We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt. And the Lord, our God, took us out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched forearm. And if the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our ancestors from Egypt, behold we, our children, and our children's children would be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. And even if we were all Sages, discerning, elders, and all knowledgeable about the Torah, it would be a commandment upon us to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Anyone who tells the story of the Exodus from Egypt is praiseworthy. This is the answer to Mah Nishtana. Since the questioner asks why we do certain things related to slavery and others related to freedom, we answer, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt,” we do things that instruct us about slavery; on this night we also say, “the Lord our God took us out from there,” so, too, we do things that instruct us regarding freedom. At the beginning of the night we were slaves and at the end we were free; therefore we perform contradictory acts on this night, different from all other nights. We do so as a reminder of our condition of slavery and freedom which happened on this night.

From this we find a comprehensive answer to all the parts of the Mah Nishtana. We have now answered the question in the seventh gate. It was unnecessary to explain why we eat bitter herbs (“because they embittered our lives”) since the Haggadah does not later on. Rather this passage only mentions the contradictory activities that we perform on this night. The passage, “We were slaves to Pharaoh…” alludes to two factors that hindered the Israelites from leaving Egypt. One was a harsh and evil king of Egypt – Pharaoh. He was named for his actions, as in the verse, “the people were out of control (ki para hu) because Aaron let them get out of control(paroh).” ²¹ One must see the previous phrase to understand his point Ki Parah hu, for the people were out of control. He sees Paroh as a compound word made up of Parah hu. (Ex. 32:25) Pharaoh can also be interpreted as a compound word, paal ra, “he performed evil,” or peh ra, “he had an evil tongue.” Do we not see how obstinate Pharaoh was, making himself deserving of all the punishments he received? We allude to his wickedness and his sinfulness when we say, “We were slaves to Pharaoh.” The second obstacle to the Exodus was the land. The reason for the suffering is contained in the word, Mitzrayim, taken from the word metzarim (narrowness). The Sages have said that the borders of the land of Egypt were such that no one ever escaped from the land. It is said that slaves were imprisoned by twenty-four keys so that it was impossible to get out. The Torah mentions Eretz Mitzrayim, the land of Egypt, fifty times; they represent the fifty keys of Binah, understanding, that were given to Moses to free the Israelites. Through them, Moses opened the fifty gates of impurity and took the Israelites out of Egypt.²², understanding. Therefore, just as Israel was enslaved by fifty gates of impurity, it took the fifty keys to free Israel from Egypt. This idea also appears in connection with the fact that had Israel spent even one more day in Egypt they would have been enslaved forever by the impurity of Egypt, the fiftieth level of impurity. That is why it was necessary for them to leave with such haste (so that the dough didn’t rise). Regarding this, it is said, “The Lord our God took us out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” This means that God’s “mighty hand” vanquished the forces of nature, and His “outstretched arm” destroyed the celestial powers that prevented them from leaving, as it is stated, “I brought judgment against all the gods of Egypt.” (Ex. 12:12) This is what Ibn Ezra writes: “It was because of the supernal powers that prevented Israel from leaving Egypt.” ²³

footnotes: ²¹ The text only quotes the second part of the verse Ki Paroh Aharon. ²² See Zohar Volume 2, 85b – “God brought you out of the land of Egypt – this is the Jubilee as has been taught: from the aspect of Jubilee (or understanding) Israel went out of Egypt.” In Kabbalah, the fiftieth year of the Jubilee is associated with the divine aspect of Binah ²³ See Ibn Ezra Exodus, 33:21 Pharaoh’s power came from his heavenly prince who was his representative. Only by vanquishing this heavenly prince, could Moses overcome Pharaoh.

If the Holy One had not taken our ancestors out of Egypt… This statement serves two purposes. First, one might say, “This celebration is fitting for those who were redeemed from slavery to freedom; they certainly should celebrate by eating and drinking while leaning. But what does it mean for us since we are still in exile?” One could now answer them by saying, “If our ancestors had not left Egypt, we would still be slaves. Therefore, it is as if we personally left Egypt; because of them we do the same things they did to celebrate our redemption. The second purpose of this statement is to make known the significance of the Exodus. If this deed had not been for the Holy One, we would never have left Egypt. There are only three ways through which Israel could escape: (1) through Israel’s own strength they might have overcome the Egyptians, as the Egyptians feared, “In the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.” (Ex.1:10) (2) They might have left as a result of Pharaoh’s own decision to free them; he might have given them permission to leave just as Cyrus did for the Jews in Persia. (3) It would take an act of the Holy One who has power over all the earth. The Maggid states that if the Holy One had not taken our ancestors out of Egypt, it could not have happened as a result of the first two causes: the strength of the Israelites or Pharaoh’s own will. Even though the nation was great in number beyond counting, they did not have the courage to escape because they were all born into slavery and oppression. Regarding this fact, the Haggadah states, “We, our children, and our children’s children would still be subjugated.” That is, six hundred thousand men would not have been enough to free them and they would still have been permanent slaves. Can thousands of sheep in a flock stop a lion that is coming to attack them? And if it was through the determination of Pharaoh, there is no doubt that he never would have freed them, and so we would say, “We, our children, and our children’s children would still be subjugated to Pharaoh.” There remains, then, only one means through which they could have left Egypt, the will and power of God. This passage does not come to teach us to say that we “Should see ourselves as if we went forth from Egypt;” this occurs later in the Haggadah. The purpose of this statement is to make known God’s power and compassion in choosing to take us out of Egypt. In this way we find an answer to the question of why we must say, “We, our children and children’s children would still be…” We have now answered the questions in the eighth, ninth and eleventh gates. The Maggid derived this statement from what God said to Moses at the beginning of his calling, “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go because of a greater might. So I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with various wonders which I will work upon them; after that he shall let you go.” (Ex. 3:19 -20) This verse has troubled commentators because Israel left Egypt as a result of the plague of the first born which is called yad hachazakah,²⁴ “A mighty hand.” How can the verse say, “Not let you go because of a mighty hand?”

footnotes: ²⁴ Elsewhere in the commentary, Abarbanel suggests that the expression, “Mighty hand” refers to the tenth plague, the death of the first born.

Rashi²⁵ explains, “So long as I do not let him feel My strong hand, he will not let you go.” It seems to me that true explanation of the verse is as follows: God says, “I know that Pharaoh will not free Israel freely and that the Exodus will not take place as a result of the people’s might so that they will overcome the Egyptians and go up from the land. It will take place as a result of My Mighty Hand that I will send to strike Egypt,” that is, when I strike the land and its gods in a supernatural fashion. Rather, “When I smite Egypt with various wonders; only then will he send you forth.” (Ex.3:20)

footnotes: ²⁵ The verse seems to suggest that Pharaoh will not even free Israel because of God’s strong hand – the plague of the first born. Rashi offers two explanations for this verse: (1) It is only when God shows God’s mighty hand that Pharaoh will free them. (2) So long as Pharaoh thinks his hand is mighty he will not free them.

But what did we gain from the Exodus from Egypt and the redemption (since we are still in Exile? There are three gifts that we gained because of the Exodus even though we are still in Exile.

First: We learned that God loves us: Through the Exodus, we have come to recognize the standing of Jewish people before God. God was willing to overturn the natural order, the heavenly powers, and the angelic princes²⁶ to bring about the redemption. This was not done for any other people.

footnotes: ²⁶ There is a rabbinic concept rooted in Scripture that there are heavenly princes for each nation who represent them. God was willing to set aside Egypt’s heavenly prince on behalf of Israel.

Second: Israel’s dignity: Great honor and dignity was conferred upon our people by God when they went forth from Egypt with “a high hand” (Exodus 14:8) and they inherited the land of Canaan for those who followed them.

Third: Sinai: If we had not left Egypt, we would not have reached Mount Sinai or received Torah and commandments. The Divine Presence would not have dwelt in our midst and we would not have become the chosen people. Also the divine providence would not have cleaved to us along with the spiritual wholeness associated with it.

These are all benefits we gained even though we still live in exile. We must contemplate these great gifts. The Maggid says, “Even if we were all wise, all discerning, all knowledgeable in the Torah…” “Wise” alludes to those who understand the nature of the lower and the upper worlds. “Discerning” alludes to matters related to the divine glory and Israel’s dignity. Regarding matters of the wholeness of Torah and spirituality, we say, “all who are knowledgeable in the Torah.” It is still a commandment for those who have knowledge in all of these areas to tell the story of the Exodus, for it is the source of all our virtues and wholeness. Telling this story is a great commandment of which the Torah reminds us many times, as we shall see in the passage about the four children, “You shall tell them.” The proper version of this passage should be, “All who increase the telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt at length are praiseworthy.”²⁷) the story of the Exodus is praiseworthy.” He now suggests that the proper reading of this passage is “Anyone who increases (HAMARBEH) the telling of the Exodus…” This is the version we are more familiar with. To tell the story (misaper) is a commandment, while telling it at length (marbeh) is praiseworthy.

footnotes: ²⁷ Note above it says ‘Anyone who tells (HAMISAPER

The questions stated in the tenth and twelfth gates have now been answered!