Translator's Summary: The word hee can mean “ it,” or “she.” Since all nouns have gender in Hebrew, every object is either a “he” or a “she.”⁵⁴ reads V’hee, “and she” or “And it.” The word hee can have different meanings. It can refer to the promise (hav’tachah - feminine) which God made to Abraham at the Covenant of the Pieces, or as Chida interprets in the following section, the Shechinah, the Divine Presence. God reassured the people of Israel by sending the Divine Presence to Egypt with the people and into the other exiles in the coming generation. The Midrashic literature speaks of four exiles: Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, and Rome. Rome of course refers to the present exile under the control of Christianity. The Shechinah is also referred to by the word Zot - the feminine form of “this.” It was She⁵⁵ is a feminine pronoun. Chida will explain why he understands the word not as “It” but as “She” who sustained our ancestors and us: it wasn’t just one who rose up against us to destroy us. But rather in every generation they have arisen to destroy us but the Holy One has saved us from them. "It was “She” who sustained us... We have already written how the Ari, of blessed memory, interpreted the word Hee as a reference to the Divine Presence, as I wrote above. Continuing with this interpretation, the Ari explains the verse, “And afterwards they shall go forth with great wealth,” to mean they will god forth with holy sparks that were scattered throughout Egypt, a land of impurity. Through harsh subjugation the sparks were clarified. These sparks were “Great wealth.” The Haggadah states Hee/She is the Shechinah, who stood with us and with our ancestors throughout the exile. She is the One who clarified us through suffering and subjugation in every generation, saving us from destruction by the angelic prince whose land we were in and also from the nation among whom we lived. The Holy One saved us both from the angelic prince and from the nation, all through the glory of the Shechinah.The sages quoted the verse, “Yet, even then (af gam zot) when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or spurn them so as to destroy them, annulling My covenant with them.” (Lev. 26:45) This verse is speaking about the Divine Presence who will “not reject them or spurn them.”⁵⁷ feminine form of this, is another reference to the Shechinah. The interpreters of hidden meanings explained that the word zot ⁵⁸ as an abbreviation of zechut avot tamah, “the merit of the ancestors ceased.” That is, even at a time when the merit of our forefathers ceased to protect you, I did not reject you to break your covenant, for the ancestral covenant shall never cease. According to the Zohar, if the merit of the patriarchs ceases, I will not condemn them to destruction for the sake of the Shechinah who is called Zot, “this.” This statement, “She sustains our forefathers and us” means whether for the sake of the merit of our ancestors or whether such merit ceases, it is the Shechinah which sustains us forever whether or not we can count on the merit of our ancestors."

footnotes: ⁵⁴ Note that in the Ashkenazic version of the text, the Haggadah ⁵⁵ The word Hee ⁵⁷ The word zot, ⁵⁸ See BT Shabbat 55a

It is possible to interpret this passage according to its literal meaning (p’shat) based on the verse, “And the nation that enslaved them I shall judge.” This includes the four kingdoms that subjugated Israel. God already promised our forefather, Abraham, that He would take us out from subjugation from the four kingdoms.⁵⁹ This is what the Maggid means when he says, “Blessed is the one who keeps His promise to Israel,” that he made to Abraham …. This refers to the redemption from Egypt. God kept His promise and redeemed us. They brought this verse, “And the nation that enslaved them” comes to include the subjugation to the four kingdoms. Regarding this, he states, “It is that which sustained us…” That is, this is God’s promise which was made to Abraham sustained our forefathers and us. ...God has said he would save us from those who rise up against us and maintain the remnant until the arrival of the time when subjugation to the kingdoms ends. Then, “The nations that enslaved them I shall judge and they shall go out with great wealth.” This refers to the clarification of holy sparks in the land. “Great possessions” actually refers to small wealth - the silver and gold in this world. Though it appears great to us, it is really very small. It refers to the truly great wealth which comes about through the clarification of holy sparks. They shall be unified.⁶⁰ “He shall bring the light of noon.” (Prov. 4:18) The salvation of Israel shall increase through the Lord, eternal redemption to serve God and bless His great name.⁶¹ May God’s name be praised forever and ever. l

footnotes: ⁵⁹ See Bereshit Rabbah 44:19 ⁶⁰ Ezekiel 37:17 ⁶¹ The series of phrases here are not clear - this is my best guess.