Taamei Hamitzvos - Lessons From the Egyptian Bondage
Hashem introduced himself at Sinai, saying, “I am Hashem, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt,” meaning that I lay claim to your servitude by virtue of the fact that I released you from bondage (Rashi to Shemos 20:2). In other words, just as we used to be obligated to serve Pharaoh, we are now obligated to serve our Redeemer. The applications of this principle are endless; we will point out just a few.
- Egyptian taskmasters would go to Jewish homes at the crack of dawn and force the men to get up and begin working. No excuses were accepted.
We are similarly commanded to rise and pray to Hashem every morning without fail, which is the service of the heart, and the ideal time is at approximately the crack of dawn so that we begin the Shemoneh Esrei at sunrise. One must shake off the chains of slumber and “strengthen himself like a lion to rise in the morning for the service of the Creator” (Shulchan Aruch,Orach Chaim 1:1). Such is the dedication of a slave, especially a slave who loves and reveres his Master. - The Torah informs us that Pharaoh contracted us to build the cities of Pisom and Ramses. Why did it take a whole nation of slaves so long to build two cities? The Sages explain that they were instructed to build on faulty soil, and their structures kept on collapsing (see Shemos Rabbah 1:10). It was surely doubly bitter for the Jewish people to toil for the sake of others—and then not even to see the fruits of their labor.
This teaches a profound lesson: If our efforts to serve Hashem ever seem fruitless, this does not exempt us from continuing and trying harder. What is more, Hashem rewards primarily for effort, as it says in Pirkei Avos, “The reward is according to the difficulty” (Avos 5:23), and as the Pele Yoetz (Limud) similarly remarks, “Hashem does not count pages but rather hours [of Torah study].” - Pharaoh set a daily quota of bricks for each Jew, according to his or her ability. He determined this quota based on the output of the first day of work (Shemos Rabbah 1:11) when the Jewish people were no doubt exerting themselves to impress and still had all their strength. By threatening to substitute babies for bricks if anyone fell short of the quota, Pharaoh ensured that it would almost always be met.
We find similarly that every Jewish adult male is obligated to set aside daily times for Torah study, and in the event that he is too occupied to complete his quota, he should regard it as a debt and “repay” it that evening. He may not give up his set time of study even if he will lose out on a significant profit (Mishnah Berurah 155:4). In other words, we must regard these times as a slave regards his quota of work—as we ourselves regarded our quota of work in Egypt. - As slaves, we had to work hard, very hard. Our responsibilities occupied our minds, and our food and conveniences received secondary attention. Only thereby can a person accomplish significantly.
We are similarly obliged to serve Hashem with all our hearts and souls (Devarim 11:13), and it is only possible to acquire a comprehensive knowledge of the Torah through intensive study and self-sacrifice (Berachos 63bandAvos 6:4). - Pharaoh taxed a fifth of the produce of all the citizens of Egypt other than the priests (Bereishis 47:26), in addition to setting other taxes (see Abarbanel to Shemos 1:11).
We are similarly commanded to dedicate approximately a fifth of our produce to Hashem: we set aside a tenth as Maaser Rishon and another tenth as either Maaser Sheini or Maaser Ani. In addition, there are a total of twenty-four gifts we give to Kohanim, servants in Hashem’s House. With regard to monetary income, it is customary to give a tenth of one’s profits to charity, and it is commendable to give up to a fifth, unless a person can afford to give more (Shulchan Aruch,Yoreh Deah 249:1). While the exact measure is subject to consideration, charity itself is an obligation, and we may thus compare it to a tax that a king places upon his subjects.
Having compared our subjugation to Hashem to our subjugation to Pharaoh, it must be emphasized that they are very different; in fact, they are opposites. For one thing, Pharaoh did not pay us, while Hashem promises such a fantastic reward that we are eager to fulfill whatever Mitzvah comes our way. Our service in Egypt accomplished nothing other than prepare us to serve Hashem, while our service of Hashem has an effect on everything in our lives. Moreover, in the Haggadah, we describe our period of bondage in Egypt as “slavery, misery, mourning, and darkness,” and the redemption as entry into “freedom, joy, a festival, and great light.” While there is nothing as degrading as being a slave to a human being, there is nothing as exalted as being a slave to the Almighty.
