וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָנֹכִ֥י הָאֵ֖ל אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִ֑יךָ אַל־תִּירָא֙ מֵרְדָ֣ה מִצְרַ֔יְמָה כִּֽי־לְג֥וֹי גָּד֖וֹל אֲשִֽׂימְךָ֥ שָֽׁם׃
И сказал он: 'Я Бог, Бог твоего отца; не бойся идти в Египет; ибо Я сделаю из тебя великий народ.
Rav Hirsch
Wir finden eine Analogie in dem Bereschit 46, 3 an Jakob gerichteten אל תירא! In der glücklichsten Stimmung zieht Jakob nach Mizrajim, wo er den Lohn für sein ganzes Leben, den totgeglaubten geliebtesten Sohn als den Fürsten des Landes wiederfinden sollte — und doch erschien ihm Gott und sprach: Fürchte dich nicht, nach Mizrajim hinabzuziehen! Die Furcht, über welche ihn Gottes Zuspruch beruhigen sollte, war erst selbst durch Gott in ihm hervorgerufen! ויסע ישראל , als "Jisrael", als der des Gottessieges frohe Glückliche zog er hinab und opferte erst freudige Opfer. Da sprach Gott in Nachterscheinungen zu Israel: Jakob, Jakob! Er sprach: "ich bin bereit!" Da sprach Gott: "Ich bin der Gott deines Vaters, fürchte dich nicht, nach Mizrajim hinabzuziehen; denn zum großen Volke mache ich dich dort usw. usw." Die Art der Erscheinung selber und der an den glücklichen Jisrael gerichtete Galutname "Jakob" hatten ihn mitten in seiner glücklichsten Stimmung erinnert, daß die Zukunft, in die er hinabziehe, der Anfang des längst verheißenen Galut sei. Nicht als Jisrael, als Jakob zog er hinab. Und als Jakob diesem Zurufe mit הנני, ich bin auch dazu bereit, begegnet hatte, beruhigte ihn Gott über das endliche Ziel.
Or HaChaim
The reference to the house of bondage also alludes to the souls whom Israel came to rescue during its enforced stay in Egypt. I have explained this at length on Genesis 46,3 in connection with the expression: "I will make you (Jacob) a great nation there." Kabbalists go further and believe that Deut. 4,7: "for who is a great nation whose G'd is close to them, etc.?" is also a reference to the fact that all Jewish souls past, present, and future participated in the revelation at Mount Sinai. Accordingly, G'd repeated the statement concerning the Exodus because it referred not only to the bodies but also to the souls. The many stray souls which had been imprisoned in Egypt as part of the loot captured by the forces of the קליפה after Adam's sin had also been freed at that time.
Tevele Bondi
Baruch Shomer Havtachato: God's Promise to Jacob
Translator's Introduction: Rabbi Bondi suggests that the promise referred to here is not the 'Covenant of the Pieces' (Genesis 15) made to Abraham but the promise God made to Jacob just before he went down to Egypt to see Joseph. For Rabbi Bondi, Abraham's promise doesn’t seem like much of a promise: God tells him that his ancestors will be enslaved and oppressed in a land not their own, but eventually will leave with great wealth. God, on the other hand, reassures Jacob at Beersheba: God tells him not to worry and that He will go down with the people to Egypt. Our commentator interpret these words, "Praised is the One who keeps His promise," in this context.
Finally, there is one other significance difference in Bondi's interpretation. The 'great wealth' that Israel takes from Egypt is not the goods they plunder but the commandments they receive from God at Mount Sinai. Unlike most commentators, Rabbi Bondi sees Israel as worthy of redemption rather than lost on the brink of oblivion, about to descend into the fiftieth level of impurity. This was Jacob's fear but, according to Rabbi Bondi, the years of slavery actually made Israel stronger.
Why do we say that God kept the promise he made to 'Israel'? Didn’t God make this promise to Abraham? Israel refers to the promise that God made to Grandfather Israel (Yisrael Saba), that is, our forefather, Jacob. Jacob was aware of the decree which God had made to Abraham: "Your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years…" (Genesis 15:13) Egypt is not explicitly mentioned in this passage because God turns freedom of choice over to human beings. (That is, the land in which Israel would become strangers was not pre-determined) Still, the verse alludes to Egypt for Joseph transferred the Egyptians from place to place throughout the land so that they would not consider the land their inheritance. He was trying to avoid Egypt becoming the land of Israel's subjugation. This is what the commentators suggest the expression, "A land not their own," means. The land did not belong to the Egyptians.
Because of this decree, our forefather Jacob was fearful of going down to Egypt. Egypt was the most despicable of lands. Jacob felt that if his family had to spend four hundred years they would sink into the impurity of the Egyptians and would no longer be worthy of being redeemed. It was for this reason that God said: "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. I will go down with you." (Gen 46:3) Wherever Israel is exiled, the Divine Presence is with them. " I will also go up with you…" (Gen. 46:4) God also reassured Jacob, "I will not allow your children to sink into the fiftieth level of impurity.
Jacob also hinted to his children that they would not be in Egypt more than two hundred and ten years when he said to them, "Go down (r'du) to Egypt (see Rashi on Gen. 42:10). God agreed to this, and along with God's promise Jacob was reassured. It was through the furnace of oppression in Egypt that Israel was refined and prepared to receive the Torah. It did not turn out as Jacob thought; he believed the people would deteriorate there and that is why he was afraid. The thoughts of the Holy One are mysterious. For instead of sinning, Israel was refined like silver until they finally sanctified the name of God in Egypt, at the sea, and in the wilderness.
But the decree was four hundred years enslaved! What did the Holy One do? He made the yoke of servitude more severe so that they would complete the four hundred years sooner rather than later. They were refined more quickly in this way, so that Israel was enslaved only half the time. This is the meaning of, "Praised is the one who keeps his promise to Israel." God told Jacob not to be afraid - and "He recalculated the end," of servitude - the amount of time in Egypt, shortening their exile by 190 years. This is the meaning of the expression, "God calculated the end (ketz) ." Even though they were only slaves 210 years it was as if they were there a full 400 years.
"They went forth with great wealth." The word great appears to be superfluous in this verse. It could have said, "They went forth with wealth." They were so refined by the suffering of Egypt that they not only left with material wealth from the Egyptians (silver, gold and clothing), but they were worthy of receiving an even greater possession: the commandments of Passover and Circumcision. They were also worthy of receiving the Torah at Sinai which is our greatest possession.
Translator's Introduction: Rabbi Bondi suggests that the promise referred to here is not the 'Covenant of the Pieces' (Genesis 15) made to Abraham but the promise God made to Jacob just before he went down to Egypt to see Joseph. For Rabbi Bondi, Abraham's promise doesn’t seem like much of a promise: God tells him that his ancestors will be enslaved and oppressed in a land not their own, but eventually will leave with great wealth. God, on the other hand, reassures Jacob at Beersheba: God tells him not to worry and that He will go down with the people to Egypt. Our commentator interpret these words, "Praised is the One who keeps His promise," in this context.
Finally, there is one other significance difference in Bondi's interpretation. The 'great wealth' that Israel takes from Egypt is not the goods they plunder but the commandments they receive from God at Mount Sinai. Unlike most commentators, Rabbi Bondi sees Israel as worthy of redemption rather than lost on the brink of oblivion, about to descend into the fiftieth level of impurity. This was Jacob's fear but, according to Rabbi Bondi, the years of slavery actually made Israel stronger.
Why do we say that God kept the promise he made to 'Israel'? Didn’t God make this promise to Abraham? Israel refers to the promise that God made to Grandfather Israel (Yisrael Saba), that is, our forefather, Jacob. Jacob was aware of the decree which God had made to Abraham: "Your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and afflicted for four hundred years…" (Genesis 15:13) Egypt is not explicitly mentioned in this passage because God turns freedom of choice over to human beings. (That is, the land in which Israel would become strangers was not pre-determined) Still, the verse alludes to Egypt for Joseph transferred the Egyptians from place to place throughout the land so that they would not consider the land their inheritance. He was trying to avoid Egypt becoming the land of Israel's subjugation. This is what the commentators suggest the expression, "A land not their own," means. The land did not belong to the Egyptians.
Because of this decree, our forefather Jacob was fearful of going down to Egypt. Egypt was the most despicable of lands. Jacob felt that if his family had to spend four hundred years they would sink into the impurity of the Egyptians and would no longer be worthy of being redeemed. It was for this reason that God said: "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. I will go down with you." (Gen 46:3) Wherever Israel is exiled, the Divine Presence is with them. " I will also go up with you…" (Gen. 46:4) God also reassured Jacob, "I will not allow your children to sink into the fiftieth level of impurity.
Jacob also hinted to his children that they would not be in Egypt more than two hundred and ten years when he said to them, "Go down (r'du) to Egypt (see Rashi on Gen. 42:10). God agreed to this, and along with God's promise Jacob was reassured. It was through the furnace of oppression in Egypt that Israel was refined and prepared to receive the Torah. It did not turn out as Jacob thought; he believed the people would deteriorate there and that is why he was afraid. The thoughts of the Holy One are mysterious. For instead of sinning, Israel was refined like silver until they finally sanctified the name of God in Egypt, at the sea, and in the wilderness.
But the decree was four hundred years enslaved! What did the Holy One do? He made the yoke of servitude more severe so that they would complete the four hundred years sooner rather than later. They were refined more quickly in this way, so that Israel was enslaved only half the time. This is the meaning of, "Praised is the one who keeps his promise to Israel." God told Jacob not to be afraid - and "He recalculated the end," of servitude - the amount of time in Egypt, shortening their exile by 190 years. This is the meaning of the expression, "God calculated the end (ketz) ." Even though they were only slaves 210 years it was as if they were there a full 400 years.
"They went forth with great wealth." The word great appears to be superfluous in this verse. It could have said, "They went forth with wealth." They were so refined by the suffering of Egypt that they not only left with material wealth from the Egyptians (silver, gold and clothing), but they were worthy of receiving an even greater possession: the commandments of Passover and Circumcision. They were also worthy of receiving the Torah at Sinai which is our greatest possession.