출애굽기 12:35의 주석

כדבר משה [THEY DID] ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF MOSES which he had spoken to them in Egypt, viz., (Exodus 11:2) “And let every man ask his fellow…”

עשו כדבר משה, they did in accordance with Moses' instructions. The Torah stresses that the reason the Israelites "borrowed" all this silver, gold, etc., was not because they were greedy for material goods but because Moses had instructed them to. The Torah may also teach us an object lesson in what Maimonides wrote in chapter nine of his Hilchot Yesodey Hatorah that if a prophet orders the people to commit an act which is against Torah law and such an order is of a temporary nature, an emergency situation, the people are to accept the prophet's instructions as long as the violation is not in the realm of idol worship. The people here were not happy about deceiving the Egyptians by making them think they were borrowing these trinkets intending to return them in a few days. Seeing that Moses was a duly accredited prophet, however, they complied with bis instructions in spite of their misgivings.

כלי כסף וכלי זהב ושמלות, “silver trinkets, gold trinkets and garments.” What is mentioned later is more valuable. Gold is mentioned after silver as it is more valuable. The garments were mentioned last as they were the most valuable items, [if only because they were of immediate use. Ed.] (based on Mechilta). We have a parallel in Genesis 12,1 where G’d tells Avraham to leave 1) your country, 2) your birthplace, 3) your parental home. The last-mentioned one was closest to him, hence the most valuable association.

These were even dearer to them than silver and gold. Otherwise, why should “clothing” even be mentioned? If they lent them silver and gold, surely clothing. Thus we [must say: on the contrary,] “these were even dearer. . .” However, the Maharshal explains: Since Hashem did not command them to borrow clothing, perforce it was not so valuable. Hashem said to request only silver and gold, to uphold His promise of, “Afterwards they will leave with great wealth.” They borrowed the clothing on their own, since a pauper who lacks clothing does not look to acquire silver and gold, but coats and shirts. And what does it mean that the clothing was even dearer to the Egyptians? It means that it was a great and serious matter for the Egyptians to lend it to them. This is because the Egyptian clothing and customs were different from those of B’nei Yisrael, so when they lent them clothing they knew it would not be returned since B’nei Yisrael would make alterations to the clothing. Nevertheless, they lent it to them. Therefore Rashi explains that the clothing was “even dearer to them,” i.e., to the Egyptians, but not to B’nei Yisrael. Whereas the silver and gold was not as dear to the Egyptians, since they thought it would be returned.

(Exodus 12:35) "And the children of Israel did as Moses had bid them": Now what had Moses bid them do in Egypt? (Exodus 11:2) "Speak I pray you in the ears of the people that you ask of them, etc." And this is what they did. "and they asked of Egypt vessels of silver and vessels of gold and raiment": Let raiment not be mentioned (i.e., it goes without saying). (It is mentioned) to indicate that raiment was more precious to them than silver and gold. (Ibid. 36) "And the L rd placed the favor of the people in the eyes of Egypt and they lent them>" as the verse implies. R. Yossi Haglili says: They trusted them, saying: If they did not do (i.e., if they did not steal from us) in the three days of darkness when they could easily have taken advantage of our blindness) should they be suspect now? R. Eliezer b. Yaakov says: The Holy Spirit reposed upon them and he (a Jew) would say: Lend me your vessel which is found in this and this place, and he (the Egyptian) would find it there and give it to him. "chen" ("favor") is the Holy Spirit, as it is written (Zechariah 12:10) "And I will pour out on the house of David and on the dwellers on Jerusalem a spirit of chen, etc." R. Nathan says: This is not needed (to comprehend the verse). "Vayashilum" connotes that they gave them (even) what they did not ask for. If the Jew said Give me this and this thing, the Egyptian would say: Take it and anything like it. "and they emptied out Egypt": We are hereby apprised that their idols melted and returned to their former state, (so that they were now permitted to take them.) And whence is it derived that the spoils of the (Red) Sea were (even) greater than these? From (Ezekiel 16:7) "… and you increased and grew great and attained to adi adayim" "adi" connotes (the spoils of) Egypt; "adayim" connotes the spoils of the (Red) Sea. And it is written (Psalms 68:14) "the wings of a dove sheathed in silver" — the spoils of Egypt. (Ibid.) "its pinions in fine gold" — the spoils of the (Red) Sea. And it is written (Song of Songs 1:11) "Wreaths of gold will we make for you" — the spoils of the (Red Sea); "with your spangles of silver" — the spoils of Egypt. (Exodus 12:37) "And the children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Succoth": From Ramses to Succoth was a distance of forty parasangs, and the voice of Moses traveled (the distance of) a forty day journey. And let this not be a cause of wonder to you. For it is written (Ibid. 9:8-9) "And the L rd said to Moses and to Aaron: Take for yourselves your full handfuls of furnace soot … And it shall be dust over all the land of Egypt, etc." Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If dust, whose nature it is not to travel, traveled a distance of forty days, how much more so a voice, whose nature it is to travel! In an instant, Israel traveled from Ramses to Succoth, as per (Ibid. 19:4) "And I bore you on eagles' wings, etc." "to succoth": "succoth," ("booths") literally, as in (Genesis 33:17) "And Jacob traveled to Succoth, and for his cattle he made succoth (booths), for which reason the place was named Succoth." These are the words of R. Eliezer. R. Akiva says: "succoth" refers to the clouds of glory, as in (Isaiah 4:5) "And the L rd will create on the entire base of Mount Zion and on all of its branchings a cloud by day and smoke with a glow of flaming fire by night, on all the glory, a canopy." This tells me only of the past. Whence do I derive (the same for) the time to come? From (Ibid. 6) "And it shall be a succah to shade the day", (Ibid. 35:10) "And the redeemed of the L rd will return, etc." And the sages say: Succoth is a place, as in (Exodus 13:20) "And they journeyed from Succoth and they encamped in Etham." Just as Etham is a place, so, Succoth. R. Nechemiah says: "Succothah": The (conventional) "lamed" ("to") in the beginning is replaced by a "heh" at the end. (Exodus 12:37) "six hundred thousand men": sixty ten thousands, as in (Song of Songs 3:7) "Behold, the couch of Shlomoh, (acronymically, 'He who spoke and brought the world into being') sixty (ten thousands) of the warriors of Israel" (who left Egypt.) (Ibid. 8) "all of them holding the sword, taught in war," viz. (Numbers 21:14) "whereof it is written in the book of the wars of the L rd, etc." And it is written (Psalms 149:5-7) "Let the saintly exult in glory, let them sing upon their couches, the glory of G d in their throats," and (8) "to bind their kings with shackles," and (9) "to execute upon them the written judgment — glory to all of His saints, Hallelukah!" (Exodus, Ibid.) "aside from the children": aside from the women and children, (another six hundred thousand). These are the words of R. Yishmael. R. Akiva says: Aside from women, children, and the elderly, (each of the four groups consisting of 600,000). (Exodus 12:38) "and also a great multitude": a hundred and twenty ten thousands. These are the words of R. Yishmael. R. Akiva says: Two hundred and forty ten thousands. R. Nathan says: Three hundred and sixty ten thousands. "And flocks and herds, a great crush of cattle": Of this the Holy One Blessed be He had said to Abraham (Genesis 15:14) "And after this, they will go out with great wealth." At the exodus, I will fill them with silver and gold. (Exodus 12:39) "And they baked the dough": See above (Exodus 12:34) (Exodus , Ibid.) "ugoth matzoth": "ugoth" are wafers as in (Ezekiel 4:12) "As barley wafers (ugoth) shall you eat it," and (I Kings 17:13) "Make me from them a small uggah." A great miracle was performed for them through the wafers. They ate from them for thirty days until the manna descended. "for they were driven out of Egypt": I might think (that they left) of their own volition. It is, therefore, written ("for they were driven out of Egypt) and they could not tarry." "and provisions, too, they could not make for themselves": to apprise us of the eminence of Israel. They did not say to Moses: How can we venture into the desert with no provisions for the road, but they believed and went after Moses. Of them it is stated in the Tradition (Jeremiah 2:2) "Go and call out in the ears of Jerusalem, etc." What reward did they receive for this? (Ibid. 3) "Holy is Israel to the L rd, etc."

ושמלות AND GARMENTS — These were even more valued by them than the silver and than the gold: the later a thing is mentioned in the text the more valued it is (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:35) (i. e. the fact that silver is mentioned before gold shows that the text is mentioning the objects in the ascending scale of value and consequently the garments, as being mentioned last, must have been most valued by them).

The later in the verse, the dearer. This raises a difficulty: In the verse mentioning “Wheat and barley” (Devarim 8:8), the more important item comes first. The answer is: [Rashi is not stating a general rule. And] here, the more important item cannot be the first one, as then the latter items would not need to be mentioned at all. For if the Egyptians lent the valuable items, surely they would lend the cheap ones. (Maharshal)