Kommentar zu Schemot 6:5

וגם אני — Since I established and set up My covenant it is incumbent upon Me to fulfil it; therefore, שמעתי את נאקת בני ישראל I HAVE HEARD THE GROANING OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL who groan (complain) אשר מצרים מעבדים אתם THAT THE EGYPTIANS ARE ENSLAVING THEM, ואזכר AND I REMEMBER that covenant which I have already made with them; because at the covenant “between the pieces” I said to him, (Genesis 15:14) “And also against that nation whom they shall serve will I pronounce judgment.”

וגם אני שמעתי את נאקת בני ישראל, "I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, etc." The word וגם, "and also," refers to something over and beyond the prayers of the Israelites to the attribute of Mercy. In addition to the prayers of the Israelites and G'd's love for the patriarchs, there was a third consideration which had a bearing on G'd's timetable for the redemption, namely the outcry of the Israelites due to the torture they were experiencing. This third element is referred to by G'd in our verse by the words: וגם אני, "also I." G'd reveals His name of אני as an aspect of the attribute of Mercy. Previously, this name had only appeared in conjunction with the tetragram. G'd revealed that there are occasions when people's groanings even when not accompanied by verbalised prayer reach the attribute of Mercy and evoke a response. This is why He added אשר מצרים מעבידים אותם, "the manner in which the Egyptians have enslaved them." I refer the reader to my comments on Exodus 2,23 in this respect.

וגם אני שמעתי, “moreover, I have heard, etc.” an additional reason why I have sent you is that I have heard the groaning of the people, i.e. that they have repented their ways and seen fit to appeal to Me. Hence, just as I endure forever, so My promise will be in effect until carried out. I will demonstrate this with My outstretched arm. Concerning the opening line in our paragraph ושמי ה' לא נודעתי, something which we might have expected to have employed the same verb, i.e. ראה, for instance וארא אל אברהם...ושמי הי לא נראתי, “I have appeared to Avraham, but My name Hashem has not appeared, etc.” the reason for this is that, generally speaking, visions granted to the patriarchs occurred during the night, while they were asleep, whereas the manifestations of G’d you and your people will experience will all occur while you are fully awake. In other words, you will become privy to revelations of far greater dimensions than the ones granted to the patriarchs.

Just as I established and set up the covenant. . . Rashi is answering the question: What does “And also I have heard” mean? It implies that someone else heard, and also Hashem heard! Therefore Rashi explains, “Just as I established the covenant. . .” In other words, “also” refers back to the preceding. It is saying: Since I revealed Myself to them as Almighty Shaddai and established a covenant with them, and therefore I also must fulfill it, consequently, “I have heard.” [According to this,] “I have heard” is an independent clause, and it means: consequently I have heard. This section is to be understood as follows: At first, “Elohim spoke to Moshe” with severity because Moshe had said to Hashem, “Why have You brought harm to this people. . .?” Then, “. . .and said to him, ‘I am Hashem’,” refers back to what Moshe said, “Why did You send me?” Hashem is answering him, “I am Adonoy” and I can be trusted to keep My promise! [If so, how could] you ask, “Why did You send me”? And if you say: Why do I need to keep My promise, when it was made not by the Name Adonoy, rather by Almighty Shaddai — “but My Name Adonoy I did not make known to them”? However [this question is incorrect, because] “I also established My covenant,” therefore I also must fulfill it. For this reason, “I have heard. . .”

V. 5. und auch, als ich das namenlose, bis zur drohenden Vernichtung steigende Elend über ihre Nachkommen ergehen ließ, habe ich sehr wohl dieses Bündnisses gedacht, ja, ließ dieses eben zur Erfüllung dieses Bündnisses geschehen.

Therefore, I heard the groaning of the B’nei Yisrael, who groan . . . Rashi is explaining] that it is impossible to fulfill the promise to give them Eretz Yisrael until after the exodus from Egypt, which itself requires the fulfillment of “And also, I will judge the nation to which they will be enslaved” (Bereishis 15:14). That is why the phrase, “That the Egyptians are enslaving them” is added to the verse — [thus indicating that the Egyptians must first be judged]. This is the meaning of, “And I have remembered My covenant.” It is saying: Since I have remembered the covenant of bris bein habesarim, in which I promised to give them Eretz Yisrael, therefore I have remembered also, “I will judge the nation. . .” For both promises were made at the same time. This completes Hashem’s answer to [Moshe’s question]: “Why did You send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh. . . he has done harm to this people. . .” (5: 22—23). [Hashem is answering: I cannot fulfill, “I will judge the nation” until I first harden Pharaoh’s heart and he does harm to B’nei Yisrael.] (Nachalas Yaakov; see elaboration there)

ואזכר את בריתי, "I have remembered My covenant." G'd means that He remembered both parts of the covenant, i.e. to redeem the people and to bring them to the Holy Land. [This had been a covenant with the patriarchs. What is new is that the present generation of Israelites would be the ones who would experience realisation of that covenant.] In this instance G'd spoke about a covenant which had not yet been spelled out but which follows immediately in the next four verses. G'd repeats the covenant only as an explanation of why He has advanced the date it is to become effective. The commentators who understand this covenant as a promise to punish the Egyptians are wrong; none of this has been mentioned in the verse following this declaration.