Translator's Summary: Did Israel even deserve to have God answer their prayers and their cry? Afterall, they were assimilated idolaters. In this section Chida in his commentary explores the nature of Israel’s prayer. Why does it say that they cried out and were they worthy of having their prayers answered? Quoting the Talmud, Chida says that one who is drunk or in duress is exempt from prayer so how could the Israelites even call upon God? “And we cried…” It is possible to explain the verses, “They dealt ill...We cried out…” based on a statement in Eruvin 65a: “Rav Sheshet said in the name of Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya: “I can exempt the entire world from judgment, from the day that the Temple was destroyed until now. As it is stated: “Therefore, hear now this, you are afflicted and drunk, but not from wine.”¹⁵⁰ (Is. 51:21) An objection was raised to this from a baraita: One who is intoxicated, his acquisition is a binding acquisition...he is considered sober in all matters but he is exempt from prayer. Rather, what is the meaning of: “I can be exempt?” Rather when it says “I can exempt,” it means he can even exempt them from prayer. In the book *Semichat Chachamim,*¹⁵¹ (page 59) Rabbi Naftalie Katz, writes in the name of his grandfather: If Rav Sheshet could exempt a person from all judgment, why should being exempt from the obligation to pray be different? Furthermore in Eruvin 41b, it states: “The Sages taught: Three matters cause a person to act against his own will and the will of his Maker: gentiles, evil spirits, and extreme poverty. What is the practical conclusion that can be derived from this statement? One should ask for mercy for people who suffer from those problems.” From this we may conclude that poverty removes a person from his Creator and therefore he should be exempt from prayer? Yet since one who is in duress should he not be obligated to pray - the statement says that one should ask for mercy for them. Now, when it says, “I can exempt the entire world from judgment,” it means from any judgment in the world, according to its plain sense meaning. From the general use of language it implies one who is impoverished, as Scripture states, “Listen to this, afflicted/poor (oniyah), who is drunk, but not with wine.” (Is. 51:21) If you say that such a person should pray for mercy, Scripture states, “You are afflicted and drunk.” (Is. 51:21) and one who is drunk is exempt from prayer. This is what the Talmud means; “I can exempt the whole world from the law of prayer - since one is exempt from prayer because of poverty. Poverty causes duress. A person should ask for mercy but since he is like a drunkard, he becomes exempt from both prayer and anything else. This is the essence of Rabbi Katz’s explanation. With this we can now explain these verses, “The Egyptians dealt ill with us” - they made us evil sinners by teaching us their ways. But we were exempt whether it is prayer or other laws. This is because “They afflicted us,” (vayanunu), that is, “They impoverished us,” (aniyim), leading us to the depths of poverty which removes a person from his Creator. Under duress, such a person is exempt (from prayer). If you say that one is obligated to pray for such people, one can answer, “They placed hard labor upon us.” We were living in exile and became like drunkards - and a drunkard is exempt from prayer and all other obligations.¹⁵² Come and see: even though we were exempt from prayer, despite this we still cried out to God. Even when we are exempt, our prayers bear fruit and arouse compassion even though we were a nation living in the midst of another nation. God heard our voices and prayers even though it was no more than a scream. God didn’t listen because of our merit or good deeds. Rather, God saw our poverty and knew that such poverty removes a person from his Creator. He saw that we were in duress. If you say we should have prayed, Scripture states, “our pressure and our labor” - we were in exile and were like drunkards so that we were exempt from prayer. How much more so was it difficult because we were facing great oppression which the Egyptians placed on us. Still, we cried out even though we weren’t obligated to do so and God, the Master of Mercy heard our voice, the voice of our prayer. Our cry rose up to the throne of God’s glory.

footnotes: ¹⁵⁰ This teaches that in the wake of the destruction of the Temple, all Jews are considered intoxicated with grief and are not responsible for the sins they commit. (The William Davidson translation of Talmud on (Sefaria) ¹⁵¹ Naphtali Cohen (1649–1718) was a Russo-German rabbi and kabbalist born in Ostrowo in Ukraine. He belonged to a family of rabbis in Ostrowo, where his father, Isaac Cohen, a great-great-grandson of the Judah Loew ben Bezalel, had fled during the Polish–Cossack–Tatar War. (Wikipedia) ¹⁵² In other words - if a person cannot pray, one can pray for him to have the ability to pray. But in this case because of extreme poverty Israel was exempt from prayer and so there was no need to pray for them to have the ability to pray.

Based on the previous interpretation, we can now explain the verses in Exodus: And Adonai said, “I have seen well the plight of My people in Egypt and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters; yes, I am mindful of their sufferings. And I will come down to rescue them...” (Ex. 3:7-8) “I have seen well the plight (ani) of My people…” means that they were miserably impoverished and living in extreme poverty that removes a person from his Creator because it is so relentless. Also, they were living under harsh conditions in exile so that they were like drunkards. As a result they were exempt from prayer. Instead they cried out in anguish thinking they were not worthy. Yet I heard their cry because of their taskmasters who treated them in ways that they shouldn’t have and I went down to Egypt to save them from the Egyptians.

Furthermore, I have something to say about the verse, “He saw our affliction...” (Deut 26:7) But first I will explain, “I have seen well the plight (ani) of my people…” We know that the harshness of slavery completed the remaining years of slavery that had been decreed by God. If the Egyptians made the claim that they enslaved and oppressed Israel since it was decreed, “They shall enslave them and oppress them,” then one might say that v’inu otam, “they shall oppress them,” is a reference to the harsh slavery inflicted on them and the harshness of the slavery was allowed to complete the decree of 400 years. But this is problematic since v’inu otam has also been explained as, “They impoverished them,” based on Job’s counsel. He told Pharaoh, “Take their money.” If we understand that, v’inu otam means, “Take their money and impoverish them,” then all it says, v’avadum, “enslave them.” Now, we can conclude the harshness of subjugation was not decreed upon them. The harshness if the servitude, then, is what what allowed them to complete their years of slavery more quickly. This is what Scripture means when it says, “I have seen well (ra’oh ra’eeti) the plight (ani) of my people.” There are two ‘seeings’ here: (raoh):¹⁵³See I have seen,” is repeated twice. see the plight of my people and see (ra’eeti) that they have been impoverished. The Egyptians already carried out V’inu otam when “They impoverished them.” If so, the harshness of slavery was not decreed on Israel. Therefore, “I heard their cry because of their taskmasters who inflicted harsh subjugation.” If so it makes sense that the harshness of their slavery completed their subjugation and God came down to save them earlier than the decree. .

footnotes: ¹⁵³ The verb Raah, “

We can now understand the verse, “Adonai heard our voice.” Do not be surprised that God heard our voice before the allotted time of redemption. The reason is, ““God saw our affliction” - this was the forced separation of couples.” “And they afflicted them,” meant not allowing the Israelites to have conjugal relations - this too is a form of, “affliction. “And our toil,” meant taking away our wealth as was stated, V’inu otam meant making us poor. “And they will afflict them,” was not a reference to subjugation since God never commanded them to do this. If so, Et lachatzeinu, “Our duress,” is a reference to the harshness of subjugation. And it was this that allowed them to complete the 400 years and led to, “Acd he took us out.”

Another explanation is found in *Semichat Chachamim.*¹⁵⁴ There are two opinions about who may receive rewards in this world. First, there is a person who begs like a pauper. Such a person receives his reward through the laws of charity... The second is one who benefits in this world from the father’s reward. While a person who performs good deeds does not receive the reward in this world for his mitzvot, his son might. There is a lengthy discussion about this at the end of the Mishnah in Baba Metzia and in the Gemara....¹⁵⁵ is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon. They stated this case before the Persian King Shapur, who expressed an interest in this legal issue, and he said to them: Let us offer praise [apiryon] to Rabbi Shimon. He too felt that this was the best resolution. “ It is possible that this is what the verses mean: “We cried out to Adonai, God of our fathers.” We cried out asking that our reward be given in this world and that we be redeemed. The passage alludes to the quality of mercy when it states, “We cried out to Adonai.”¹⁵⁶ (in contrast to Elohim) is associated with God’s attribute of mercy. We asked God to have mercy on us because of our ancestors. They performed good deeds and served all their days with a whole heart. Let us offer praise and the goodness of God forever and may his righteousness reach his children’s children. But the verse continues “Adonai heard our voice and saw our oppression.” That is to say, the children do not benefit from the reward of their ancestors unless they emulate their ancestor’s ways and they are righteous so that the reward for good deeds is also theirs. Even though they did not benefit from them in this world, their children may still benefit from the rewards of their father’s good deeds. This is not the case with the Israelites. They were a nation within a nation who did not deserve to receive a reward for the good deeds of their ancestors. But since they were impoverished, they were like paupers who asked for charity. This is the meaning of “God saw our anyenu, our poverty, with which they oppressed us.

footnotes: ¹⁵⁴ Naphtali Cohen (1649–1718) was a Russo-German rabbi and kabbalist born in Ostrowo in Ukraine. He belonged to a family of rabbis in Ostrowo, where his father, Isaac Cohen, a great-great-grandson of the Judah Loew ben Bezalel, had fled during the Polish–Cossack–Tatar War. (Wikipedia) ¹⁵⁵ BT Baba Metzia 119a Chida quotes the following passage. However it is not clear to me what the connection is to the present discussion: “The halakha ¹⁵⁶ The name Adonai