Komentarz do Wyjścia 5:25

ואחר באו משה ואהרן AND AFTERWARDS MOSES AND AARON CAME — But the elders slipped away one by one from behind Moses and Aaron until every-one of them had slipped away before they arrived at the palace, because they were afraid to go there. At Sinai they were punished for this, for it is stated (Exodus 24:2) “And Moses alone shall draw near unto the Lord, but they, (the elders; cf. Exodus 24:1) shall not draw near” — He bid them stay behind. (Exodus Rabbah 5:14)

ואחר באו משה ואהרון ויאמרו אל פרעה, afterwards Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said, etc. The word "afterwards" means after the people had believed that G'd had despatched Moses to them as their redeemer. The verse refers to fulfilment of what G'd had told Moses in 3,18. We now appreciate the dividing tone sign etnachta under the word לקולך in 3,18; we would have expected the words "and you will proceed to Pharaoh" to be part of the same sequence. Inasmuch as some considerable time passed between what was mentioned in the first half of that verse and the completion of what it was meant to lead to, the Torah repeats here that now the second part of verse 18 in chapter 3 was being played out.

They received their retribution at Sinai: “Moshe, alone, drew near . . .” Re”m wrote: “It is puzzling that Rashi here explains the verse from Shemos 24:2 as implying that ‘But they did not draw near’ refers only to the elders. This is not true, because the previous verse (24:1) states: ‘Ascend to Adonoy, you and Aharon, Nadav, and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel.’ Then is written, ‘Moshe, alone, drew near . . .’ Yet if Hashem turned everyone back as a punishment, what was Aharon’s sin? Similarly with Nadav and Avihu, who were not among the seventy elders. [What was their sin?]” Re”m left the matter unresolved. But to me it seems not so problematic. For Rashi explains in Parashas Yisro (Shemos 19:24): “You [Moshe] will have your own designated area [when Hashem descends on Mt. Sinai], and also Aharon will have his own designated area, whereas the people may not break through their position at all.” Thus we see that the elders did not have their own designated area but stood among the people, and this was the punishment. And as for Nadav and Avihu, perhaps they stood in the same designated area as Aharon. (Kitzur Mizrachi)

V. 31 Kap. 5. V. 1. ואחר בא. Es heißt nicht: ויהי אחר הדברים האלה ויבאו, in welchem Falle es eine geschichtliche Fortführung der sich entwickelnden Begebenheit wäre. Mit diesem ersten Erscheinen Mosches und Aarons vor Pharao ist nämlich noch nichts für die Erlösung erwirkt worden. Es ist dies vielmehr nur ein vorläufiger, wichtiger Versuch, um an den Tag zu legen, was denn von einem Pharao auf dem Wege der bloßen Vorstellung zu erlangen gewesen wäre. Die ganze Erzählung zeigt uns, wie wichtig und notwendig das spätere Verfahren durch Wundertaten für alle hier Beteiligten, für Pharao, für das Volk und selbst für Mosche gewesen. Sie traten mit einer Forderung an ihn heran, die, wenn Pharao bereits zum rechten Bewusstsein gekommen wäre, von ihm ohne weiteres hätte bewilligt werden müssen. Sie forderten ja nicht völlige Freilassung, forderten nur die Erlaubnis, ein Fest zu feiern. Sie forderten dies im Namen Gottes, an dessen Mundeshauch jeder kommende Moment seiner und der ganzen Menschheit Zukunft hängt, und der speziell Israels Gott ist, sich eben dieses Volk, eben in seiner völligen Macht- und Widerstandlosigkeit erwählt hat, um in dessen Geschick und Leben sich als die allein siegreiche Macht in der Geschichte der Menschen zu offenbaren.

'ואחר באו משה ואהרן אל פרעה ויאמרו וגו, “and after this Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh” this line is the basis of the liturgist’s poem in the Shabbat morning prayer of the Shabbat before Passover after the line: חי וקים נורא וקדוש שמו, inserting his poem commencing with the words: ירדת להצל עמך, “You descended in order to save Your people.” Among other lines it contains the phrase: יכנס הבא במנה, a reference to the day when Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh without an appointment apparently. It was Pharaoh's birthday, and when advised that two elderly men stood outside waiting to be admitted, Pharaoh thought that they must have come to pay him homage. When asked about their message, they replied that the G-d of the Hebrews commanded Him to release the Hebrews to serve Him in the desert.

ויחגו, von חגג, wovon חג, das Fest. Da חגג und חוג seiner Grundbedeutung nach einen Kreis bilden heißt: יהוגו וינועו כשכור sich im Kreise drehen (Ps. 107, 27) חוג: der Kreis, מחוגה: der Zirkel, so ist man geneigt, den Begriff חג, Fest als einen im Kreislauf des Jahres wiederkehrenden Tag zu fassen. Allein dann müßte הגג vom Feste und nicht von den Festfeiernden prädiziert werden. Das Fest, nicht die Feiernden, durchläuft einen Kreis. Es scheint vielmehr, dass חג ein Fest bedeutet, weil die Feiernden einen Kreis um den sie um sich sammelnden, gemeinsamen göttlichen Mittelpunkt bilden. חגג heißt: sich um Gott und um das von Ihm als unseren Mittelpunkt Gegebene, das Gesetz, im Kreise sammeln, so dass wir uns als das Volk Gottes und seines Gesetzes darstellen. Daher heißen wesentlich ja nur diejenigen Feste חג, die sonst auch רגל heißen, weil sie jeden einzeln zur gemeinschaftlichen Sammlung um das im Heiligtum deponierte Gottesgesetz laden. Also: "Gib mein Volk los, dass sie mir einen Kreis bilden, sich um mich versammeln; und ich verlange das nicht hier, wo sie euch verfallen sind, sondern fern von euch in der Wüste, wo ihre Hörigkeit an Mich frei erscheinen kann, wo auch ihre Feier für euch nichts Verletzendes hat!"

The expression ויחגו which occurs here for the first time is familiar to us from the line: אסרו חג בעבותים, (Psalms 118,27) “bind the festival offering!”

מי ה' אשר אשמע בקולו לשלח את ישראל?, They are my slaves in my country to perform slave labour there. What possible interest could this Hashem have in demanding that they serve Him instead?

'לא ידעתי את ה; I have never heard of any Being which created something tangible out of an absolute nothing.

אשר אשמע בקולו, "that I should listen to His voice." Pharaoh challenged Moses regarding his G'd's great power. Surely the Jewish G'd was not so powerful that He could demand such obedience in a matter of such overriding importance! He added gratuitously: "to dismiss the Jewish people," meaning that however great His power it would surely not suffice to liberate the Jewish people. Pharaoh did not mean to concede that he did know of the Jewish G'd after all, but that the latter was not great enough to make such a demand; rather he said: 1) "I do not know of Him;" 2) even if I would be told that He does indeed exist this would not mean that He could demand the freeing of the Jewish people." The word גם refers to a hypothetical situation.

מי ה' אשר אשמע בקולו, “Who is this Hashem that I should obey His instructions?” Tanchuma Vaeyra 5 comments on this that when Pharaoh heard Moses mention the name of G’d, he took out a register of all known deities and did not find the name Hashem listed there. What the Midrash means is that Pharaoh was intelligent and knowledgeable enough to be familiar with the extent to which earth was populated and civilizations had been established. He knew that the earth had been divided into 7 climatic zones and that each zone had been assigned a deity (zodiac constellation) to supervise its fate. He was also familiar with the 70 nations and what deity was responsible for their respective fates. Seeing that he could not find the name of Hashem listed anywhere in his list, he challenged Moses by saying: “who is this Hashem?” He was unaware that the Hashem Moses had spoken of was the supreme G’d who presided over all forces in the universe and without whose approval no other power could wield any influence in the universe.
Our sages in the above Midrash illustrated this by a parable. A priest had a servant who was mentally defective. Once when the priest had left the country this servant went in search of him. When he came to a cemetery he started shouting at the people assembled there: ”have you seen my master?” The people answered him: ‘is not your master a certain priest, etc.?’ The servant confirmed that this was so. Thereupon the people said to him: ”you idiot why do you look for a priest in a cemetery, a place which is out of bounds to priests?” Similarly, what business does a king have in a slaughterhouse? Moses and Aaron replied to Pharaoh that the reason he had never heard of the supreme G’d was that he had not looked for Him in the right place. Earth, which is a vast cemetery for mankind was most certainly not the place where he could expect to find the supreme G’d. The gods Pharaoh had spoken of were all dead themselves whereas the supreme G’d personified life, growth, development, etc. In answer to Pharaoh’s question what this G’d did and what He had accomplished, Moses and Aaron listed the fact that He had created the universe, the plants, the animals, man, etc., that He made mountains, covered the earth with an atmosphere, that He appoints kings, etc. After hearing this Pharaoh became angry exclaiming: “I have created myself and I am lord of the universe! The river Nile is my river. Who is this G’d that I should take orders from Him?” Thereupon G’d said: “you wicked person!” I am going to bring a plague upon you from this very river which you claim to own and to have created. This is why the first plague was the turning of the waters of the river Nile into blood.
Another explanation of the words: “who is this G’d that I should pay heed to His command?” Pharaoh did not deny G’d’s existence but he felt slighted that G’d did not communicate with him directly as he had done to the Pharaoh who had kidnapped Sarah, and to Avimelech who had wanted to marry Sarah against her will. Seeing that this G’d had revealed Himself to these two kings they had reason to obey His instructions. Seeing that this G’d had not revealed Himself to him, he saw no reason to accept what Moses said as instructions emanating from that G’d. He was angry that G’d had not given him an opportunity to defend his conduct as He had done for Avimelech. [This assumes that the Pharaoh in Genesis 13,17 was the same one as here some 400 years later. Ed.]

V. 2. Die Pharaonen, wie wir sie bis jetzt kennen gelernt, waren und sprachen so politisch gewandt und fein, wie nur irgend ein Dynast unserer Zeit. "Ihr kommt im Namen eures Gottes, dem ich gehorchen müsste, das frei zu geben, was mir gehört: einen solchen Gott kenne ich nicht. Und sprecht ihr im Namen eures Volkes, etwa im Namen einer von diesem Gotte euch erteilten künftigen hohen Bestimmung: so reicht mir auch das nicht hin, um auch nur auf kurze Zeit auf das zu verzichten, was mein ist."

וגם את ישראל לא אשלח, even if it could be proved that this Being you speak about does in fact exist, I will not release the Israelites on account of that new found wisdom.

פן יפגענו LEST HE LIGHT ON US — They should have said, “Lest He light on thee (Pharaoh) [with pestilence] etc.” — but they showed respect to royalty (the king) by thus expressing themselves. This term פגיעה “lighting on”, “meeting” denotes meeting with death (Exodus Rabbah 5:15).

LEST HE FALL UPON US WITH PESTILENCE. “Moses and Aaron wanted to say [to Pharaoh], ‘Lest He fall upon thee,’ but they showed respect to royalty.” Thus the language of Rashi. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained: “‘Lest He fall upon us; that is, including us Israelites, also you Pharaoh and all Egypt.’ Therefore when the Egyptians saw the slaying of the firstborn, they said, ‘We are all dead men,’³²⁰Further, 12:33. for the words of Moses now became clear to them when he said, Lest he fall upon us with pestilence, and therefore they drove them to go to sacrifice [to G-d].”
This explanation of Ibn Ezra is not correct, for Moses and Aaron were not commanded to say that Israel too would share in the punishment of pestilence or sword if they would not sacrifice [to G-d],³²¹Only the Egyptians were to suffer that punishment if they failed to permit the Israelites to go to worship the Eternal. and Moses and Aaron would by no means change anything in the mission of G-d.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], this is the secret of the offerings,³²²See Ramban on Genesis 4:3 (Vol. I, p. 88, and Note 423). as they constitute a redemption from punishment, for before Him goeth the pestilence.³²³Habakkuk 3:5. This explains the verse here: Let us go…and sacrifice… lest He fall upon us with pestilence. Ramban then proceeds to explain the end of the verse: or with the sword.
Or with the sword, this means the harsh [attribute of justice]. Moses said this because the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded them, saying, And you shall say unto him: ‘The Eternal, the G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us. And now let us go … that we may sacrifice to the Eternal our G-d.’³²⁴Verse 1. and they said to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Eternal, the G-d of Israel: ‘Let My people go.’³²⁴Verse 1. Now Pharaoh was indeed a very wise man. He knew [of the existence of] G-d and acknowledged Him, as he — or his predecessor³²⁵This is a reference to the difference of opinion among the Rabbis of the Talmud (Sotah 11 a) regarding the verse, Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph (above, 1:8). One Rabbi said that he was really a new king; the other said that it was the same king but he decreed new edicts, and comported himself as though he did not know him. — said to Joseph: Forasmuch as G-d had shown thee all this;³²⁶Genesis 41:39. a man in whom the spirit of G-d is.³²⁷Ibid., Verse 38. But Pharaoh did not know the Proper Name of G-d, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton],³²⁸See above, Note 84. and accordingly, he answered, I know not the Eternal.³²⁹Verse 2. Therefore they replied and said to him, as they were commanded, The G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us,³³⁰In Verse 3 before us. mentioning to him only the G-d of the Hebrews, which is equivalent to E-il Sha-dai. They said, He hath met with us, relating to Pharaoh the exact language of the message they were commanded to bring him, and they explained to him that in this meeting which they would have [with G-d], it would be necessary for them to sacrifice before Him, lest the meeting be with pestilence, or with the sword. In a similar vein did Scripture set forth in connection with Balaam, as it is said, And G-d met Balaam, and he said unto Him: I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.³³¹Numbers 23:4.

'ויאמרו אלוקי העברים וגו, the Jewish people are not Egyptians but originated in Mesopotamia, across the river Euphrates, as their very name indicates, they are therefore bound by the rules of the G’d of that country, otherwise this G’d will smite them” [making them useless to you as slave-labour. Ed.]

אלוקי העברים, concerning your statement that you never heard of such a Being, He is the G’d of the Hebrews, the ones who cleave to the religious teachings of עבר, the grandson of Shem, son of Noach. Concerning your statement that you will not release the Israelites, you would do well to listen to His instructions פן יפגענו, as He would punish both us and you.

ויאמרו אלוקי העברים ..פן יפגענו "The G'd of Israel…. lest He punish us." The last words were spoken by the Israelites. Even though our sages in Shemot Rabbah 5,14 told us that the elders melted away on the way to the first confrontation with Pharaoh, the Israelites expressed fear of being punished by G'd. The elders were punished for not accompanying Moses and Aaron. Perhaps the entire nation went to see Pharaoh and told him it would be in Pharaoh's own interest to excuse the Jewish people from work for three days and to take the chance that they would return; otherwise, if they would be punished by their G'd, Pharaoh would lose their labour altogether if they were to die of a pestilence. Perhaps they even implied that such a pestilence would also pose a problem for Pharaoh himself who might become infected. They used the well known method of describing such a plague as afflicting them rather than Pharaoh, as they did not want to threaten Pharaoh outright.

דרך שלשת ימים, “a distance of three days’ journey.” If Moses had declared that they wanted to leave the country for good, the Egyptians would never have agreed to lend them their valuable trinkets to use in their rituals. There is a comment in the Midrash according to which when G’d told Moses to have the Children of Israel ask for these trinkets, he replied to G’d: “is it worth the effort to make the Israelites borrow these trinkets for a mere three days?” G’d answered him that He was aware that Pharaoh would not even grant a vacation of three days, and that in response to his refusal G’d would bring on the plagues, at the end of which he would send the Israelites from his land permanently.

V. 3. Sie erneuerten daher ihren Antrag ganz von seinem Standpunkte und aus seinen Anschauungen. Kennst du nicht ד׳, so verstehst du doch, wenn wir von dem "Gotte der Hebräer" sprechen. Wie die Ägypter, haben auch wir unseren Gott, und wenn der, in Folge der höheren Notwendigkeit, die über Götter und Menschen gebietet (siehe Kap. 3, 18), in die sichtbare Welt hervortritt, so ist das, du weißt es, ein bedenkliches Wahrzeichen, so muss er besänftigt werden. Geschieht das nicht, so kann Pest und Schwert über uns kommen, und da würden nicht nur wir, sondern du und dein Volk mit leiden. Um eurer selbst willen — ihr fürchtet doch auch den Zorn der Götter — bewillige uns das Fest!

דרך שלשת ימים, “a distance of three days’ walk.” The plain meaning of the verse is that Moses requested to take the people to the desert in order there to offer sacrifices to their G–d. In the event that Pharaoh would ask: “why can you not offer these sacrifices right here?” Moses anticipated this question, and he added that unless we do it in the desert we will be subject to severe punishment by our G–d. (Compare Exodus 8,22 for further elaboration)

ויאמרו: אלוקי העברים, they said in response to Pharaoh denying that there was a G-d called Hashem (or a people called Israel), that they were talking about the G-d of the Hebrews. The G-d of the Hebrews sits in judgment of His people as He is their G-d and are His servants and His people.”

פן יפגענו בדבר או בחרב, “lest He will strike us dead either with the plague or the sword.” According to Rashi this was a veiled warning to Pharaoh and meant “lest He strike you dead either by the plague or by the sword.” Ibn Ezra understands the line as a warning to Pharaoh as well as to the Israelites who would be punished for not heeding their G’d’s commandment. This is the reason why when the time came for the slaying of the firstborn, the Egyptians were afraid that they would all die. They had belatedly remembered what Moses had said during the first interview with Pharaoh. Nachmanides rejects this commentary as he is bothered by the fact that Moses and Aaron had not been commanded by G’d to say to Pharaoh that their G’d had threatened to punish the Israelites if they failed to offer sacrifices to Him.

פן יפגענו, “so that He will not afflict us;” when using the plural mode “us,” Moses and Aaron implied that they included Pharaoh in the people who would feel the wrath of the G-d of the Hebrews. A different interpretation: Pharaoh was not included in what Moses and Aaron said, but if the G-d of the Hebrews were to kill us, he, Pharaoh, would not only lose their work for a few days, but that he would lose the work of the Hebrew slaves permanently and irrevocably; thus it would be in his interest to grant their request.

בדבר או בחרב, “either through pestilence or the sword.” Here Moses already hinted for the first time that G-d had told him to warn Pharaoh of fatal consequences, i.e. the death of the firstborn if he were to refuse to obey His commands. Rashi points that out when he says on 4,23 that Moses warned Pharaoh already of the last plague on his first encounter with him

תפריעו את העם ממעשיו means ye detach and take them away from their work, because they listen to you and believe that they may refrain from the work. Similar are: (Proverbs 4:15) “פרעהו pass not by it”, i. e. keep it far from thee, pass not by it; (Proverbs 1:25) “and ye withdraw (ותפרעו) all my counsel”; (Exodus 32:25) “for it is פרע” i. e. it had removed itself from the proper path and had made itself a thing to be abhorred (but cf. Rashi on this verse where he explains the word by מגולה — נתגלה שמצו וקלונו).

WHEREFORE DO YE, MOSES AND AARON…? Pharaoh asked them for their names, and he mentioned them by name in a manner indicating respect.

תפריעו, you make them idle, or “detach them” from their regular duties. The word פרע in Numbers 5,18 means to detach the hair of the woman from her head.

ויאמר..למה משה ואהרון תפריעו את העם, He said: "Why Moses and Aaron to you deter the people, etc.?" After Pharaoh had first faced both the elders and Moses and Aaron and they had told him about the demands of the Hebrew G'd, Pharaoh now turned to Moses and Aaron telling them that he had no complaint against the elders who were obviously motivated by their fear of pestilence. His complaint was directed against Moses and Aaron on two counts. 1) Seeing that Moses and Aaron had brought a message from their G'd, it appeared that the decision was up to him. They had therefore not been entitled to threaten the people with punishment by their G'd for something that was not up to them but up to him! 2) If Moses and Aaron had told the people that they could simply leave Egypt without being granted permission, why had they come to ask his permission at all? Perhaps this is what our sages had in mind in our Midrash when they said: "why does the Torah write אתם and why the word למה? This may mean that Pharaoh asked why they came at all, and why they told the people in the name of G'd that they could leave. Pharaoh then turned towards the Israelites and told them: לכו לסבלותיכם, "go and do your work!"

למה....תפריעו, “why do you disturb, etc?” According to Rashi the meaning of תפריעו is the same as תבטלו, “you are causing idleness.” Ibn Ezra interprets the word as תשבתו, you cause them to deteriorate as in Proverbs 5,23 (29,18) באין מוסר יפרע עם, “the people will become corrupt in the absence of discipline.”

And have thoughts of resting from the work. Rashi explains [as he does] because nowhere do we find Moshe and Aharon telling them to disengage from their work, or that they were commanded to do so.

V. 4. Bis jetzt hat Pharao gesprochen, jetzt spricht er als König und tritt ganz persönlich an Mosche und Aaron hinan. "Ihr seid ja mir wohlbekannte Greise! "Feste feiern", "Gotteserscheinung", ihr wisst ja sehr wohl, dass ich weiß, und ich weiß, dass ihr wisst, wie das alles ja nur für's Volk gesprochen ist; zwischen Männern, wie ihr und ich, ist ja Religion und Gottesverehrung nur Politik. Ihr wisst ja sehr wohl, dass ich weiß, wie das alles nur gefordert wird, להפריע וגו׳, das Volk von dem "Bande seiner Tätigkeit zu lösen." Bis jetzt weiß das Volk nicht anders, als dass es unter dem Bande des Gesetzes steht, dass Arbeiten sein natürlicher, angeborner Beruf ist; warum wollt ihr ihm die Idee beibringen, dass man auch einmal nicht arbeiten dürfe? Es ist das eurer, solcher bejahrter Männer, eines "Mosche und Aaron" nicht würdig. Pharao wählt sehr seine Worte. Hinsichtlich des Volkes hütet er sich wohl, von סבלות zu sprechen. Während Mosche und Aaron, die Vornehmen, Eximierten, ihre Berufslasten haben, während ebenso, wie wir weiter unten sehen werden, die Ägypter ihre Berufslasten haben, sind die Sklavenarbeiten, unter denen die Ebräer keuchen, nur מעשיו die ihnen gebührende angemessene Beschäftigung. לכו לסבלתיכם: geht zu dem, was eures ernsten Berufes ist. Diese Aufwiegelung eines Volkes ist eurer unwürdig und steht euch nicht zu.

לכו לסבלתיכם, “get to your labours!” Rashi comments that Moses and Aaron did not personally have to perform manual labour, as they belonged to the tribe of Levi which was exempt from that. Accordingly, what Pharaoh meant was that they should attend to their affairs and not meddle in those of the other tribes. (Sh’mot Rabbah 5,15.) According to the Midrash there, the members of that tribe already at the very outset, when Pharaoh “invited” the people to build fortifications and show their patriotism, explained that they could not engage in such manual labour as they were destined to perform different holy tasks in the Temple in the future. They would not engage in such activities regardless of how well Pharaoh would pay them for this. They remained exempt from such labour. When Moses grew up and saw that the other tribes were forced to work seven days a week, he went to Pharaoh and explained to him that unless he gave these people at least one day of rest during each week, instead of their producing more bricks, they would fall over dead from exhaustion and produce no bricks at all. This made sense to Pharaoh, and he empowered Moses to tell the people that they could select one day of the week as their day of rest. A miracle occurred and they chose the Sabbath as their day of rest. This is why Moses was able to tell the people (Exodus 16,29) that G–d had given them a day of rest on the Sabbath. They themselves had already chosen this day as their day of rest while still slaves in Egypt.

!לכו לסבלותיכם, “go back to your labours! “The reason why the tribe of Levi had been exempted from performing slave labour when the Egyptians first began to enslave the Israelites was that Pharaoh pretended to share that burden with them in order to encourage them to perform these labours for patriotic reasons, building fortifications against potential invaders. This is how the sages interpreted the word: בפרך in Exodus 1,13, i.e. as meaning: בפה רך, “spoken softly.” Pharaoh had appealed to their loyalty and told them that by performing this labour they could prove that they were loyal Egyptians citizens. The Jews of then [as we know only too well from all the Jews serving in the German Kaiser’s army in the first world war, 12000 of them giving their lives for the aggressive designs of Germany, Ed.] were only too eager to prove their loyalty, not suspecting how they would be exploited. At that time the tribe of Levi remembered what their founding father Yaakov had said to them on his death bed, that Levi was not to be one of his pall bearers as that tribe was destined in the future to carry the Holy Ark on its shoulders. They therefore declined at the time to participate in the building of fortifications, and Pharaoh did not make an issue of this as also the Egyptians had a caste of priests who Joseph during the years of famine had completely excused from any taxation. Furthermore, we found a Midrash according to which Avraham already taught his son Yitzchok the whole Torah (the written Torah that would be given to the Israelites in the desert) Yitzchok in turned transmitted it to Yaakov, and Yaakov to Levi, who in turn transmitted it to his direct descendants. Seeing that these people had not learned any vocation, they were not physically suitable to perform the kind of physical labour the other tribes were used to. They were therefore rewarded by G-d not to have to share this burden with their brethren. (Compare Torah shleymah by Rabbi M. Kasher item 32 on our verse.) According to that, Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron not to try his patience and be content that they, being Levites, were not required to do slavelabour.

לכו לסבלתיכם. GO YE UNTO YOUR BURDENS — Go to your work which you have to do at home; but it cannot signify “go to your labours as slaves”, for he was speaking to Moses and Aaron who were of the tribe of Levi, and the work of Egyptian slavery had not been imposed on the tribe of Levi. You may know that this was so, because Moses and Aaron went and came just as they pleased (Exodus Rabbah 5:16).

TAPHRI’U’ THE PEOPLE FROM THEIR WORK. Onkelos translated: t’vatlu (you cause them to idle from their work). Similarly: ‘porei’a’ (refuseth) instruction;³³²Proverbs 13:18. Now Rashi explained taphri’u as meaning: “taking them away.” Ramban therefore calls attention to Onkelos, who interpreted it as meaning “idle,” “making to nought all their work.” ‘vatiphr’u’ (and ye have set at nought) all my counsel.³³³Ibid., 1:25.

לסבלותיכם, to your regular occupation, and neither interrupt your agenda nor try to disrupt my own agenda.

לכו לסבלותיכם, “go about your own business!” Rashi equates סבלותיכם with עבודתכם, “your work,” as opposed to סבלות, forced labour, as the members of the tribe of Levi were exempt from forced labour. Ibn Ezra does not perceive the word סבלותיכם as addressed to Moses and Aaron, but as referring to the forced labour of the masses of the Israelites whom they claimed to represent. Some commentators claim that even the ordinary Israelites did not have to join the workforce until they had reached the age of nine, and that they could “retire” at the age of 60. Nachmanides writes that according to the plain meaning of the words Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to rather perform their duties for their King, together with the remainder of the nation, seeing that on that occasion Moses and Aaron appeared before him accompanied by the common people. Pharaoh therefore told those people to get back to work instead of wasting their time dreaming of an illusory redemption. When Moses and Aaron, instead of complying with Pharaoh’s command, appeared before him once more, he commanded them to legitimize themselves by means of a miracle. Once Moses and Aaron had done so, he no longer looked upon them as part of the common people but respected them as elders, as sages. Once they had begun to decree plagues upon Egypt, he no longer treated them only with deference, but with fear, with dread. It appears that not all of the Israelites were slaving away making and laying bricks all the time, for if so the country would have become a large heap of bricks. Making bricks was a tax imposed by Pharaoh on the entire population, but the Israelites were singled out by working far longer hours and by having to supply a much larger percentage of their manpower.

GET YOU TO YOUR BURDENS. If we follow the simple interpretation of Scripture, reference here is to the work for the king,³³⁴Rashi’s interpretation, mentioned further on in the text, is: “Go to your work which you have to do at home, etc.” Now although Ramban will later agree with this explanation of Rashi, his point here is that in line with the simple meaning of Scripture, “the burdens” are a reference to the labors imposed upon them as slaves. since Moses and Aaron were part of the [Hebrew] people for at this time they came before him with all the people. But he did not listen to them and commanded them: “Return you all to the work.” Later when Moses and Aaron returned before Pharaoh and he said to them, Show a wonder for you,³³⁵Further, 7:9. and they did so, they appeared to him like the magicians, sorcerers, and wise men, and he showed them respect. Still later, when the plagues began coming upon him, he was in dread fear of them.
It appears furthermore that not all the children of Israel worked all the time for Pharaoh in mortar and in brick,³³⁶Above, 1:14. for in that case they would have filled the whole land of Egypt with cities. Rather, they worked in levies, and he pressed his yoke upon them by taking many of the Israelites [into his labors].

Now Rashi explained: “Get you to your burdens, i.e., ‘to your work which you have to do in your homes.’ But [it cannot signify ‘go to your labors as slaves,’ for he was speaking to Moses and Aaron, who were of the tribe of Levi, and] the work of Egyptian slavery was not imposed upon the tribe of Levi. You may know that this was so because Moses and Aaron went and came as they pleased.” This is correct. All man’s work whether at home or in the field is so called [sebel (labor)], just as in the verse: over all the ‘sebel’ (labor) of the house of Joseph.³³⁷I Kings 11:25. And it is customary among all people to have wise men who teach them their laws. Therefore Pharaoh did not impose slavery upon the tribe of Levi, who were the teachers and the elders of the children of Israel, and it was all caused by G-d.
I have seen in V’eileh Shemoth Rabbah:³³⁸Shemoth Rabbah 5:2. “Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said that the tribe of Levi was free from servile labor. Pharaoh said to them, ‘It is because you are free [from the forced labor] that you therefore say, Let us go and sacrifice to our G-d.³³⁹Verse 8. Get ye unto your burdens for Israel.’³⁴⁰In other words, “attend to your work of teaching them their laws, but do not divert them from doing my work with such a plan as going on a journey.” Another interpretation: Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, ‘It is enough for you that you are free! Perhaps you are displeased because you are not doing this forced labor; [if so], get ye unto your burdens.’”
And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained the verse, Get ye unto your burdens, as meaning the burdens of the entire people, since Pharaoh spoke to them for all Israel.

הן רבים עתה עם הארץ BEHOLD THE PEOPLE OF THE LAND NOW ARE MANY upon whom lies the duty of working, and you make them rest from their burdens — this is a great loss to us, since so many will refrain from work.

הן רבים עתה עם הארץ, the really smart Hebrews would not listen to your words.

ויאמר פרעה הן רבים עתה עם הארץ, Pharaoh said: "now the people in the land are very numerous, etc." Pharaoh meant that in view of the large numbers of people involved it was impossible to convince all of them that they did not face a danger if they did not march to the desert to offer sacrifices to their G'd. This was why he held Moses and Aaron responsible for the work stoppage if it would occur. He directed this accusation exclusively at Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh meant that even a brief work stoppage was a major economic disaster considering the number of people involved.

V. 5. Als sie noch länger wartend standen, trat er noch näher an sie hinan, und sagte ihnen als Pharao, d. i. was er ihnen als König eigentlich nicht zu sagen brauchte, was er aber als das eigentliche Motiv seiner Weigerung "vertraulich" ihnen sagen wollte: Es sei jetzt עם הארץ so an Zahl gewachsen — עם הארץ ist nicht der Plebs, die depravierende Bedeutung wohnt diesem Ausdruck ursprünglich nicht inne. Wajikra 4, 27 ist es die ganze Nation außer dem Fürsten. Wajikra 20, 4 ist es sogar die mit Wahrung und Handhabung des Gesetzes betraute Vertretung der Nation. עם הארץ ist daher hier wohl nicht das Sklavenvolk der Hebräer, sondern die eigentliche Bevölkerung des Landes, die Ägypter. Pharao sagt: seht die Population Ägyptens ist jetzt so gestiegen, dass nur durch unablässige und angestrengte Berufstätigkeit eines jeden der Staat bestehen kann; auf dieser ägyptischen Bevölkerung ruht der eigentliche Schwerpunkt des Landes, gegen deren geistige und industrielle Anstrengung sind die mechanischen Hebräerarbeiten nur Spiel. Nun denkt euch, wie unpolitisch und staatsgefährlich eure Forderung ist. Ihr fordert eine ganze Feierwoche für die Hebräer! Das wird bei der so zahlreich und belastet gewordenen ägyptischen Bevölkerung den natürlichen Wunsch rege machen, auch ihre "Schabbatwoche" und vielleicht gar Schabbatwochen zu haben. Das würde ja einen ganzen Stillstand und Untergang des Staates herbeiführen. Das geht ja nie und nimmer! — הן, daran habt ihr gar nicht gedacht!

הנגשים THE TASKMASTERS — These were Egyptians, and the שוטרים, bailiffs, were Israelites (cf. vv. 14, 15, 19) (Exodus Rabbah 5:18). A taskmaster (נוגש), was given charge over many bailiffs, and a שוטר was one who was appointed to have control over the workmen.

הנוגשים, the more senior officials in charge of the lower echelon of overseers. The relationship between שוטרים and נוגשים is somewhat similar to that between שופטים and שוטרים, judges who make the rules and police who enforce these rules. (Deuteronomy 16,18)

ויצו פרעה ביום ההוא, On that day Pharaoh issued orders, etc. This directive was to be effective only on that particular day. He hoped that by forcing the people to concentrate on their immediate and overwhelming problem they would forget about their fear of what might happen if they failed to offer sacrifices to their G'd in the desert. Any intelligent person understands that an immediate and pressing problem is apt to push other problems that are not so immediate into the background. Pharaoh hoped that a single day of the new decree would suffice to accomplish this objective.

They were Egyptians while the officers were Israelites. Otherwise, why did only the שוטרים (officers) cry out to Pharaoh and not the נוגשים (taskmasters)? Also, why were only the officers beaten and not the taskmasters?

V. 6. נגשׁ .נגשׂי: zu etwas oder zu jemandem hintreten, allgemein, in freundlicher oder unfreundlicher Absicht. נגשׂ: nur in unfreundlicher: jemandem zu Leibe gehen, insbesondere mit einer Forderung; daher נֹגֵשׂ: der Privatgläubiger. Hier: diejenigen, die die Forderung des Staates an das geknechtete Volk geltend machten. שוטרים sind deren Untergebene, ihre Werkzeuge, durch welche sie die Leistung dieser Forderung erzwangen. So verhalten sich auch später שופטים und שוטרים, der שופט spricht die Anforderung des Gesetzes aus, der שוטר erwirkt deren Erfüllung. Daher heißt auch das "Instrument", vermittelst dessen der Privat-נגֵש, der Gläubiger, seine Forderung geltend macht und deren Leistung erzwingt: שטר. So auch in Job 38, 33 heißt der Einfluss des Himmels auf die Erde: משטר, ein שוטר-Amt, er ist nur das exequierende Werkzeug unter dem Höhern, dem שופט כל הארץ.

On the other hand, the Torah could have indicated with the words ביום ההוא that there was only a single day left on which the Israelites performed slave labour, seeing that on the morrow Moses and Aaron would turn the life-giving river Nile into blood. According to our tradition no more slave labour was performed from the day the plague of blood occurred. Not only that, but the Egyptians would pay the Israelites good money to obtain some drinking water from them seeing that water did not turn into blood once the Israelites held it in their hands (compare Shemot Rabbah 9,10). The expression כתמול שלשום, poses no problem as the Israelites did not complete their quota on the day prior to Moses' interview because it was a public holiday.

תבן STRAW — In old French estouble; English stubble. They used to knead this into the clay.

לתת תבן, the straw was mixed in with the mud to make the mud bricks firmer and less likely to crumble.

לא תאספון לתת תבן, “do not continue to supply straw, etc.” It is entirely possible that this decree was in force for only a single day and that the unusual letter א in the word תאספון is proof of this. This is the view of Rabbeinu Chananel.

As you had been doing till now. I.e., [ כתמול שלשום does not refer to] just the past two days. כתמול here means the same as in (Iyov 8:9), “We have been since תמול (yesterday) so we do not know,” [where it is to be understood figuratively]. Consequently, the word שלשום (“and the day before”) is unnecessary—since תמול includes everything in the past. Nevertheless, it says שלשום so we will not mistakenly think that this תמול follows its usual, [i.e., literal] meaning in Scripture.

לא תאספון לתת תבן לעם, it is quite possible that this decree was quickly abolished after a single day or so, as it was counterproductive. Possibly the letter א in the word תאספון, which is most unusual, is an allusion to the short-lived nature of this decree.

V. 7. לא תאספון für תוסיפון. Es scheint darin ein den נוגשים und שוטרים gegebener boshafter Wink zu liegen. Sie sollten gehen und es sich suchen. Sorgt dafür, dass sie das Stroh nirgends zusammen finden, dass nicht eine menschenfreundliche Seele es ihnen מאסף, in Haufen zusammenlege. Nicht nur erschweren will er ihnen die Arbeit, sondern auch sie zu zerstreuen, sie auseinander zu bringen, ist seine Absicht, damit nicht einer dem andern solche unpraktische Ideen, wie "Götterfurcht", "Festefeiern" usw., in den Kopf bringe. — קשש, wovon קש, wohl verwandt mit גזז ,קצץ: kurzschneiden, abschneiden, also wohl קש: ab- und kurzgeschnittene Strohstücke, im Gegensatz zu dem ihnen bis jetzt gelieferten ganzen Stroh: תבן ומספא . (Bereschit 24, 25 u. 32), wo תבן neben מספא wohl die Streu zum Lager bedeutet. Es kann jedoch auch die Verwandtschaft mit גשש: herumtasten, die ursprüngliche sein, daher קשש: etwas Greifbares suchen, auflesen, und קש wäre das Aufzulesende, wie גוש, ein greifbares Stück, wohl mit גשש zusammenhängt. — לבנים: möglich, dass die Grundbedeutung von לכן die volle Glut, das höchste Licht, ist, deshalb לבנה: Ziegel, als harter, in höchster Glut gebrannter Ton. לבן: weiß, als der völlig ungebrochene, volle Strahl.

לא תאספון, “ you must not continue!” the letter א תאספון is not to be read, (as it would mean changing the meaning of the word beyond recognition).

לבנים BRICKS — old French tuiles: English tiles, which they make from clay and dry in the sun; sometimes they are burnt in a kiln.

כתמול שלשם means as you have been doing UP TILL NOW (not “yesterday and the day before” as is the literal meaning, but merely “formerly”).

וקששו means AND LET THEM GATHER.

ואת מתכנת הלבנים means the total number of bricks which each made per day when straw was being supplied to them — that total you shall impose upon them now also, in order that the service may be hard upon them.

מתכנת, the quota.כי נרפים הם, they are therefore able to make more of these bricks daily.

כי נרפים הם, "for they are lazy!" Who had ever suggested that the idea to sacrifice to their G'd originated in the relatively light burden of work that Pharaoh had imposed on the Israelites up until then? Perhaps what Pharaoh meant was that the Israelites felt that now that Moses had arrived their lot would become easier and that therefore they wanted to thank their G'd for that by offering up thanksgiving sacrifices so that He would cancel out the servitude altogether. Pharaoh countered this euphoria by making the workload heavier so that they would not even entertain any idea of their servitude being near an end, i.e. those lies that Moses had fed them.

V. 8. מתכנת, nicht: מספר, wieder ein boshafter Pfiff. מתחנת ist nicht die Summe im ganzen, sondern das quantitative Verhältnis, so wie תקן das qualitative bedeutet, und daher תַקֵן: in das rechte Verhältnis, in die rechte Beschaffenheit bringen heißt. תכן ist das numerische Verhältnis der einzelnen Teile einer Masse oder Summe unter einander. So bei שמן המשחה und קטרת. So Jecheskel 18, 25 ואמרתם לא יתכן דרך ד׳: nach eurer Meinung ist ein schreiendes Missverhältnis in der Gotteswaltung, wenn ein Moment von Schlechtigkeit eine ganze brave Vergangenheit und umgekehrt vernichtet. לו נתכנו עלילות (Sam. I. 2, 3): nur von Gott werden die einzelnen menschlichen Handlungen in ihrem Verhältnis zu einander, oder zu ihren Beziehungen geprüft. Die meisten menschlichen Handlungen und Lebensäußerungen sind nur relativ schlecht, d. h. in ihrem Missverhältnis, weil sie an unrechtem Orte, zu uns rechter Zeit, bei unrechter Gelegenheit usw. geschehen. Jede dem Menschen verliehene Anlage und Fähigkeit ist an sich weder gut noch schlecht. Es hängt nur davon ab, wo und wie sie angewendet wird. So תכן auch hier. Pharao sagt nicht: die Juden haben bis jetzt zusammen so und so viel Millionen Ziegel monatlich, oder sei es auch täglich, abgeliefert, das soll auch ferner geschehen. Dann hätten sie sich durch Teilung der Arbeit — die einen suchen Stroh, die andern brennen Ziegel, oder auch heute suchen sie Stroh und morgen brennen sie Ziegel — die Arbeit ermöglichen und erleichtern können. Nein, מתכנת der Ziegel, das bisherige tägliche Quantum und von jedem das tägliche muss auch ferner geliefert werden, das war die unmenschliche Härte, denn er forderte geradezu das Unmögliche.

כי נרפים signifies because they have loosened themselves from the work; therefore (this word in Rashi corresponds to על כן in the Hebrew text) their mind turns to idleness and they cry out, saying, נלכה וגו׳ LET US GO [AND SACRIFICE etc.].

Pharaoh also reacted to the Israelites having said: נלכה נזבחה, "let us go slaughter, etc." He understood this as an implied promise that the Israelites planned to make up the time lost by working extra hard after their return. He reasoned that if they could really do this it was proof they had not been working hard enough thus far. This is why he withdrew the supply of straw which had been provided up until then and referred to them as lazy. Eventually, their holiday would backfire and the would cry out, i.e. צועקים that they had to work too hard. Pharaoh wanted to head off all these complications by ordering now that the straw would be withdrawn so that the people would stop dreaming about all kinds of improvements in their lives.

מתכנת — This word, and ותכן (v. 18), and the words of the same root in (I Samuel 2:3) “And by Him actions are counted (נתכנו)” and in (2 Kings 12:12) “the money that was counted (המתכן)”, all have the meaning of counting.

The expression ואל ישעו reflects weakness. Pharaoh interpreted the people's weakness as stemming from the "illusions" (in his view) which Moses had come to feed them. As a result they had expressed fear of punishment by their G'd if they did not offer the sacrifices their G'd demanded. When people live in fear they are weak and it undermines their ability to perform good work. Pharaoh wanted to stop this process at the source, hence his decree to suspend the deliveries of straw.

נרפים — The work is loose (רפויה) in their hand and neglected by them so that they are loosened (הם נרפים) from it. In old French retrait.

ואל ישעו בדברי שקר AND LET THEM NOT REGARD VAIN WORDS — let them not think and speak always about “words of wind” saying, “Let us go and sacrifice”. Of similar meaning is, (Psalm 119:117) “And I will speak of (ואשעה ב־) thy statutes continually”. The phrase (Deuteronomy 28:37) למשל ולשנינה “[thou shalt become] a proverb and a byword” we translate in the Targum by “a topic of conversation (שועי)”, and the word ויספר (Genesis 24:66) “and he related” by ואשתעי “and he spoke about”. One cannot possibly say that the word ישעו has the same meaning as the verbs in (Genesis 4:4) “And the Lord turned (וישע) to Abel” and in (Genesis 4:4) “but to Cain and his offering he did not turn (שעה)”, and that we must translate אל ישעו by “Let them not turn”, for if this were so Scripture should have written אל דברי שקר or לדברי שקר (instead of בדברי) for so is the construction in all such cases. Examples are: (Isaiah 17:7) “A man shall turn to (ישעה אל) his Maker”; (Isaiah 17:8) “and he shall not turn to (ישעה על) the altars”; (Isaiah 31:1) “they turn not unto (שעו על) the Holy One of Israel”. I do not find the construction of a ב following these verbs in the sense of “turning to”, but after an expression of דבר “speaking” — as when one intently directs his conversation upon a matter — the construction with כ is quite an appropriate one. For instance: (Ezekiel 33:30) “those who intently direct their conversation (הנדברים) upon thee (בך)”; (Numbers 12:1) “And Miriam and Aaron directed their speech (ותדבר) upon Moses (במשה)”; (Zechariah 4:1) “And the angel who directed his conversaion (הדובר) upon me (בי)”; (Deuteronomy 11:9) “To turn your conversation (לדבר) intently upon them (בם)”; (Psalm 119:46) “And I will direct my speech (אדברה) upon thy testimonies (בעדותיך)”. So, too, here: ואל ישעו בדברי שקר means “let them not always be conversing about vain and idle matters”.

ישעו, they will turn willingly. The same word as used in Genesis 4,4 when it describes G’d’s turning with goodwill to Hevel’s offering while rejecting Kayin’s offering by not turning to it with favour.

ואל ישעו, “let them not pay heed, etc.” some commentators believe that the root is שען, to rely on, to draw support, and that the root letter נ has been omitted in this case. Ibn Ezra explains the term as meaning “so that they do not become weak,” ירפאו, in the sense of becoming weak through indolence, נרפים. False hopes would engender general slackness.

תכבד העבודה, “increase the workload!” The Egyptians were punished for this new decree at the sea when their chariots found it especially difficult to escape the onrushing waters. This is why the Torah specifically mentions (14,25) that “G’d made it כבד, “hard, difficult,” for the drivers to guide their chariots. Because the Egyptians decreed that the Jews had to provide their own straw, we find that they were tossed on the sea like straw (15,7). When we read here that the people had to scatter in order to find the straw, we find that in Jeremiah 18,17 the prophet describes that the Egyptians were scattered all over the sea. G’d’s punishing arm made the punishment fit the crime wherever possible. As to Pharaoh’s derisive comment that Moses and Aaron should not cause the people to turn to “false hopes,” Onkelos renders the words דברי שקר as “vain slogans.”

It is impossible to say that “ ואל ישעו (Let them not talk)” has the same meaning as: “Hashem ( וישע ) turned to Hevel.” This raises a difficulty: Rashi explained the verse “Hashem ( וישע ) turned to Hevel” (Bereishis 4:4), that וישע has the same meaning as in “ ואל ישעו ” in our verse. Nevertheless, there is a view that even “ ואל ישעו ” means “turn.” (Maharshal)

V. 9. תכבד וגו׳. Ich tue das nicht aus Barbarei, auch nicht in meinem Interesse; müssen die Juden kultivieren, heranziehen, es muss schwer der Dienst auf den Männern liegen, in dieser Arbeit müssen sie ihre natürliche Tätigkeit finden, müssen schaffen lernen, produktiv, praktisch sein: ויעשו בה, nicht mehr spekulieren, denken, träumen, ואל ישעו, sollen sich nicht im Geiste hin- und herwenden in unpraktischen leeren Dingen; "Geist"; "Gott", "Religion", "Furcht vor Gott" lauter unpraktische Dinge, die den Juden unnütz für den Staat machen.

ואל ישעו, (according to Rashi), the root שעה can have one of two meanings. It can mean the same as הגה, “to speak, articulate”, etc; or it can mean: “to turn to in expectation.” In Genesis 4,4, it meant the latter, when G–d turned willingly to Hevel’s offering, but had not turned gracefully to the offering tendered by his brother Kayin. Rashi prefers to interpret the word here as meaning the same as in Isaiah 17,8 and as in Jeremiah 31,1.

ואל ישעו בדברי שקר, “let them (the Israelites) not pin their hopes on falsehoods.” According to Ibn Ezra, the meaning of ישעו is derived from the root שען, the letter נ being missing here. The meaning is: “to lean on something for support.” Examples quoted are: השע ממני Psalms 39,14: “look away from me; (do not count on me for support)” also Isaiah 22,4 השע ממני. “leave me alone!” Let them not slacken their labor because of the lies that Moshe and aaron have told them.

אתם לכו קחו לכם תבן GO, YE, TAKE TO YOURSELVES STRAW — and you will have to go pretty quickly,

כי אין נגרע, the vowel kametz under the letter ע makes the word into a passive mode, meaning גרוע, inferior, less. If the vowel under the letter ע had been a patach, the meaning would have been a past tense of the verb in the passive mode nifal. A similar construction is found with the word נשגב in Psalms 149,13 where it is an adjective, meaning “sublime.” If it had been written with the vowel patach, it would be a verb in the past tense passive.

כי אין נגרע מעבודתכם, "for your workload will not be diminished." Why did the taskmasters say: כי אין נגרע "for it will not be reduced" instead of ואין נגרע? "and it will not be reduced?" When the taskmasters had first said: "go and get your own straw," the Israelites had thought of this as a welcome diversion. They considered collecting straw as less demanding than either building, or forming bricks. The taskmasters "dropped the second shoe" by adding that it was not as the Israelites thought that collecting straw was instead of their other work; rather it was in addition to their regular work. They explained that the reason for the decree was precisely so as not to diminish the Israelites' workload.

And you must go with zeal. Rashi is answering the question: How does “because your workload must not be reduced” provide a reason for the preceding “You must go get your own straw”? On the contrary: if they go get straw, their work will surely be reduced! Therefore Rashi explains “And you must go with zeal,” [i.e., quickly], for the reason that the verse provides: “because your workload must not be reduced.”

V. 11. גרע .אין נגרע וגו׳: geringer machen an Zahl; כרע: geringer machen an Höhe, knien; ירע (wovon יריעות): geringer machen an Raum, Umschränkung; קרע; geringer machen an Substanz und Zusammenhang.

כי אין נגרע מעבודתכם דבר FOR THERE SHALL NOT BE DIMINISHED OF YOUR WORK A SINGLE THING from the whole total of bricks which you used to make daily when straw was supplied to you, ready to use, from the king’s store.

לקשש קש לתבן means TO MAKE A GATHERING, to make a collection FOR the purpose of STRAW for the clay.

V. 12 u. 13. ויפֶץ, aktiv. Pharao hatte, wie so viele spätere Judengesetze, geradezu das Unmögliche gefordert. Wer Stroh sucht, kann keine Ziegeln machen und umgekehrt. Das Volk ergriff daher den einzigen Ausweg, es ließ die einen ausgehen, Stroh suchen, während die andern Ziegel bereiteten. Das wollte aber Pharao nicht. Befehlshaber mussten darauf bestehen, dass jeder täglich sein bisheriges Pensum liefere. — אוץ: zu einem Ziele hindrängen, verwandt mit עוץ, wovon עץ, der Baum, eine Zusammensammlung von Säften und Kräften, die zu einem Ziele in die Höhe getrieben werden, dort die Frucht zu nähren. Im Geiste: Ansammlung von Momenten für ein Ziel: einen Plan fassen, עצה ,עוץ.

ויפץ העם בכל ארץ מצרים, “the people spread out throughout the whole land of Egypt.” We know from Genesis 11,34, that straw was needed to make mud bricks. The search for straw to build the Tower led to G-d punishing those people once, and here, indirectly, it provides G-d with the justification to punish the entire Egyptian nation. Up until the time when Pharaoh issued the decree to withhold straw from the people, only few Egyptians had been directly involved in mistreating them. Now that the Israelites had to forage for straw wherever they could find some. Once they found straw they were beaten by the Egyptians, even by their slave-women. Thus, the entire Egyptian people had become involved in abusing the Jewish people, both men and women. G-d “inspired” Pharaoh to come up with the idea of withholding straw so as to eventually being justified to issue a decree which to some might have been viewed as collective punishment.

קש denotes collecting. Because stubble is something that is strewn about and must be gathered (קושש) it is called קש in other passages.

אצים means PRESSING.

אצים, urging forcefully. We have the same verb when the angels urge Lot to leave Sodom in Genesis 19,15. ויאיצו המלאכים.

Pressured. I.e., אצים does not mean speed.

דבר יום ביומו means the full quantity due each day complete it on that day, as ye used to do when straw was ready at hand.

ויכו שטרי בני ישראל AND THE BAILIFFS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL … WERE SMITTEN — These bailiffs were Israelites and they spared their fellow-Israelites, not urging them on to their work. When they handed over the bricks to the taskmasters who were Egyptians and something was deficient in the total they used to beat them because they had not urged on the Israelitish workmen. On this account these bailiffs were privileged to become members of the Sanhedrin later on, and there was taken some of the prophetical spirit that was upon Moses and it was placed upon them, as it is said, (Numbers 11:16) “Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel [whom thou knowest]” — of those about whom thou knowest the kindly acts which they did in Egypt, “for they are the real elders of the people having been their bailiffs” (Exodus Rabbah 5:20).

גם תמול גם היום, “as (much as) yesterday also today?” According to Ibn Ezra the day referred to here as “yesterday,” was the day on which Moses had performed the miracles before the people, and “today” was the day on which Moses and Aaron had their first audience with Pharaoh. On both of these days the Israelites did not deliver their quota of bricks.

Those officers that Pharaoh’s taskmasters appointed. Rashi is answering the question: אשר שמו עליהם נוגשי פרעה seems to imply that the officers of B’nei Yisrael appointed Pharaoh’s taskmasters over themselves. Therefore Rashi explains: “Those officers that Pharaoh’s taskmasters appointed.”

גם תמול, “also yesterday;” on the day when Moses performed the miracles, and the people on account of that did not perform their daily routine,

ויכו שטרי בני ישראל אשר שמו נגשי פרעה THEN WERE SMITTEN THE BAILIFFS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHOM PHARAOH’S TASKMASTERS HAD PUT as bailiffs עליהם OVER THEM (i. e. over the Israelites) לאמר מדוע וגו׳ SAYING, WHEREFORE etc. — Why were they beaten? because they (the taskmasters) said to them (the bailiffs) WHEREFORE DID YE NOT FINISH (גם תמול גם היום) BOTH YESTERDAY AND TO-DAY THE TASK SET FOR YOU (חקכם) IN MAKING BRICKS as ye did yesterday-in-the-third-degree (כתמול שלשם) — which means the day before yesterday — which was the time when straw was given to them.

Because they would say to them . . . Usually, לאמר (to say) or אמירה (saying), when following a term of דיבור (speaking), comes to specify what was spoken in general, . But here, לאמר cannot mean this, [since וידבר is not written]. And here, לאמר also cannot mean “say to others,” [as it sometimes does]. Therefore Rashi was forced to explain: “Why were they beaten? Because they would say to them . . .”

גם היום, as well as to day, when Moses and Aaron had gone to speak to Pharaoh, (and they were awaiting the results of that conversation.).

Heb. וַיֻכּוּ They were the object of an action. [The word is in the “hoph’al” conjugation, the recipient of the “hiph’il.”] They were beaten by others; the taskmasters beat them.

The taskmasters beat them. Rashi explains ויוכו (they were beaten by others) only after he provides the reason why they were beaten. [Although logically, Rashi should first explain that they were beaten, and then provide the reason why]. This is because the reason provided, “Why have you not completed . . . the quota,” is in fact not the reason [said by] the beaten party, rather it is the reason [said by] the beaters, i.e., the taskmasters. [This is problematic because the taskmasters are not actually the subject of the verse.] Therefore, Rashi needed to explain that למה ויוכו implies that they were recipients of an act, and thus it is the same as saying למה הכום (why did they [the taskmasters] beat them). [In this way the taskmasters become the subject of the verse, and the reason of “Why have you not completed. . . the quota” follows logically.]

ולבנים אמרים לנו AND BRICKS THEY — the taskmasters — SAY TO US עשו MAKE, just as the former number.

תבן אין נתם, again we encounter this construction with the vowel kametz, making the word a past participle of the passive, i.e. “available.” The same word in Kohelet 10,6 in the line נתן הסכל במרומים, spelled with the vowel patach under the letter ת, is in a passive mode of the verb נתן, meaning “folly has been placed on lofty heights.”

והנה עבדיך מוכים וחטאת עמך, we are the ones who are being beaten and the sinful people beating us are all we who are members of your people. It is up to you to take note of this and to intervene.

וחטאת עמך, “and it is considered a sin by your people!” The overseers instead of accusing Pharaoh outright, phrased it in a less offensive way, i.e. as if the Israelites were the guilty party.

Make bricks to equal the earlier amount. Otherwise, why did the officers complain about making bricks? They could just reduce the set number of bricks. Rather, their complaint was over being required to produce the same amount as before.

V. 16. עבר ,וחטאה Femininum dritte Person statt וחטאה, eigentlich: dein armes (Femininum) Volk, das uns in deinem Auftrag schlägt. versündigt sich an uns, allein es kann nichts dafür, du gebietest es ihm.

וְחָטָאת עַמֶּךָ BUT THE FAULT IS IN THINE OWN PEOPLE — If the word וחטאת had the vowel Patach under the ט I would say that it is a noun in the construct state, so that the meaning would be, “and this thing is the sin of thy people” But now, since the vowel is Kametz, it is a noun in the absolute case, and its meaning is as follows: “And this thing brings sin upon thy people”, as though it were written וחטאת לעמך. Sirnilarly we find ל omitted in, (Ruth 1:19) “When they were come בית לחם” which is the same as לבית לחם, to Bethlehem, and there are many similar examples.

וחטאת עמך, seeing that the word וחטאת is spelled with the vowel kametz under the letter ח and there is a dagesh in the letter מ of the word עמך, the meaning of the expression is “we are beaten and your people will be held accountable for a sin causing us to be beaten.” If the word חטאת had been spelled with the vowel patach under the letter ח, the meaning of the line would have been: “the sin is your people’s.” [according to Rashi as if the Torah had written חטאת לעמך. Ed.]

This thing is the sin of your people. In other words, [with a patach it would mean]: it is the sin of the Egyptians’.

And this thing brings sin to your people. In other words, “It brings sin to the B’nei Yisrael [when they fail to fulfill the command].”

נרפים אתם נרפים, you are the ones who are lazy and delinquent in carrying out your duties. This is why I decided to make things harder so that you will be more energetic in performing your duties.

על כן אתם אומרים נלכה נזבחה, the fact that you dream about such things shows that you are lazy. This pretext of “we want to offer meat offerings” is clear evidence that you want to simply take a holiday.

ותכן לבנים means THE NUMBER OF THE BRICKS; similar is (2 Kings 12:12) “the money המתכן”, i. e. the money which was counted, just as it states in that passage (v. 11), “and they put it up in bags and counted the money”.

V. 18. עבד ,עבדו: seine Kräfte für den Zweck eines andern aufwenden, daher: dienen. Ferner: den Boden bearbeiten, d. i. seine Kräfte aufwenden, um dem Boden die entsprechende Kultur zu bringen. Der עבד geht zum Teil moralisch und physisch in den Herrn auf, daher verwandt mit עבט .אבד: jemandem verpflichtet werden, daher העביט: jemanden sich durch Darlehen verpflichtet machen, und עבוט: das Pfand. Derselbe Begriff, wie das spätere juridische שעבור.

ויראו שטרי בני ישראל The meaning is: AND THE BAILIFFS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID SEE [THEM] i. e. their fellow-lsraelites who were ruled by them,

ויראו שוטרי בני ישראל אותם ברע לאמור, “The foremen of the Israelites saw themselves in an untenable position, saying:” Ibn Ezra understands the word אותם here not as referring to someone else but as referring to themselves, as if the Torah had written: עצמם. He quotes a couple of other verses where the word is used in similar fashion, one being in Deut. 34,6 ויקבור אותו בגיא, “He buried himself in the valley.” [Moses entombing himself. Ed]

ויראו שוטרי בני ישראל אותם ברע.” The Hebrew supervisors of the labourers of the Children of Israel saw that they were in an untenable situation;” we read earlier that their Egyptian superiors had pressured them to change the routine by both withholding straw and insisting on the daily number of bricks remaining the same, thus making their brethren’s lives even more intolerable; they therefore rather absorbed physical punishment themselves than becoming partners to Pharaoh’s overseers through pressuring the Israelites. Pharaoh had told them that no straw would be given to them to distribute to their brethren.

ברע — they saw them in the misfortune and trouble that befell them, because they had to make the labour hard upon them. לאמר לא תגרעו וגו׳ BY SAYING, YE SHALL NOT DIMINISH etc.

אותם themselves, as in (Leviticus 22:16) And they will burden אותם with iniquity of trespass”.

ויפגעו AND THEY MET — men of Israel met — את משה ואהרן וגו׳ MOSES AND AARON etc.; Our Rabbis explained that wherever it speaks of people “quarelling” (2:13; cf. Rashi on that verse) or “standing” these were Dathan and Abiram about whom it is stated (Numbers 16:27) “[And Dathan and Abiram] came out standing” (Nedarim 64b).

Some of the B’nei Yisrael . . . These were not from among the officers, for they were pious people (as explained earlier). (Re”m) However, it seems to me that surely they were from among the officers [who had just cried out to Pharaoh], since the verse states, “as they were leaving Pharaoh.” And “they” cannot refer to Moshe and Aharon, for they were not with Pharaoh now. And so it says in Shemos Rabbah (5:20). (Nachalas Yaakov)

V. 20. פגע ב-: jemanden zufällig treffen. פגע את: in der Regel ein direktes Zugehen auf jemanden. Mosche und Aaron standen draußen und warteten auf sie, bis sie von der Audienz herauskommen würden. Sie waren auch wahrscheinlich nicht ohne deren Wissen zu Pharao gegangen.

V. 21. Diesen Männern, die die für ihre Brüder bestimmten Streiche mit ihren Nacken auffingen, und damit das Prototyp der Edlen aller künftigen Galutjahrhunderte wurden, die als die "Juden-Ältesten" der jüdischen Gemeinden für ihr gequälten Brüder ins Feuer gingen, ihnen darf man es nicht verargen, dass sie nach solchen Erfolgen an Mosches und Aarons Sendung irre wurden. — באש, die Empfindung, welche durch Fäulnis in uns erregt wird. Gott hat dem Menschen also die Freude am Leben und Lebendigen gegeben, dass ihm ein natürlicher Widerwille gegen alles Tote, Abgestorbene, Faulende, innewohnt. Daher באש im allgemeinen Ausdruck für Widerwillen erregen. Ist man sich eines Unrechts gegen den andern bewusst, so fühlt man, dass der andere uns für sittlich faul halten muss und wir ihm widerwärtig, נבאש, geworden. Verwandt damit ist בוש (wie ראם und רום) sich schämen, d. i. dieses Gefühl sittlicher Fäulnis in Beziehung auf sich selbst empfinden. Es ist der von Gott uns eingepflanzte Widerwille gegen unsere eigene Fäulnis, der uns nicht Ruhe gönnen soll, bis wir uns von ihr befreit haben. Nun hier: הבאשתם את ריחנו, siehe zu Bereschit 8, 21. Ihr habt die Vorstellung von unserem Dasein faul gemacht in Pharaos und seiner Diener Augen, d.h. Pharao und seine Diener beurteilen uns fortan als Menschen, die man meiden muss, die sittlich, sozial und praktisch faul geworden sind. Bis jetzt hat man uns misshandelt, aber man hat — Dank des Nutzens, den man aus dieser Misshandlung zog — wie alle späteren Pharaonen — unsere Existenz im Staatsinteresse gehalten. Jetzt aber, dadurch, dass ihr bei uns die Ideen der Befreiung rege gemacht, erscheinen wir ihnen als Menschen, die für den Staat nichts taugen, sich ihrer Pflicht entziehen, feiern wollen, ihr habt ihnen damit Motive in die Hand gegeben, unsere Vernichtung herbeizuführen.

הבאשתם את ריחנו, “you have made us loathsome in the eyes of Pharaoh, etc.”

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.

הרע This is an expression denoting “he has caused something to happen” — he (Pharaoh) has brought even more evil upon them. It must be translated in the Targum by אבאיש “he has treated badly”.

והצל לא הצלת, the overseers of the Israelites who are being beaten for showing empathy with the people.

לדבר בשמך…והצל לא הצלת את עמך. "to speak in Your name…but You have not saved Your people." Moses added another argument to his previous ones. He wanted to know how it was possible that since he had spoken to this wicked king in the name of G'd, not only had He not responded but He had actually made things worse for the people whom Moses represented. He emphasised the word מאז to point out that Pharaoh's obstinacy appeared to have been a direct consequece of G'd's intervention through Moses. Clearly what Pharaoh did was motivated by his hatred for G'd. He was unparalleled in his rebellious behaviour against the king of the universe. Moses was amazed at G'd's apparent lack of jealousy of His reputation. Surely G'd now had an additional reason to redeem Israel immediately. Even if Israel did not merit redemption at this time due to its own merit, it had to be redeemed as a gesture against the blaspheming Pharaoh! The words והצל לא הצלת should be read as a question expressing Moses' amazement that G'd had not yet saved His people. Moses spoke of two "salvations," i.e. the one due to Israel's merit and the one due to Pharaoh's excesses.

למה הרעות לעם הזה?, “Why did You allow more evil to be done to this people?” Some commentators are stymied by Moses’ reaction, seeing that G’d had warned him beforehand that things would be tough for a while. Ibn Ezra thinks that Moses had thought that from the moment he would speak to Pharaoh there would at least be a gradual improvement in the people’s situation. Instead, the people’s lot had actually worsened. This is why he asked G’d what such worsening was meant to achieve. He could not square this with G’d having told him that He had observed the terrible condition His people were in and that He was about to respond to their pleas. This is why G’d immediately tells Moses that he would witness an improvement in short order. Nachmanides is not content with this answer, seeing that Moses had accused G’d of not having saved His people thus far, one of the promises made in 3,8 and there is no other way of “saving, i.e. rescuing” the people except by leading them out of Egypt. He explains therefore that Moses had thought that although G’d had prepared him for the fact that Pharaoh would turn a deaf ear to his request, his refusal would be followed by G’d beginning to orchestrate the plagues immediately. When this did not happen, and Pharaoh appeared to carry the day by imposing even stricter decrees, Moses was nonplussed, and sought answers from G’d. Three days had passed since his interview with Pharaoh and he had not received any additional instructions from G’d. He thought that enough time had elapsed for the people’s condition to undergo a healing process. When he saw that he had miscalculated G’d’s timetable, he wanted to know why G’d had not waited with sending him on this mission until the time for the redemption was at hand. According to a statement in Shemot Rabbah, when Moses saw that the Jewish foremen had been beaten and nothing happened to Pharaoh, he went back to Midian with his family to Yitro, leaving his family in his care until after the redemption would have materialized.