Comentario sobre Exodo 5:22

למה הרעתה לעם הזה WHEREFORE HAST THOU DONE SO EVIL TO THIS PEOPLE? — And if You ask, “What concern is that of yours?” I answer “I have to complain that You have sent me at all” (Exodus Rabbah 5:22).

ADO-NOY’, WHEREFORE HAST THOU DEALT ILL WITH THIS PEOPLE? The Divine Name is here written Aleph Dalet, for through the Proper Name of G-d, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton], which is the attribute of mercy, no evil would befall the people. However, above [in Chapter 4, Verses 10 and 13], Moses twice mentioned the Divine Name written Aleph Dalet — [Bi Ado-noy (O G-d)] — since he was praying that the anger of G-d would not be kindled against him [for refusing to undertake the mission to go to Pharaoh]. Perhaps Moses was afraid to mention the Great Divine Name that was then being revealed to him and speaking to him.

וישב משה אל, he returned to the spot where G’d had been speaking to him previously.

למה זה שלחתני?, if they were guilty of suffering such problems why did You make me the one to be the immediate cause of it?

וישב משה אל השם, Moses returned to G'd, etc. The verse must be understood in this order: "Why did You G'd not tell me at the time when You told me that You would harden Pharaoh's heart that this would involve additional hardship for the people? If You were to answer that the appointed time for relieving the burden of their servitude has not arrived yet, why did You send me already at this time? Moses implied that G'd should have waited with sending him on this mission until the actual slave labour of the Israelites had come to an end.

למה הרעותה לעם הזה?, this is not to be understood as a complaint or insolence, but simply as a question. Moses wanted to know the use of the attribute which decrees sometimes afflictions on the Just and all kinds of advantages for the wicked, while the Just are forced to watch this. Moses who had become exposed to these manifestations involving his own people even after G’d had told him that He had taken note of the injustice done to them, did not understand all this. Moses also did not understand which afflictions have what purpose, as sometimes they appear to strike people who clearly are guilty of certain sins, as per Isaiah 57,17 בעון בצעו קצפתי ואכהו הסתר ואקצוף, “For their sinful greed I was angry; I struck them and turned away in My wrath.” On the other hand, Moses also realised that there is an affliction known as יסורים של אהבה, afflictions resulting from G’d’s love, such as the manna being described as ויענך וירעיבך, “He afflicted you by letting you starve,” (Deuteronomy 8,16) where the very affliction was the forerunner of acts of love such as the heavenly bread G’d fed the Israelites for 40 years in the desert. Concerning such afflictions David has said in Psalms 94,12 אשרי הגבר אשר תיסרנו י-ה, “hail the man whom G‘d has seen fit to subject to such afflictions!” When Moses noticed that from the day he had begun his mission and had confronted Pharaoh the workload of his brethren had been increased instead of decreased, he asked G’d why He had permitted Pharaoh to get away with this when it was clearly within His power to save the Israelites altogether? Why had He not immediately saved the people seeing that it was His plan to do this, and he had appointed him to be His instrument in bringing this about? He could not understand that if even the midwives, who are only human beings, not possessing the power to give life or to kill, are being credited with “giving life to the babies whom they refused to murder” (Exodus 1,17) why G’d Who is surely able to grant such life, did not save the same Jews whom He credited the midwives with saving? We must surely understand the line ותחיינה את הילדים, as “they allowed the children to keep living,” not as “they granted life to the children!” Here too, the words למה הרעותה have to be understood as “why did You allow the Egyptians to continue to do evil to the this people instead of Your having saved them?” Moses‘ question expressed concern that Pharaoh would be allowed to continue in this vein and to make the lives of the Israelites still more miserable. Actually, Moses’ question here is echoed by the prophet Jeremiah 12,1 when the prophet asked:מדוע דרך רשעים צלחה שלו כל בוגדי בגד,”why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are the workers of treachery at ease?” The prophet did not criticise G’d but wanted to know if the prosperity enjoyed by the wicked is in payment of the good deeds which most of them also have performed at one time or other and which G’d cannot repay them in the hereafter seeing they have already forfeited their afterlife so that they have to enjoy their reward while on this earth. Alternatively, did G’d grant these people an enjoyable life on earth in order to increase the punishment they would endure after their bodies had died? G’d answered Moses that the apparent success of Pharaoh was only in order to make him suffer so much more in the end. The matter is similar to that described by David in Psalms 69,28 where he asks G’d concerning the Gentile nations: תנה עון על עונם ואל יבואו בצדקתך, “add that to their guilt; let them have no share of Your beneficence.” In our verse G’d’s answer to Moses was given in Exodus 6,1 עתה תראה אשר אעשה לפרעה, “from now on you will see what I am going to do to Pharaoh.” G’d meant, that the afflictions which Israel had to suffer had as their purpose to double the reward they would reap. This is the meaning of: “now you will see.” You, Moses, will see and realise shortly that the relative peace which Pharaoh has enjoyed up until now was only meant to enable Me to increase the afflictions which I will subject him to. I had already made ready all these plagues. It was necessary for him to impose even harder working conditions on the Israelites in order to trigger carrying out My program, something which I had made ready on the day that I appointed you even though you did not realise this at the time. Not only is the result of My plan increased suffering for Pharaoh, but it is also increased reward for the Jewish people. The fact that they were able to endure it and did not collapse under this burden is proof that these afflictions were motivated by My love for that people.

V. 22 u. 23. וישב, er sah sich am Ende seiner Sendung, er kehrte zu dem, der ihn gesendet, zurück. אדנ׳, der Herr, der ihn ausgesandt. למה וגו׳, zwei Fragen: ָלמה ,ל ָמה siehe zu Kap. 32, 11. 12). Zu welchem Zwecke hast du diesem Volke, da) du doch erlösen willst, neues Unglück, das doch gewiss die Erlösung nicht fördert, beschieden? Und aus welchem Grunde hast du, da ich meine Unfähigkeit von vornherein gefühlt, die ich durch diesen Misserfolg meiner Sendung nur bestätigt sehe, zum Unglück des Volkes, gerade mich, den Unfähigsten, zu deiner Sendung gebraucht? Und alles dies gerade diesem Volke! Was hat es getan, dass du alles Unglück auf sein Haupt häufest?! Obgleich ihn Gott darauf vorbereitet hatte, Pharao werde nicht sogleich Gehör geben, so hatte doch das Volk ihn so verstanden und verstehen dürfen, dass wenigstens den Misshandlungen Einhalt getan werde, dass zum allerwenigsten nicht neue Misshandlungen hinzukommen würden. Hieß es doch oben: וישמע העם כי פקד וגו׳, dass die Zeit der Ge'ula da sei, und כי ראה את ענים, dass, wenn diese auch nicht so rasch erfolge, doch Gott sich ihrer in ihrem Elende annehmen, somit sie wenigstens ferner schützen werde; und nun war das ganz Entgegengesetzte eingetreten! והצל לא הצלת nicht einmal vor neuen Misshandlungen hast du dein Volk gerettet! Und nicht einmal עמך, dein Volk! In der ersten Frage hieß es לעם הזה, ganz abgesehen von seiner besonderen Beziehung zu dir, einfach als Menschen, als Volk; ist's ja nicht schlechter als andere, gewiss nicht schlechter als die Ägypter, warum denn gerade ihm so namenloses Elend? Und seitdem ich in deinem Namen aufgetreten, ist es ja dein Volk geworden, ist ja dein Name, deine Anerkennung mit seinem Geschicke verknüpft, und wenn dein Name nicht hier entweiht und die Menschen an dir nicht irre werden sollen, so hätte dein Name es wenigstens vor neuem Unglück schützen müssen! — הרעתָה, dies neue Unglück hast du veranlasst, hast du nicht nur zugelassen, sondern ganz eigentlich durch meine Sendung provoziert!

'וישב משה אל ה, “Moses returned to Hashem;” to the site from which He had spoken to him last. (Rash’bam)

WHEREFORE HAST THOU DEALT ILL WITH THIS PEOPLE? [It should be asked]: After G-d twice informed³⁴¹Above, 3:19 and 4:21. Moses that the king of Egypt would not let them go, why did he complain? Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that Moses had thought that from the moment he would speak to Pharaoh in the name of G-d, he would ease the burden from upon the children of Israel, and that G-d would begin to redeem them, but Pharaoh hardened and increased their woes. This is the sense of the expression, Wherefore has Thou dealt ill…? “It is the opposite of what Thou hast told me, i.e., I have surely seen the affliction of My people.³⁴²Ibid., 3:7. And I am come down to deliver them.”³⁴³Ibid., Verse 8. But this [explanation of Ibn Ezra] does not appear to me to be correct because [Moses said], Neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all,³⁴⁴Verse 23. and “delivery” means only their going forth from exile.³⁴⁵How then could Ibn Ezra explain that Moses’ primary complaint was that he had thought G-d would merely ease their burden?
In my opinion, Moses our teacher thought G-d had told him that Pharaoh would not let them go immediately at his command, nor by sign and wonder until He would perform His many wonders among them. But Moses thought that G-d would bring them upon Pharaoh in uninterrupted succession in a few days. When Pharaoh said, I know not the Eternal,³⁴⁶Above, Verse 2. He would immediately command him to execute the sign of the serpent before the king, and [if] the king would still not listen, He would smite him on that very day with the plague of blood, followed by all the rest of the plagues. But when Moses saw that three days passed and the king increased their woes every day and G-d did not rebuke him, nor did He reveal Himself to Moses to inform him what he should do, then Moses thought that [the captivity] is a long one.³⁴⁷See Jeremiah 29:28.
It is possible that there was a long period of time to this story recounted here by Scripture. When the officers of the children of Israel were beaten,³⁴⁸Verse 14. days passed until they spoke to Pharaoh himself, saying to him, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?³⁴⁹Verse 15. It is not every person that has a right to come into the inner chambers of the king’s palace and speak to him face to face, and all the more the officers of those people abhorrent to him. Thus they suffered in their burden and oppression many days, and they would come even before the king’s gate³⁵⁰Esther 4:2. until their outcry was heard before the king and he commanded that they come before him and speak with him. It is likewise possible that Moses returned to the Eternal and said, Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill…, many days after the officers of the children of Israel met him.³⁵¹Verse 20.
The Rabbis have said in V’eileh Shemoth Rabbah:³⁵²Shemoth Rabbah 5:23. “And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh: I will not give you straw.³⁵³Verse 10. When this was decreed by Pharaoh, Moses went to Midian and stayed there six months while Aaron remained in Egypt. At that time, Moses took his wife and sons back to Midian.” The Rabbis have furthermore said:³⁵⁴Shemoth Rabbah 5:24. “And they met Moses and Aaron.³⁵¹Verse 20. After six months, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Moses in Midian and said to him, Go, return unto Egypt.³⁵⁵Above, 4:19. Moses then came from Midian, and Aaron from Egypt, when they were met by the officers of Israel as they came forth from Pharaoh.” I have furthermore seen a similar [tradition] in Midrash Chazit:³⁵⁶Shir Hashirim Rabbah 2:22. See Note 317 above. “My beloved is like a gazelle.³⁵⁷Song of Songs 2:9. Just as a gazelle appears [and hides] and reappears, so did the first redeemer, [i.e., Moses], appear to the children of Israel, then he disappeared, and then he appeared to them again. For how long was he away from them? Rabbi Tanchuma said three months. It is this which Scripture says, And they met Moses and Aaron.³⁵¹Verse 20. And Rabbi Yehudah Beribi³⁵⁸In the Midrash above: “Yehudah B’rabbi.” In the Hebrew text of Ramban: “And Rabbi Yehudah Br’.” But see Hyman’s Toldoth Tannaim V’amoraim that the correct reading is: “Rabbi Yehudah Beribi” or “Yudan Beribi”. said that [he was away from them] for periods of time.” That is to say, the word “meeting” — [and they ‘met’ Moses and Aaron] — indicates periods of time.
Thus many days passed between G-d’s speaking to Moses and Moses’ coming to Pharaoh. Therefore when Moses returned to G-d he said, “Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people, hurrying to send me before the time [of redemption] had come? It was not fitting to send me until You wanted to deliver them, but now You have dealt ill with them and You have not delivered them. And if You deal thus with them, they will perish in the affliction that will come upon them.” Therefore G-d answered Moses at this time: “Soon shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh,³⁵⁹Further, 6:1. for I will not prolong it for him to the extent that you thought, and his time is near to come, and his days shall not be prolonged.”³⁶⁰See Isaiah 13:22.
Va’eira

למה הרעותה לעם הזה?, the reason why the accent is on the last syllable of the word למה here is because it is in a construct form to the word ”G’d“ written in the form of the letter ה at the end of the word הרעותה.

We have a reaction by Moses to what G'd had told him previously, namely that the end of the redemption process was not yet at hand but that He, G'd, would advance the time for rescuing the Jewish people by saving them from their oppression. At the end of twelve months the Exodus itself would take place. Moses now asked: "why did You bring harm upon this people?" He meant that if G'd were to tell him that this suffering would advance the redemption, "why did You send me already now? You Yourself have told me that the only reason to commence the mission now was to relieve the people of having to perform slave labour. If as it now appeared, my mission was to be effective only at the time of the Exodus, why did You send me ?" The word זה (numerical value 12) in Moses' question was an allusion to the 12 months the people still had to wait for the redemption. Moses was clearly afraid that Pharaoh's most recent decree would be in effect for the 12 months until the redemption.

Vergegenwärtigen wir uns den Punkt, an welchem Mosche jetzt steht. Seine Sendung war gänzlich missglückt. Pharao war nur noch härter geworden und hatte Hohn zum Druck gesellt. Das Volk hielt Mosche und Aaron für Betrüger oder doch Betrogene. Mosche selbst wird irre an sich, er müsste nicht Mosche gewesen sein, wenn er nicht in seinem Misstrauen gegen sich selber nur bestärkt geworden wäre, als habe er vielleicht seine Sendung nicht gehörig ausgeführt. Welcher Mensch würde nicht an sich verzweifeln müssen, wenn er durch seine Veranlassung 600 000 unschuldige Menschen blutig geschlagen und in Verzweiflung niedergeworfen sieht!

ויאמר: א־דני, “he said,” using the name of G-d we spell with .אד

למה הרעותה לעם הזה?, if You were to tell me that they deserved this additional harassment due the multitude of their sins, and that they are not yet deserving of redemption, למה זה שלחתני?, if they do not deserve to be redeemed forthwith?

Perhaps Moses also referred to the fact that amongst the Israelites there were those who had to perform slave labour, and others, such as the the tribe of Levi, who were free from that burden. Concerning the former group Moses asked: "why have You brought harm upon them?" Concerning the latter group he asked: "why did You send me on this mission?"

למה הרעות, “to what purpose did You worsen (the people’s plight)?” ולמה זה שלחתני, “and if so, for what purpose have You sent me?”Did Moses then not know from what G-d had already told him that Pharaoh would not be responsive? G-d had told him explicitly in Exodus 3,19, that Pharaoh would not consent to let the Israelites go? Moses had thought that while Pharaoh would not consent to let the Israelites go, at least he would lighten their burdens. This is why he added in frustration that instead of a marginal improvement in the Israelites’ sorry state, it had now worsened dramatically due to his intervention! This is why he added (improperly) “and You have certainly not saved Your people!” He quoted G-d as having said: “I’ll descend and save it.”G-d responded that “now you will see,” as from now on I shall commence applying pressure to him via My plagues.” They will soon feel a drastic reduction in their suffering.

Moses may also simply have asked: "why did You cause harm to Your people?" G'd's answer would have to be that the harm was the result of Moses' mission. To this Moses retorted: "Why is this (זה) that You have sent me on this mission?" Moses' adding of the word זה was his way of saying that this was why he had been unwilling to undertake the mission in the first place.