yet, despite the significance of these events for the future Israelite nation, neither their cause nor purpose are revealed. The reader is thus left to ponder several issues:

• Did Hashem ordain that Yaakov's family would be forced to uproot from Canaan and remain in Egypt for centuries? Was the unfolding of these events a realization of a Divine master plan² or merely a product of human volition?
• What was accomplished by such a process of exile, slavery, and even attempted extermination, and why does Hashem not explain this to Avraham?³ Why would Hashem permit the Egyptians to inflict such hardships upon His chosen nation?⁴ Did the Israelites or their forefathers do anything that made them deserve such a fate? And could they have done anything to prevent its fulfillment?
• Why did Hashem feel compelled to share such a terrifying prophecy with Avraham, and why did Avraham respond with complete silence? Could he not have prayed for Divine mercy upon his descendants?⁵

Egypt: Penitentiary or Incubator?

In Tanakh, suffering on a large scale such as exile or subjugation usually comes as a punishment for evil deeds.⁶ Thus many commentators attempt to identify a sin or sins which led to the Egyptian bondage. The Torah itself, however, neither explicitly records that any particular sin was responsible for the decree,⁷ nor does it state that Hashem' hand was responsible for causing the suffering.⁸ It also does not offer Avraham or his descendants any option of repentance,⁹ as is frequently the case when punishment is involved. Consequently, others contend that the exile and slavery could not have been a punishment, but were rather a method of inculcating values and instilling faith. But if so, could Hashem not have found a different way to incubate and educate the nation without causing such terrible suffering?

Generation Gap

The Covenant of the Pieces combined two related decrees, the exile of "גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ" and the oppression of "וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם". These two events, though, affected different generations. The generation of Yosef and his brothers was exiled, but no member of that generation suffered the oppression and bondage which afflicted their descendants.¹⁰ And as noted above, the prophecy regarding both of these decrees was given already to Avraham, who lived in a different generation entirely than either of its implementation stages. Thus, any approach must relate to and account for the relationships between these various generations. If the exile and bondage were punishment for a sin, which of the generations was the guilty party? Was it the generation to whom they were predicted, the generation which was exiled, or the generation which was enslaved? Alternatively, if the objective was to educate, which generation was the focus? And, finally, is it possible that the various stages of the decree had different goals which were aimed at different generations?

¹ For more on the dating of the Covenant of Pieces, see Duration of the Egyptian Exile.

² See Bereshit 45:5,8 and Tehillim 105:16-25 which imply that Hashem guided the entire process. For elaboration, see Exile and Enslavement – Divinely Designed, Divine Plans and Israelite Free Choice, and Divine Plans and Egyptian Free Choice.

³ The Torah also never explicitly reveals to the reader the purpose of the exile and slavery.

⁴ This question would apply even if one maintains that the process was not Divinely designed and only a product of human choice.

⁵ See Tzeror HaMorBereshit 15:9About R. Avraham Saba who asks why Avraham did not plead on behalf of his descendants, as he did on behalf of Sedom. See also Ma'asei HashemMa'asei Mitzrayim 1About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi who asks similarly about all of the Patriarchs.

⁶ See Akeidat YitzchakShemot #36About R. Yitzchak Arama who writes: "כי לא נמצא שקדם להם עון אשר חטא יחייבם בו כשאר הגליות", and see M. Avioz, "?מדוע נשתעבדו בני ישראל במצרים", Bar Ilan University Weekly Parashah Sheet (Shemot 5761) who notes that this is in contrast to the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles which Tanakh explicitly says came about due to the sins of the nation. See also the Book of Shofetim which is replete with similar examples of sin followed by punishment.

⁷ See, however, Yechezkel 20:1-10 which points to sins of the Children of Israel while they were already in Egypt. For elaboration, see Israelites' Religious Identity.

⁸ Contrast this with the many examples in the books of Shofetim and Melakhim in which subjugation and exile come as punishment and Hashem's guiding hand is made explicit.

⁹ See the Ma'asei HashemMa'asei Mitzrayim 1About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi who notes this.

¹⁰ See Shemot 1:6 that the slavery started only after Yosef's entire generation had already died out.