יוֹרְדֵ֣י הַ֭יָּם בָּאֳנִיּ֑וֹת עֹשֵׂ֥י מְ֝לָאכָ֗ה בְּמַ֣יִם רַבִּֽים׃ (׆)
Mereka yang turun ke laut dengan kapal-kapal, yang melakukan pekerjaan di perairan yang luas,
Tevele Bondi
The Reason for the Four Cups of Wine: Four Types of Redemption
Translator's Introduction:
According to the Talmud Berachot 54b, Psalm 107 is the basis for the four occasions when we recite the Gomel blessing. This is the blessing which we recite when we have faced a life threatening experience. According to the psalmist, we give thanks when we have crossed the sea, traversed a wilderness, faced an illness or have been imprisoned. In this lengthy analysis. Rabbi Bondi relates these four experiences to the four promises that God makes to the people of Israel: I will take you out, I will save you, I will redeem you, and I will take you to be My people. These four promises are commonly believed to be the based for the four cups of wine we drink at the Seder.
In Bereishit Rabbah (88:5) we find that Rabbah bar Rav Hunah said in the name of Rava: The four cups of wine are for the four expressions of redemption mentioned in connection with the story of the Exodus: “I will take you out,” “I will save you,” “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you to be my people,” in Parshat Vayera (Exodus 6). There are a number of questions to be explored in this matter. First, why does Scripture differentiate four different expressions for redemption and why did the sages connect these four expressions with the four cups of wine? Is there a basis for this connection between the words and the cups?
There were four types of redemption that took place from Egypt, and that the sages decreed a cup of wine for each type of redemption on the basis of the verse in Scripture: "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." (Psalm 116:13)
Scripture used four terms of redemption to teach us about the four aspects of Israel's suffering. We are obligated to give thanks and praise to God for our redemption from each according to Berachot 54b: "There are four classes of people who have to offer thanksgiving: those who cross the sea, those who traverse the wilderness, one who has recovered from an illness, and a prisoner who has been set free..." As is written in Psalms 107: "They go down to the sea in ships….in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He took them out (yotzee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:23-32) "Some lost their way in the wilderness…In their adversity they cried out to the Lord and he saved them (yatzeeleim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:4-9) "They reached the gates of death…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:18-19) "Bound in cruel irons…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps 107:10-17) …Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, His wondrous deeds for humankind…" (Ps. 107:8)
The Talmud changed the order from the scriptural passage and also changed the language: The sea and the wilderness are written in the present tense while illness and imprisonment are written in the past tense. Scripture also differentiates the four
• Those who go down to the sea (yordei hayam) - He took them out (yotzee'eim);
• Those who traverse the wilderness (holchei hamdibarot) - and he saved them (yatzeeleim);
• Sine who was ill and or faced imprisonment the psalm uses the expression, He delivered them (yoshee'eim).
There is a reason for this. The wilderness is a dangerous route to traverse. It is necessary, therefore, to offer a prayer to be spared from danger. To be saved (yatzeeleim) is to be kept safe from enemies and bandits as in the expression "And He saved me from Pharaoh's sword." In the face of such danger one become (helpless like) a blind, deaf and mute person; even so, he is able to escape from these dangers…
Regarding the sea, Scripture uses the language "He took them out" (yotzee'eim) instead of "He saved them." This is because one begins a sea journey entering the boat but when one reaches ones destination, one 'goes out' of the boat, as in "Noah went out of the ark." That is why the psalmist uses the word yotzee'eim "He causes them to go out," for the sea; that is, "he goes out in peace from the sea since nothing bad occurred or happened to him "Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love" since he returned without mishap. Similarly, when one returns to his home from the wilderness without any mishaps such as bandits or wild animals one should 'praise the Lord for His steadfast love. It would appear that one should give thanks when returning from the sea or the wilderness even when nothing bad happened to the person, since God 'saved him' and 'brought him out," safely and without mishap.
This is not the case regarding illness and imprisonment. Unlike the sea or the wilderness, these experiences involve suffering and misfortune. One needs to be delivered from troubles; therefore, Scripture uses the term yoshee'eim, to describe them.
(Similarly, when Pharaoh the Egyptians pursued Israel, the Israelites could have experienced great suffering. On the one hand, the wilderness which is filled with snakes and scorpions, and on the other hand, Israel was pursued by the Egyptians and the sea was before them (there was no escape). Yet they were delivered before any harm could come to them. They were in need of the deliverance of God. Moses stood before the people and said to them, "Stand up and witness the deliverance (yeshuah) of the Lord!" the deliverance occurred before the troubles. That is why the Torah says, "God delivered (vayosha) them on that day…") Even if one does not experience danger in the wilderness, there is always the possibility of encountering danger, so that the by definition, a wilderness is considered places of suffering.
In the case of illness or imprisonment, the person is already experiencing tza'ar, trouble. We give thanks because God has removed the illness or freed us from prison. The Talmud describes these experiences in the past tense because we have already experienced the trouble and afterwards we were delivered.
If we look carefully at the four promises of redemption in Exodus 6:6-8, we notice a number of odd things about the language of these verses:
• It is repetitive; why was it necessary to say that God took us out of "the labors of the Egypt" and "from their bondage." These two expressions are the similar to one another.
• The expression, "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt," implies that God took us out of the labors but not out of Egypt. The essence of the God's promise is missing. The verse should have simply said "God took us out of Egypt."
• "I will save you from their bondage," implies that the issue was enslavement. But God actually saved the people not just from slavery but from the bitterness and the oppression that the Egyptians imposed on the Israelites.
• The expression "I will redeem you" is also surprising. The verse never mentions that God would redeem them from Egypt. It should have said "And I will redeem you from Egypt."
• The actual Exodus from the land of Egypt is never explicitly mentioned in any of the promises.
These four promises anticipate Israel's experience at the time of the Exodus. The Israelites were afraid of leaving Egypt. They realized that if they followed the most direct route out of Egypt and they did not come back within three days, the Egyptians would pursue them and inflict even more severe penalties on them after subjugating them once again.
Therefore God - the One who states the end from the very beginning - made known to Moses that they had no reason to fear the Egyptians; that God would arrange the exodus in the most effective way.
• 'I will take you out' implies from the sea, as we see in Psalm 107. God hinted in this promise that he would not take them by way of the land of the Philistines but rather by the way of the sea. The Israelites had no reason to fear the 'labors of Egyptians' because God planned to drown the Egyptians in the sea. "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt." This verse implies that I am taking you and not the Egyptians out.
• I will save you - from the wilderness. The Israelites might also be fearful that God would bring the people into the dangerous wilderness where they would face many difficult tasks. Since the wilderness is not a place where things grow, they would have to work very hard to find food. God reassured them by saying, "I will save you" implies from the wilderness, as in Psalm 107. Even if sin made it necessary to remain in the wilderness for an extended period of time, God reassured them by saying it will not be necessary for you to do hard labor. God rained down bread from heaven, quail to eat each day during the desert sojourn as well as ample water from a well.
• I will redeem you - Having reassured the people that he would protect them both at the sea and in the wilderness, the people might become anxious that Pharaoh would not let them leave at all; that he would give them freedom but keep them in Egypt. Therefore God made a third promise: "I will redeem you with an out stretched arm and with extraordinary judgments." This was a reassurance that God would pass judgment on the Egyptians and their gods while they were in Egypt.
• I will take you to be My people - Finally to the fear that they would carry the illness and injuries that were inflicted on them during their years of slavery, God reassured them by saying, "I will take you to be My people." This is a reference to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Rashi proves that God healed the Israelites of all their afflictions at the time of the revelation. Also we find the following verse in Exodus 15:26 - "I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians…"
• We see then, that the first two promises are promises of safety from the sea and the wilderness, while the second two promises in Exodus 6 are promises of freedom from slavery and from illness. Since these are the four things for which we give thanks and offer praise, the sages decreed that we should toast our redemption with four cups of wine.
Translator's Introduction:
According to the Talmud Berachot 54b, Psalm 107 is the basis for the four occasions when we recite the Gomel blessing. This is the blessing which we recite when we have faced a life threatening experience. According to the psalmist, we give thanks when we have crossed the sea, traversed a wilderness, faced an illness or have been imprisoned. In this lengthy analysis. Rabbi Bondi relates these four experiences to the four promises that God makes to the people of Israel: I will take you out, I will save you, I will redeem you, and I will take you to be My people. These four promises are commonly believed to be the based for the four cups of wine we drink at the Seder.
In Bereishit Rabbah (88:5) we find that Rabbah bar Rav Hunah said in the name of Rava: The four cups of wine are for the four expressions of redemption mentioned in connection with the story of the Exodus: “I will take you out,” “I will save you,” “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you to be my people,” in Parshat Vayera (Exodus 6). There are a number of questions to be explored in this matter. First, why does Scripture differentiate four different expressions for redemption and why did the sages connect these four expressions with the four cups of wine? Is there a basis for this connection between the words and the cups?
There were four types of redemption that took place from Egypt, and that the sages decreed a cup of wine for each type of redemption on the basis of the verse in Scripture: "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." (Psalm 116:13)
Scripture used four terms of redemption to teach us about the four aspects of Israel's suffering. We are obligated to give thanks and praise to God for our redemption from each according to Berachot 54b: "There are four classes of people who have to offer thanksgiving: those who cross the sea, those who traverse the wilderness, one who has recovered from an illness, and a prisoner who has been set free..." As is written in Psalms 107: "They go down to the sea in ships….in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He took them out (yotzee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:23-32) "Some lost their way in the wilderness…In their adversity they cried out to the Lord and he saved them (yatzeeleim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:4-9) "They reached the gates of death…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:18-19) "Bound in cruel irons…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps 107:10-17) …Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, His wondrous deeds for humankind…" (Ps. 107:8)
The Talmud changed the order from the scriptural passage and also changed the language: The sea and the wilderness are written in the present tense while illness and imprisonment are written in the past tense. Scripture also differentiates the four
• Those who go down to the sea (yordei hayam) - He took them out (yotzee'eim);
• Those who traverse the wilderness (holchei hamdibarot) - and he saved them (yatzeeleim);
• Sine who was ill and or faced imprisonment the psalm uses the expression, He delivered them (yoshee'eim).
There is a reason for this. The wilderness is a dangerous route to traverse. It is necessary, therefore, to offer a prayer to be spared from danger. To be saved (yatzeeleim) is to be kept safe from enemies and bandits as in the expression "And He saved me from Pharaoh's sword." In the face of such danger one become (helpless like) a blind, deaf and mute person; even so, he is able to escape from these dangers…
Regarding the sea, Scripture uses the language "He took them out" (yotzee'eim) instead of "He saved them." This is because one begins a sea journey entering the boat but when one reaches ones destination, one 'goes out' of the boat, as in "Noah went out of the ark." That is why the psalmist uses the word yotzee'eim "He causes them to go out," for the sea; that is, "he goes out in peace from the sea since nothing bad occurred or happened to him "Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love" since he returned without mishap. Similarly, when one returns to his home from the wilderness without any mishaps such as bandits or wild animals one should 'praise the Lord for His steadfast love. It would appear that one should give thanks when returning from the sea or the wilderness even when nothing bad happened to the person, since God 'saved him' and 'brought him out," safely and without mishap.
This is not the case regarding illness and imprisonment. Unlike the sea or the wilderness, these experiences involve suffering and misfortune. One needs to be delivered from troubles; therefore, Scripture uses the term yoshee'eim, to describe them.
(Similarly, when Pharaoh the Egyptians pursued Israel, the Israelites could have experienced great suffering. On the one hand, the wilderness which is filled with snakes and scorpions, and on the other hand, Israel was pursued by the Egyptians and the sea was before them (there was no escape). Yet they were delivered before any harm could come to them. They were in need of the deliverance of God. Moses stood before the people and said to them, "Stand up and witness the deliverance (yeshuah) of the Lord!" the deliverance occurred before the troubles. That is why the Torah says, "God delivered (vayosha) them on that day…") Even if one does not experience danger in the wilderness, there is always the possibility of encountering danger, so that the by definition, a wilderness is considered places of suffering.
In the case of illness or imprisonment, the person is already experiencing tza'ar, trouble. We give thanks because God has removed the illness or freed us from prison. The Talmud describes these experiences in the past tense because we have already experienced the trouble and afterwards we were delivered.
If we look carefully at the four promises of redemption in Exodus 6:6-8, we notice a number of odd things about the language of these verses:
• It is repetitive; why was it necessary to say that God took us out of "the labors of the Egypt" and "from their bondage." These two expressions are the similar to one another.
• The expression, "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt," implies that God took us out of the labors but not out of Egypt. The essence of the God's promise is missing. The verse should have simply said "God took us out of Egypt."
• "I will save you from their bondage," implies that the issue was enslavement. But God actually saved the people not just from slavery but from the bitterness and the oppression that the Egyptians imposed on the Israelites.
• The expression "I will redeem you" is also surprising. The verse never mentions that God would redeem them from Egypt. It should have said "And I will redeem you from Egypt."
• The actual Exodus from the land of Egypt is never explicitly mentioned in any of the promises.
These four promises anticipate Israel's experience at the time of the Exodus. The Israelites were afraid of leaving Egypt. They realized that if they followed the most direct route out of Egypt and they did not come back within three days, the Egyptians would pursue them and inflict even more severe penalties on them after subjugating them once again.
Therefore God - the One who states the end from the very beginning - made known to Moses that they had no reason to fear the Egyptians; that God would arrange the exodus in the most effective way.
• 'I will take you out' implies from the sea, as we see in Psalm 107. God hinted in this promise that he would not take them by way of the land of the Philistines but rather by the way of the sea. The Israelites had no reason to fear the 'labors of Egyptians' because God planned to drown the Egyptians in the sea. "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt." This verse implies that I am taking you and not the Egyptians out.
• I will save you - from the wilderness. The Israelites might also be fearful that God would bring the people into the dangerous wilderness where they would face many difficult tasks. Since the wilderness is not a place where things grow, they would have to work very hard to find food. God reassured them by saying, "I will save you" implies from the wilderness, as in Psalm 107. Even if sin made it necessary to remain in the wilderness for an extended period of time, God reassured them by saying it will not be necessary for you to do hard labor. God rained down bread from heaven, quail to eat each day during the desert sojourn as well as ample water from a well.
• I will redeem you - Having reassured the people that he would protect them both at the sea and in the wilderness, the people might become anxious that Pharaoh would not let them leave at all; that he would give them freedom but keep them in Egypt. Therefore God made a third promise: "I will redeem you with an out stretched arm and with extraordinary judgments." This was a reassurance that God would pass judgment on the Egyptians and their gods while they were in Egypt.
• I will take you to be My people - Finally to the fear that they would carry the illness and injuries that were inflicted on them during their years of slavery, God reassured them by saying, "I will take you to be My people." This is a reference to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Rashi proves that God healed the Israelites of all their afflictions at the time of the revelation. Also we find the following verse in Exodus 15:26 - "I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians…"
• We see then, that the first two promises are promises of safety from the sea and the wilderness, while the second two promises in Exodus 6 are promises of freedom from slavery and from illness. Since these are the four things for which we give thanks and offer praise, the sages decreed that we should toast our redemption with four cups of wine.
Tevele Bondi
The Reason for the Four Cups of Wine: Four Types of Redemption
Translator's Introduction:
According to the Talmud Berachot 54b, Psalm 107 is the basis for the four occasions when we recite the Gomel blessing. This is the blessing which we recite when we have faced a life threatening experience. According to the psalmist, we give thanks when we have crossed the sea, traversed a wilderness, faced an illness or have been imprisoned. In this lengthy analysis. Rabbi Bondi relates these four experiences to the four promises that God makes to the people of Israel: I will take you out, I will save you, I will redeem you, and I will take you to be My people. These four promises are commonly believed to be the based for the four cups of wine we drink at the Seder.
In Bereishit Rabbah (88:5) we find that Rabbah bar Rav Hunah said in the name of Rava: The four cups of wine are for the four expressions of redemption mentioned in connection with the story of the Exodus: “I will take you out,” “I will save you,” “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you to be my people,” in Parshat Vayera (Exodus 6). There are a number of questions to be explored in this matter. First, why does Scripture differentiate four different expressions for redemption and why did the sages connect these four expressions with the four cups of wine? Is there a basis for this connection between the words and the cups?
There were four types of redemption that took place from Egypt, and that the sages decreed a cup of wine for each type of redemption on the basis of the verse in Scripture: "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." (Psalm 116:13)
Scripture used four terms of redemption to teach us about the four aspects of Israel's suffering. We are obligated to give thanks and praise to God for our redemption from each according to Berachot 54b: "There are four classes of people who have to offer thanksgiving: those who cross the sea, those who traverse the wilderness, one who has recovered from an illness, and a prisoner who has been set free..." As is written in Psalms 107: "They go down to the sea in ships….in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He took them out (yotzee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:23-32) "Some lost their way in the wilderness…In their adversity they cried out to the Lord and he saved them (yatzeeleim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:4-9) "They reached the gates of death…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:18-19) "Bound in cruel irons…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps 107:10-17) …Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, His wondrous deeds for humankind…" (Ps. 107:8)
The Talmud changed the order from the scriptural passage and also changed the language: The sea and the wilderness are written in the present tense while illness and imprisonment are written in the past tense. Scripture also differentiates the four
• Those who go down to the sea (yordei hayam) - He took them out (yotzee'eim);
• Those who traverse the wilderness (holchei hamdibarot) - and he saved them (yatzeeleim);
• Sine who was ill and or faced imprisonment the psalm uses the expression, He delivered them (yoshee'eim).
There is a reason for this. The wilderness is a dangerous route to traverse. It is necessary, therefore, to offer a prayer to be spared from danger. To be saved (yatzeeleim) is to be kept safe from enemies and bandits as in the expression "And He saved me from Pharaoh's sword." In the face of such danger one become (helpless like) a blind, deaf and mute person; even so, he is able to escape from these dangers…
Regarding the sea, Scripture uses the language "He took them out" (yotzee'eim) instead of "He saved them." This is because one begins a sea journey entering the boat but when one reaches ones destination, one 'goes out' of the boat, as in "Noah went out of the ark." That is why the psalmist uses the word yotzee'eim "He causes them to go out," for the sea; that is, "he goes out in peace from the sea since nothing bad occurred or happened to him "Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love" since he returned without mishap. Similarly, when one returns to his home from the wilderness without any mishaps such as bandits or wild animals one should 'praise the Lord for His steadfast love. It would appear that one should give thanks when returning from the sea or the wilderness even when nothing bad happened to the person, since God 'saved him' and 'brought him out," safely and without mishap.
This is not the case regarding illness and imprisonment. Unlike the sea or the wilderness, these experiences involve suffering and misfortune. One needs to be delivered from troubles; therefore, Scripture uses the term yoshee'eim, to describe them.
(Similarly, when Pharaoh the Egyptians pursued Israel, the Israelites could have experienced great suffering. On the one hand, the wilderness which is filled with snakes and scorpions, and on the other hand, Israel was pursued by the Egyptians and the sea was before them (there was no escape). Yet they were delivered before any harm could come to them. They were in need of the deliverance of God. Moses stood before the people and said to them, "Stand up and witness the deliverance (yeshuah) of the Lord!" the deliverance occurred before the troubles. That is why the Torah says, "God delivered (vayosha) them on that day…") Even if one does not experience danger in the wilderness, there is always the possibility of encountering danger, so that the by definition, a wilderness is considered places of suffering.
In the case of illness or imprisonment, the person is already experiencing tza'ar, trouble. We give thanks because God has removed the illness or freed us from prison. The Talmud describes these experiences in the past tense because we have already experienced the trouble and afterwards we were delivered.
If we look carefully at the four promises of redemption in Exodus 6:6-8, we notice a number of odd things about the language of these verses:
• It is repetitive; why was it necessary to say that God took us out of "the labors of the Egypt" and "from their bondage." These two expressions are the similar to one another.
• The expression, "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt," implies that God took us out of the labors but not out of Egypt. The essence of the God's promise is missing. The verse should have simply said "God took us out of Egypt."
• "I will save you from their bondage," implies that the issue was enslavement. But God actually saved the people not just from slavery but from the bitterness and the oppression that the Egyptians imposed on the Israelites.
• The expression "I will redeem you" is also surprising. The verse never mentions that God would redeem them from Egypt. It should have said "And I will redeem you from Egypt."
• The actual Exodus from the land of Egypt is never explicitly mentioned in any of the promises.
These four promises anticipate Israel's experience at the time of the Exodus. The Israelites were afraid of leaving Egypt. They realized that if they followed the most direct route out of Egypt and they did not come back within three days, the Egyptians would pursue them and inflict even more severe penalties on them after subjugating them once again.
Therefore God - the One who states the end from the very beginning - made known to Moses that they had no reason to fear the Egyptians; that God would arrange the exodus in the most effective way.
• 'I will take you out' implies from the sea, as we see in Psalm 107. God hinted in this promise that he would not take them by way of the land of the Philistines but rather by the way of the sea. The Israelites had no reason to fear the 'labors of Egyptians' because God planned to drown the Egyptians in the sea. "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt." This verse implies that I am taking you and not the Egyptians out.
• I will save you - from the wilderness. The Israelites might also be fearful that God would bring the people into the dangerous wilderness where they would face many difficult tasks. Since the wilderness is not a place where things grow, they would have to work very hard to find food. God reassured them by saying, "I will save you" implies from the wilderness, as in Psalm 107. Even if sin made it necessary to remain in the wilderness for an extended period of time, God reassured them by saying it will not be necessary for you to do hard labor. God rained down bread from heaven, quail to eat each day during the desert sojourn as well as ample water from a well.
• I will redeem you - Having reassured the people that he would protect them both at the sea and in the wilderness, the people might become anxious that Pharaoh would not let them leave at all; that he would give them freedom but keep them in Egypt. Therefore God made a third promise: "I will redeem you with an out stretched arm and with extraordinary judgments." This was a reassurance that God would pass judgment on the Egyptians and their gods while they were in Egypt.
• I will take you to be My people - Finally to the fear that they would carry the illness and injuries that were inflicted on them during their years of slavery, God reassured them by saying, "I will take you to be My people." This is a reference to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Rashi proves that God healed the Israelites of all their afflictions at the time of the revelation. Also we find the following verse in Exodus 15:26 - "I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians…"
• We see then, that the first two promises are promises of safety from the sea and the wilderness, while the second two promises in Exodus 6 are promises of freedom from slavery and from illness. Since these are the four things for which we give thanks and offer praise, the sages decreed that we should toast our redemption with four cups of wine.
Translator's Introduction:
According to the Talmud Berachot 54b, Psalm 107 is the basis for the four occasions when we recite the Gomel blessing. This is the blessing which we recite when we have faced a life threatening experience. According to the psalmist, we give thanks when we have crossed the sea, traversed a wilderness, faced an illness or have been imprisoned. In this lengthy analysis. Rabbi Bondi relates these four experiences to the four promises that God makes to the people of Israel: I will take you out, I will save you, I will redeem you, and I will take you to be My people. These four promises are commonly believed to be the based for the four cups of wine we drink at the Seder.
In Bereishit Rabbah (88:5) we find that Rabbah bar Rav Hunah said in the name of Rava: The four cups of wine are for the four expressions of redemption mentioned in connection with the story of the Exodus: “I will take you out,” “I will save you,” “I will redeem you”, and “I will take you to be my people,” in Parshat Vayera (Exodus 6). There are a number of questions to be explored in this matter. First, why does Scripture differentiate four different expressions for redemption and why did the sages connect these four expressions with the four cups of wine? Is there a basis for this connection between the words and the cups?
There were four types of redemption that took place from Egypt, and that the sages decreed a cup of wine for each type of redemption on the basis of the verse in Scripture: "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." (Psalm 116:13)
Scripture used four terms of redemption to teach us about the four aspects of Israel's suffering. We are obligated to give thanks and praise to God for our redemption from each according to Berachot 54b: "There are four classes of people who have to offer thanksgiving: those who cross the sea, those who traverse the wilderness, one who has recovered from an illness, and a prisoner who has been set free..." As is written in Psalms 107: "They go down to the sea in ships….in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He took them out (yotzee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:23-32) "Some lost their way in the wilderness…In their adversity they cried out to the Lord and he saved them (yatzeeleim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:4-9) "They reached the gates of death…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps. 107:18-19) "Bound in cruel irons…in their adversity they cried to the Lord and He delivered them (yoshee'eim) from their troubles." (Ps 107:10-17) …Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love, His wondrous deeds for humankind…" (Ps. 107:8)
The Talmud changed the order from the scriptural passage and also changed the language: The sea and the wilderness are written in the present tense while illness and imprisonment are written in the past tense. Scripture also differentiates the four
• Those who go down to the sea (yordei hayam) - He took them out (yotzee'eim);
• Those who traverse the wilderness (holchei hamdibarot) - and he saved them (yatzeeleim);
• Sine who was ill and or faced imprisonment the psalm uses the expression, He delivered them (yoshee'eim).
There is a reason for this. The wilderness is a dangerous route to traverse. It is necessary, therefore, to offer a prayer to be spared from danger. To be saved (yatzeeleim) is to be kept safe from enemies and bandits as in the expression "And He saved me from Pharaoh's sword." In the face of such danger one become (helpless like) a blind, deaf and mute person; even so, he is able to escape from these dangers…
Regarding the sea, Scripture uses the language "He took them out" (yotzee'eim) instead of "He saved them." This is because one begins a sea journey entering the boat but when one reaches ones destination, one 'goes out' of the boat, as in "Noah went out of the ark." That is why the psalmist uses the word yotzee'eim "He causes them to go out," for the sea; that is, "he goes out in peace from the sea since nothing bad occurred or happened to him "Let them praise the Lord for his steadfast love" since he returned without mishap. Similarly, when one returns to his home from the wilderness without any mishaps such as bandits or wild animals one should 'praise the Lord for His steadfast love. It would appear that one should give thanks when returning from the sea or the wilderness even when nothing bad happened to the person, since God 'saved him' and 'brought him out," safely and without mishap.
This is not the case regarding illness and imprisonment. Unlike the sea or the wilderness, these experiences involve suffering and misfortune. One needs to be delivered from troubles; therefore, Scripture uses the term yoshee'eim, to describe them.
(Similarly, when Pharaoh the Egyptians pursued Israel, the Israelites could have experienced great suffering. On the one hand, the wilderness which is filled with snakes and scorpions, and on the other hand, Israel was pursued by the Egyptians and the sea was before them (there was no escape). Yet they were delivered before any harm could come to them. They were in need of the deliverance of God. Moses stood before the people and said to them, "Stand up and witness the deliverance (yeshuah) of the Lord!" the deliverance occurred before the troubles. That is why the Torah says, "God delivered (vayosha) them on that day…") Even if one does not experience danger in the wilderness, there is always the possibility of encountering danger, so that the by definition, a wilderness is considered places of suffering.
In the case of illness or imprisonment, the person is already experiencing tza'ar, trouble. We give thanks because God has removed the illness or freed us from prison. The Talmud describes these experiences in the past tense because we have already experienced the trouble and afterwards we were delivered.
If we look carefully at the four promises of redemption in Exodus 6:6-8, we notice a number of odd things about the language of these verses:
• It is repetitive; why was it necessary to say that God took us out of "the labors of the Egypt" and "from their bondage." These two expressions are the similar to one another.
• The expression, "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt," implies that God took us out of the labors but not out of Egypt. The essence of the God's promise is missing. The verse should have simply said "God took us out of Egypt."
• "I will save you from their bondage," implies that the issue was enslavement. But God actually saved the people not just from slavery but from the bitterness and the oppression that the Egyptians imposed on the Israelites.
• The expression "I will redeem you" is also surprising. The verse never mentions that God would redeem them from Egypt. It should have said "And I will redeem you from Egypt."
• The actual Exodus from the land of Egypt is never explicitly mentioned in any of the promises.
These four promises anticipate Israel's experience at the time of the Exodus. The Israelites were afraid of leaving Egypt. They realized that if they followed the most direct route out of Egypt and they did not come back within three days, the Egyptians would pursue them and inflict even more severe penalties on them after subjugating them once again.
Therefore God - the One who states the end from the very beginning - made known to Moses that they had no reason to fear the Egyptians; that God would arrange the exodus in the most effective way.
• 'I will take you out' implies from the sea, as we see in Psalm 107. God hinted in this promise that he would not take them by way of the land of the Philistines but rather by the way of the sea. The Israelites had no reason to fear the 'labors of Egyptians' because God planned to drown the Egyptians in the sea. "I will take you out of the labors of Egypt." This verse implies that I am taking you and not the Egyptians out.
• I will save you - from the wilderness. The Israelites might also be fearful that God would bring the people into the dangerous wilderness where they would face many difficult tasks. Since the wilderness is not a place where things grow, they would have to work very hard to find food. God reassured them by saying, "I will save you" implies from the wilderness, as in Psalm 107. Even if sin made it necessary to remain in the wilderness for an extended period of time, God reassured them by saying it will not be necessary for you to do hard labor. God rained down bread from heaven, quail to eat each day during the desert sojourn as well as ample water from a well.
• I will redeem you - Having reassured the people that he would protect them both at the sea and in the wilderness, the people might become anxious that Pharaoh would not let them leave at all; that he would give them freedom but keep them in Egypt. Therefore God made a third promise: "I will redeem you with an out stretched arm and with extraordinary judgments." This was a reassurance that God would pass judgment on the Egyptians and their gods while they were in Egypt.
• I will take you to be My people - Finally to the fear that they would carry the illness and injuries that were inflicted on them during their years of slavery, God reassured them by saying, "I will take you to be My people." This is a reference to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Rashi proves that God healed the Israelites of all their afflictions at the time of the revelation. Also we find the following verse in Exodus 15:26 - "I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians…"
• We see then, that the first two promises are promises of safety from the sea and the wilderness, while the second two promises in Exodus 6 are promises of freedom from slavery and from illness. Since these are the four things for which we give thanks and offer praise, the sages decreed that we should toast our redemption with four cups of wine.
Minchat Ani
In Berachot (54b) we are taught that there four who should give thanks: one who crossed the sea, who traversed a wilderness, one who was sick and recovered, and one who was imprisoned.
One who crossed the sea, as it is written: “They that go down to the sea in ships…these saw the works of the Lord… He raised the stormy wind…they mounted up to the heaven, they went down to the deeps…they reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man…they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses. He made the storm calm ...then were they glad because they were quiet . . . . Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” (Ps. 107:23-30)
One who traverses the wilderness, as it is written: “They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; they found no city of habitation…Then they cried unto the Lord…and He led them by a straight way…Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy.” (Ps. 107:4-8)
One who became ill and was healed, as it is written: “There were fools who suffered for their sinful way, and for their iniquity. All food was loathsome to them; they reached the gates of death. In their adversity they cried to the Lord and God saved them from their troubles. He gave an order and healed them; He delivered them from the pits. Let them praise the Lord for His steadfast love.” (Ps 107:17-22)
One who was imprisoned, as it written: “Some lived in darkness, bound in cruel irons; because they defied the word of God, spurned the counsel of the Most High. He humbled their hearts through suffering; they stumbled with no one to help. In their adversity, they cried out to the Lord…he brought them out of deep darkness…let them praise the Lord for His steadfast love, His wondrous deeds for mankind.” (Ps. 107:10-16)
One who crossed the sea, as it is written: “They that go down to the sea in ships…these saw the works of the Lord… He raised the stormy wind…they mounted up to the heaven, they went down to the deeps…they reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man…they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distresses. He made the storm calm ...then were they glad because they were quiet . . . . Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.” (Ps. 107:23-30)
One who traverses the wilderness, as it is written: “They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; they found no city of habitation…Then they cried unto the Lord…and He led them by a straight way…Let them give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy.” (Ps. 107:4-8)
One who became ill and was healed, as it is written: “There were fools who suffered for their sinful way, and for their iniquity. All food was loathsome to them; they reached the gates of death. In their adversity they cried to the Lord and God saved them from their troubles. He gave an order and healed them; He delivered them from the pits. Let them praise the Lord for His steadfast love.” (Ps 107:17-22)
One who was imprisoned, as it written: “Some lived in darkness, bound in cruel irons; because they defied the word of God, spurned the counsel of the Most High. He humbled their hearts through suffering; they stumbled with no one to help. In their adversity, they cried out to the Lord…he brought them out of deep darkness…let them praise the Lord for His steadfast love, His wondrous deeds for mankind.” (Ps. 107:10-16)