Chasidut su Deuteronomio 30:15

And through this we can explain the commentators’ question mentioned above. For the essence of Choice is what was stated in the verse, See, I have set before you today life and good… therefore choose life (Deut. 30:15, 19). And how should a person choose good from evil, if not through Awareness? When a person has the Awareness to distinguish between good and evil, then he can choose good and despise evil. Now, in the Egyptian exile the Awareness was in exile, as we have stated, and then they did not have the full choice, with full awareness. For this is the essence of the Exodus from Egypt, that the Awareness should come out of exile and there can be Choice with Awareness – which is not the case in exile, when Awareness was with [Pharaoh] in Egypt. Then, even Choice could not be; in which case Choice was not taken from Pharaoh at all, since Choice [itself] did not yet exist, as we have explained. For it came into being afterward, in their Exodus from Egypt, when the Awareness came out of exile – then Choice had something on which to take effect, as we have stated.