דבר ידוע הוא שכל הפירות הנלקטי' קודם בישולם אינם מתקיימי' וירקבו. ואף אותם שנתבשלו על ידי השקהה גם הם לא יערבו וימתקו כאותם שנתבשלו מאליה' כדכתיב וממגד תבואות שמש. כיוצא בזה גאולת מצרים לפי שהוצרך כביכול הוא ית' לדלג על ההרי' ולקפץ על הגבעות ולגואלנו קודם הזמן והוא כעין לקיטת הפרי קודם זמנו. וזה היה גרמה לכל הרעות שנתהוו אח"כ והענין הוא כי מפני גלולי מצרי' שנטמאו בהם ישראל כדכתי' איש שקוצי עיניו השליכו ובגלולי מצרי' נטמאו נכנסו במ"ט שערי טומאה מחמשי' שבהם. ואילו לא היה ממהר הוא ית' להוציאנו משם והיינו נכנסי' בשער החמישי' לא היינו יכולי' לצאת משם עדי עד. כי הטומאה היתה סובבת אותנו מכל צד והיינו נהפכי' לעם אחר. ואפשר שהניצוצות שאמרנו בתחלת דברינו היו גורמי' להם. וזהו אומרו הרי אנו ובנינו ובני בנינו דעד כאן רחמי האב על הבן. ועל כן לא הזכיר יותר. אבל ממילא משמ' כל הדורות הבאי' אחריה' משועבדי' היינו לפרעה במצרי'. ולפי שאמר לאברהם ואחרי כן יצאו. התחיל למנות הארבע מאות שנה מלידת יצחק ולא מירידת מצרי' כאשר היה ראוי. כי חפזון שכינה וחפזון זה של יש' גרם שלא המתין לעת קץ ואלו היה אפשר להמתין לא היה מגיע אלינו שום דבר רע במדבר ולא בשאר ארצות ולא היה כח בטומאה לשלוט בנו. כי כיון שגזר הקב"ה גדולה לאדם. וכל שכן לאומה שלמה לדורי דורות גוזרה. וזהו הכח גדול והיד חזקה שהוצרך כביכול לו ית' כדי להוציאנו. לא שטרח ונתיגע לגואלנו כי כל הגוים כאין נגדו. וכל דיירי ארעא כלא חשיבין. אלא להיות אלקי' שופט צדיק. וצאתם אז היה קודם זמנו וכמעט נגד הדין הוא הכח הגדול והיד החזקה שהוצרך ללמד עלינו סנגוריא ולמצוא דרך שדבריו תקום לעולם. ואם אמר ועבדום וענו אותם ארבע מאות שנה. הכי הוו. כי התחיל המספר מלידת יצחק כאמור. ועל כן רצה שפרעה יאמר בפיו קומו צאו מתוך עמי. למען לא יהיה מקום למדת הדין לקטרג. ועכ"ז על מספר הק"ץ שנה נתרעמה מדת הדין. ופייסה בהבטחה להשלימם לה בגלותנו זה כמו שכתוב אצלנו בפרשת לך לך בגר"ן ארנ"ן. והואיל ולקיטת הפרי קודם זמנו גרם כל הקלקול על כן הזהיר אותנו בגלותנו זה שלא לדחוק את הקץ למען לא יארע לנו כמו שאירע בגלות ההוא שהוצרך לגואלנו קודם הזמן. והיה גרמה לשוב בגולה וכן הזהיר לאומות באומרו השבעתי אתכם בנות ירושלם אם תעירו ואם תעוררו את האהבה עד שתחפץ. ולכן טוב לנו להמתין בשמחה בישול הפרי כדי שיתלקט בזמנו ואז יתקיים לעד.

It is well known that fruits that are prematurely picked before they ripen will not be preserved and will quickly rot. Even those that ripen by means of artificial watering will not sweeten like those that ripen on their own, as Scripture states, “With the bounteous yield of the sun,” (Deut. 33:14) Similarly, because God, “Leaped over mountains and bounded over hills,” (Song 2:8) redeeming Israel before the allotted time, the Israelites were like prematurely gathered fruits. This was the cause of all the evils that happened afterwards. It was due to all the idolatry of Egypt which made Israel impure, as is stated in Scripture, “Cast away, every one of you, the detestable things of his eyes and do not defile yourselves with the fetishes of Egypt.” (Ezek. 20:7) As a result, they entered forty-ninth of the fifty gates of impurity. If God had not rushed to bring Israel out from Egypt, they might have entered the fiftieth gate and would never have escaped from Egypt. The impurity would have surrounded them on all sides and Israel would have become a strange people. It is possible this would have been caused by the sparks referred to earlier. Regarding this, the Haggadah states that, “We, our children and our children’s children would have been subjugated in Egypt…” (Three generations) are mentioned since the compassion of a father for his children extends (for three generations),⁵⁶ and it doesn’t need to mention additional generations. The statement implies that all the continuing generations would have been subjugated to Pharaoh in Egypt. Since God said to Abraham, “And afterwards they shall go out with great wealth,” they began counting (the subjugation), the four hundred years, from the birth of Isaac and not from the descent into Egypt as would have been fitting. It was through the haste of the Divine Presence and the haste of Israel that caused them to leave before the allotted time. If it had been possible for them to wait, evil would not have come upon them in the wilderness and afterwards in the land of Israel, and impurity would not have overwhelmed them. When God decrees greatness to a person and, even more so, to a nation, it is decreed for all generations. This was the great strength and the mighty hand that was necessary (so to speak) to bring us out of Egypt. It wasn’t that God had trouble redeeming Israel, for the other nations were nothing in comparison with God. All the inhabitants of the earth are non-existent (in comparison with God). While God is a righteous Judge, the Exodus had to take place before its allotted time which was against the judgment so that it took extra strength and a mighty hand (to redeem Israel). It was necessary to speak in defense of Israel, (Ex. 20:2) and find a way to establish God’s words forever. After all, if God had decreed, “They shall be afflicted and serve them four hundred years,” (Gen. 15:13) this must be so! That is why they began the count from the birth of Isaac. That is, God wanted Pharaoh to say, “Rise up and go out of my nation,” (Ex. 12:31) so that the accuser (Satan) could not make a claim. Despite this, the accuser still complained about the extra 190 missing years.⁵⁷ He was appeased with the promise that the years would be completed during Israel’s other exiles, as I have explained in the commentary on Parshat Lech Lecha in Sefer Goren Arnon. (Ho’eel) Just as gathering fruit before it is ripe causes it to spoil, so, too, Israel was warned during this exile not to force the end-time to come. To bring about redemption prematurely might cause things to happen to us during that exile; it might cause us to go back into exile. And so Israel was warned, as Scripture states, “I adjure you, O maidens of Jerusalem…do not wake or arouse love until it please!”⁵⁸ It is better for us to joyfully wait for the fruit to ripen so that it can be gathered in its time and then the messianic era will be established for all time.

footnotes: ⁵⁶ See Rashi on Exodus 22:2 ⁵⁷ This is a common theme in many of the other commentaries: how do we account for the four hundred years of slavery? If we account for slavery from the time that Jacob’s children went down to Egypt, then we are missing 190 years. And if we account for the years from the birth of Isaac then there is a lengthy period in which they were not enslaved. Rabbi Eliezer Nachman of Foa argues that we counted from the birth of Isaac but that the prosecutor still held us as guilty of evading 190 years of actual slavery. ⁵⁸ Song of Songs 2:7 It is not without significance that this commentary was published in 1641, shortly before Shabbatai Tzvi was pronounced the Messiah. There was a great deal of Messianic speculation during this period throughout the world among both Jews and Christians. No doubt the speculation at least influenced the rise of the infamous False Messiah.

(V’afilu) “Even if we are wise ... .it is a commandment to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt:” For this story is not like the stories of Roman wars or other wars which took place around the world. It is forbidden to incline one’s ear to listen to them since they are vain matters. It is a commandment to speak of the war which God waged against Egypt so that it will remain in one’s consciousness as a matter to contemplate. When one thinks about the Exodus, one wonders, how is it possible that Pharaoh was so lacking in common sense that he rebelled against God and was so stubborn in his denial of God so many times? And how could God forgo His honor, sending Pharaoh the message, “Let My people go,” when he could have told Moses, “Gather the Jews who are in Egypt and take them out?” And if a person wished to show God’s power, there are many ways that he could have done so! Similar to these questions, a person could derive from these supernal matters and discussions that there are many new ideas to be derived. Also, one would see how Pharaoh in his wisdom could do these things as we shall explain, with the help of God. Pharoah should have concluded that God is faithful to His covenant and keeps His word. Pharaoh’s error was that he thought, ‘God already said to Abraham, “They shall be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years.” (He reasoned),’ It is impossible that they already began (this count) from the Covenant of the Pieces⁵⁹ for thirty years would pass before the birth of Isaac.⁶⁰, the Covenant of the Pieces was made thirty years before the birth of Isaac. Some people count the four hundred years from Isaac’s birth. However the Covenant predicts that the people would be enslaved and afflicted by another people for four hundred years - so the count could not be until the Israelites went down to Egypt with Jacob. That would mean that they were only in Egypt 215 years. Pharaoh erred in thinking that they had not completed the full four hundred years and so he was not obligated to free them. The Covenant of the Pieces also had to refer to a time when they were enslaved and afflicted. Therefore, Pharaoh didn’t believe Moses and stubbornly refused to free Israel. Pharaoh said: ‘Joseph said to his brothers, “God sent me before you…”⁶¹ Your God sent you to be enslaved by me, and now you are coming to me and saying in the name of your God that I should send you forth? You haven’t completed the four hundred years of slavery, yet!’ (U’b’emet) Actually Pharaoh was correct (in his calculations) but the outcry of the people of Israel caused God to subvert the original judgment. There are other reasons which we shall mention. That is why we are obligated to tell the story of the Exodus. Even if one offers nothing new in telling the story, this should not prevent one from doing so because whenever one mentions God’s wonders it arouses God’s supernal power above and renews goodness. This is the implication of the expression, kol hamarbeh lisaper, instead of saying kol hamoseef, or kol hamisaper bitziyat mitzrayim, ⁶² one who speaks at length, as opposed to kol hamoseef, - one who adds, or, kol hamisaper bitziyat mitzrayim - one who tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt. implying that even if his words seem excessive and repetitive, it should not prevent him from this effort. This is what the sages state in Midrash Tehilim (Tilin), Ps. 70 say: “(For the leader. Of David, Lehazkir. Hasten O Lord to save me!”⁶³ in this context is not clear. In the 1917 JPS translation “To make a memorial. The parenthesis at the beginning of this quote does not appear in Rabbi Foa’s quotation but it does appear in the Midrash.) That which is stated in Scripture, “For though I sowed them among the nations, (in distant places they shall remember me)...”⁶⁴ that is, as a reward for remembering me, I shall remember them. And for every time you remember me, my heart yearns for you, as is stated in Scripture, “That is why My heart yearns for him.” (Jer. 31:20) He appointed Levites to minister before the Ark ofAdonai, to invoke (to remember), to praise…” (I Chr. 16:4) What did they remember? It is a remembrance of the wonders that God performed for them at all times. God only redeemed me to save me so that I could recall His wonders. David said, ‘If so “I remember him, as it states, “For the leader Of David,lehazkir.’” Thus, they decreed remembering the Exodus each day; possibly God will have mercy on us and redeem us.” (Zech. 10:9)⁶⁵ Psalm 70 which Foa quotes at length - however it appears that his version of the text is incorrect - I have based the translation on the original version of the text in MT. למנצח לדוד להזכיר. אלקים להצילני. זה שאמר הכתוב (זכריה י ט) ואזרעם בעמים. ובשכר שמזכירים אותי בכל פעם אני מזכיר אותם בכל זמן שאתם מזכירים אותי מעי הומים עליכם שנאמר (ירמיה לא יט) הבן יקיר לי אפרים וגו' המו מעי לו. (דברי הימים-א טז ד) ויתן לפני ארון ברית ה' וגו' להזכיר ולהודות. ומה היו מזכירין (שם יב) זכרו נפלאותיו אשר עשה זכרו נפלאותיו שעשה עמכם בכל עת ולא גאל את ישראל ועשה עמהם אלא בשביל שיהיו מזכירים נפלאותיו. אמר דוד אם כן אני מזכירו למנצח לדוד להזכיר אלקים להצילני. This is especially true during this season. We arouse God’s compassion since, “In Nissan Israel was redeemed and in Nissan they will be redeemed. By adding to the memories of wonders it is as if we are adding to the power of God’s might (koah gevurotav) above. Thus, it is written in the Zohar, Parshat Bo, “Thus we have established: a people who speaks about the Exodus from Egypt, and rejoices in that story - in the future they will rejoice in the Shechinah in the world to come, which is the greatest joy of all. For they are like a person who rejoices in his/her Master, and the Holy One of Blessing rejoices in this story. At that time [when the story of the Exodus is told], the Holy One gathers together all of the heavenly hosts and says to them: "Go and listen to the telling of My praises, for right now my children are speaking and rejoicing in My salvation." Immediately, they all gather and unite themselves with the people of Israel, and listen to their story of praise. For when [Israel] rejoices in the joy of their Master's salvation, the [heavenly hosts] give thanks to the Holy One of blessing for all of these miracles and feats, and they give thanks to God for the holy nation that God has on the earth who rejoice in the joy of their Master's salvation. At that time, strength and power are increased on high; and in their telling of the story, Israel grants strength to their Master.`` ⁶⁶ Volume 2, Parshat Bo 42b Translation taken from Sefaria

footnotes: ⁵⁹ According to the Torah, the Covenant of the Pieces or Covenant Between the Parts in Genesis, Chapter 15 was an event in which God revealed himself to Abraham and made a covenant with him. God announced to Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in Egypt but would eventually inherit the Land of Israel. ⁶⁰ If I understand this correctly, the Brit bein habetarim ⁶¹ Genesis 45:7 God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. ⁶² Kol hamarbeh lisaper - ⁶³ See Psalm 70:1-2 The meaning of the word Lihazkir ⁶⁴ Note that he quotes the verse from Zechariah incorrectly ⁶⁵ See Midrash Tehillim ⁶⁶ Zohar