Background This passage speaks about promises. God promises Abraham that his descendants will be redeemed from Egypt after four hundred years. This passage appears to be in contrast to the previous one, at least as it was interpreted by Rabbi Lorberbaum. Was the Exodus the fulfillment of a promise which God made to Abraham and which had to be fulfilled unconditionally or was Israel’s redemption a product of their suffering and purging idolatry from their soul? Notice that this passage is similar to the previous passage that appeared before the four children. It is a liturgical statement “Blessed is the One who…Blessed is He.” Blessed is the One who kept his promise to Israel. What does the Haggadah mean by the expression that God “determined the end (of our bondage”)? There are two ways of keeping a promise. For the average person, keeping a promise is serious business. If a person makes a promise to another person, he will often worry about fulfilling his words by looking ahead and figuring out how much time he has and what he must do to live up to his intentions. For someone in a position of power such as a ruler, on the other hand, fulfilling ones promise is not so difficult. In a sense making the promise is its fulfillment since the ruler is in a position to do whatever he wishes. He does not have to spend time worrying about fulfilling his words; he can simply have it taken care of. Here God not only makes the promise but worries about its fulfillment. He has determined the end of the bondage and he actively participates in its completion. This passage contains two statements: “God keeps his promise to Israel” and “God determined the end (of our bondage).” What is the difference between these two expressions, and how are they different from one another? The Haggadah is making a powerful statement about God here. Since God’s promise of redemption should have been more than sufficient, why does the Haggadah also tell us that God “determined the end” of the bondage? This is an expression of God’s deep love and concern for the children of Israel. Even though God doesn't have to do so, He worries about the fulfillment of His promise and actively participates in its fruition. In a sense, He puts it in His day planner; He writes it in His palm pilot. In this way, He demonstrates to the other nations just how precious the people of Israel are to Him. We thank God, then, not only for making a promise to our ancestors but for actively fulfilling it as well. God’s active involvement in the fulfillment of His promise gives us a sense of hope, and draws God’s ‘abundance’ down and protects Israel. It gives the people a sense of hope and strength that can never be destroyed by others no matter how hateful they may be.