출애굽기 4:22의 주석

ואמרת אל פרעה AND THOU SHALT SAY UNTO PHARAOH — When you perceive that his heart is stubborn and that he refuses to let them go speak to him thus:

בני בכורי ישראל, even though when it comes to the period known as קץ הימים, the end of the days of this planet, G’d will cause the kind of upheaval which will result in all the nations calling G’d by His chosen name and they will all serve Him without reservations, (Tzefaniah 3,9) even then Israel will still be special inasmuch as it is “My son.” I relate to Israel as a father relates to his son, not as a master relates to his servant, even the most benign of masters. A servant’s loyalty or “love” for his master is based on his expectations of reward, or his fear of punishment, not so a son’s loyalty and love. An additional reason for My preference for Israel is the fact that it is My firstborn son, i.e. it is the first nation to accept My position as Creator, King, Master in this universe. At a time when all the other nations were still following their misguided theologies, only the Jewish people proclaimed Me exclusively as their G’d and lawgiver. (compare Micah 4,5).

כה אמד ה׳ בני בכורי ישראל. Thus said the Lord: "Israel is My firstborn son." Why is this prophecy- i.e. that the Jewish firstborn would not be killed- recorded out of context, i.e. a long time before Moses would announce it to Pharaoh? We need to know also why, apparently, Moses was not to mention this to Pharaoh on their first encounter?

Yisrael is My son, My firstborn. All the nations of the world are part of the purpose of creation. Even if they practice idolatry, nevertheless, there are pious gentiles in every generation who recognize the honor of Hashem. However, Yisrael is compared to the first born son of a king that inherits the crown; moreover, even during the lifetime of the king he assists in ruling the kingdom. In the same way, Yisrael assists Divine Providence and the running of the world.

בני בכורי ישראל. Moses is to tell Pharaoh in G’d’s name that if He had delivered the Israelites under his control in order to discipline them somewhat this was not because He, their G’d, had rejected them. We know this from Moses telling the people in Deuteronomy 8,8 that any discomfort they had ever been subjected to in their journey was due to the discipline administered by a loving father to miscreant children. The father does not enjoy punishing his children but it is necessary in order for them to learn that misconduct carries a price. Pharaoh had greatly exceeded the authority he had to be G’d’s agent in educating the Israelites. As a fitting retribution G’d would kill Pharaoh’s own firstborn during the last of the plagues. When G’d referred to the Israelites as בני בכורי ישראל , this was a complimentary description of them, as for instance the line בני א-ל חי, “Children of the living G’d” in Hoseah 2,1. Similarly, Mount Sinai, a sanctified mountain is also referred to as הר ה', “G’d’s mountain,” in Numbers 10,33. Similarly, the Holy Temple, the holiest of structures, is known as “the House of the Lord” in Isaiah 56,7 The precise wording there is “for My House is called a House of Prayer.”

V. 22 u. 23.שלח את בני — בני בכורי ישראל בכר: verwandt mit בקר ,בגר פקר, die alle den Begriff des Freiseins enthalten. הפקר (auch הבקר): herrenlos. בגרת: das Stadium, in welchem das Mädchen aus der Botmäßigkeit des Vaters tritt. בוקר die Zeit, welche alle Dinge aus der Verschlungenheit der Nacht (לול :ליל) frei und geschieden hervortreten lässt. בָקָר: der frei und nicht in Hürden weilende Teil des Herdenbesitzes. בְכור ist nun nicht der Freie, Ungebundene; er soll ja vielmehr der erste Diener sein und בכור finden wir ja auch bei Tieren und Pflanzen. Die Form ist eine aktive, nicht passive. בכור ist nicht der freigewordene, sondern der freimachende (wie סגור nicht das Gesperrte, sondern das Sperrende). Die bis dahin gebundenen Kräfte des Mutterschoßes werden durch ihn frei, geöffnet. Er ist: פטר רחם. Er ist בכור nicht für sich, sondern für das, was folgt. Mit ihm tritt die Mutter die Zukunft ihres Mutterberufes an. Er ist der den Reigen Eröffnende. Seine קדושה liegt darin, dass mit ihm das Haus zuerst Kinder bekommt, durch ihn wird der קדוש :רחם und alles, was später durch diese Pforte kommt, Gott heilig. בכור wird erst ביציאתו מרחם קדוש, und auch für den Besitz heißt es: וכל מקנך תזכר פטר שור ושה, "dein ganzer Herdenbesitz soll in der Erstgeburt des Ochsen und des Lammes gedacht werden." Indem Gott daher von Israel בני בכורי! spricht, so ist damit gesagt: mit Israel wird der Mutterschoß der Menschheit geöffnet, mit Israel der Reigen eröffnet, in welchem alle Völker als meine Söhne hervortreten sollen. In deinem eigenen Namen und im Namen der ganzen Menschheit komme ich daher zu dir. Israel ist mein erstes, aber nicht mein einziges, es ist nur das erste Volk, das ich mir gewonnen. (So auch die Weisen zu Wajikra 20, 26 ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים כאדם שבורר וחוזר fordere ich für Israel die Freiheit, wie בני als ,בני בכורי siehe das.) Nicht als ,ובורר ich sie für jedes Volk vindizieren werde, das sich mir als Sohn hingibt. Israel ist nicht dem Range, sondern der Zeit nach das erste.

בני בכורי, “My son, My firstborn.” This is the first time the Torah officially acknowledges the sale by Esau of his birthright to Yaakov (Israel).

בני בכורי ישראל, “My firstborn son, Israel.” All of G-ds creatures are His children. However, Israel is the most beloved of His children as when He created mankind the species, it was for the sake of eventually there being a nation like Israel. An alternate exegesis: When Yaakov (Israel) purchased the birthright from Esau and he eventually acknowledged that he had deserved it, I had been instrumental in this, and until Aaron became a priest the Temple service was meant to be performed by the firstborn. This is why I demand that you release My firstborn son to perform the service fore me in the desert.

בני בכרי [ISRAEL IS] MY SON, MY FIRSTBORN — The term בכור “firstborn” denotes high dignity as, (Psalms 89:28) “I also will appoint him a בכור” (which is explained by the following words, “the highest of the kings of the earth”). This is the literal meaning; a Midrashic comment is: Here (in these words) the Holy One, blessed be He, set His seal to the sale of the birthright which Jacob had purchased from Esau (Genesis Rabbah 63:14).

It appears that G'd in His wisdom provided Moses with some information which would temper his disappointment at the long drawn-out process of the often broken promises by Pharaoh. There was a danger that when Moses observed that Pharaoh remained obstinate month after month despite the plagues G'd inflicted upon him and his people, he would become fed up with his mission. G'd therefore informed him of something that would not happen until the end of the process. As long as the plague of killing the firstborn Egyptians had not occurred, Moses had no reason to believe that G'd's timetable had been upset. The synopsis of the prophecy was: "be aware that I will make Pharaoh's heart obstinate; he will suffer many plagues without collapsing; in the end you will announce to him that G'd will kill all the firstborn Egyptians, etc."

G'd was also clever in announcing to Moses in this fashion that it would be the plague of killing the firstborn which would prompt Pharaoh to dismiss the people. Moses would eventually realise that the redemption was close at hand when G'd did not mention to him anymore that He would harden the heart of Pharaoh. When Pharaoh told him in 10,28: "do not come to see me anymore," Moses realised that the time to fulfil the instruction given in our verse had arrived. This is why he announced that plague the moment Pharaoh told him not to come and see him again. While it is true that the Torah reports many additional instructions G'd gave to Moses at that time, G'd may have mentioned them already at this time while recording them at an appropriate moment. When we look at matters in that light we do not need all the Midrashim which try to determine when precisely G'd had made this announcement. G'd did not worry that Moses would misunderstand and reveal this prophecy too soon. He knew that Moses would report back to Him any response from Pharaoh. As soon as G'd would then instruct Moses to bring on another plague, Moses would know that the time had not yet arrived for that final plague. Once Pharaoh told Moses not to come and see him again, Moses realised he did not have time to consult with G'd outside the limits of the city as he was in the habit of doing. This is why he himself announced the plague of the killing of the firstborn without awaiting specific instructions from G'd. Perhaps Moses simply used the words "I will make Pharaoh's heart hard" as his guidelines. He did not know beforehand how long this process of hardening Pharaoh's heart would continue; when he noticed that G'd did not mention this anymore after the plague of darkness, he took his cue from that and warned Pharaoh of the final plague.

It is also possible that G'd indicated that Pharaoh had three choices. If he were to release the Israelites he would be spared any plagues. If he were to deny the Israelites their freedom without at the same time insulting G'd, G'd would bring on the plague of the killing of the firstborn immediately; this would bring about the Exodus. If, however, Pharaoh were to deny the Israelites their freedom and at the same time insult the honour of G'd, he would have to endure the entire range of plagues, as did in fact happen. G'd told him through Moses in 9,16 that He had decided to let Pharaoh experience the full extent of His power.