Комментарий о цитате к Шмот 32:12

אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים WHO HAVE BROUGHT THEE OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT — That act of bringing you out is alone of sufficient importance that you should subject yourselves to Me. Another explanation: because He had revealed Himself to them at the Red Sea as a mighty man of war and here He revealed Himself as a grey-beard filled with compassion, as it is stated in connection with the Giving of the Law, (Exodus 24:10) “and there was under His feet as it were a brick-work of sapphire”, which is explained to mean that this (the brick-work) was before Him at the time of their bondage; “and there was as the essence of heaven” (i. e. joy and gladness) when they had been delivered (cf. Rashi on Exodus 24:10), thus the Divine Glory changed according to circumstances, — therefore He stated here: Since I change, appearing in various forms, do not say, “There are two divine Beings”; it is I Who brought you forth from Egypt and Who appeared to you at the Sea (cf. Mekhilta). Another explanation: because they then heard many voices, as it is said (v. 15) “the people heard the voices (הקלות)” — voices coming from the four cardinal points and from the heavens and from the earth — therefore God said to them, “Do not say there are many Deities”. — Why did God say in the singular אלהיך, “Thy God”, (as though speaking to one person alone)? To afford Moses an opportunity to speak in defence of Israel at the incident of the golden calf. This, is exactly what he did say, (Exodus 32:11) “Wherefore, O Lord, doth Thy wrath glow against Thy people”, for not to them didst Thou give the command, “There shall be to thee no other gods” but to me alone! (Exodus Rabbah 43:5)

Mah Nishtanah: Why does this passage begin with mah (How is this night different) and not lama (Why is this night different)? In a number of places, the word lama implies a negative response, as in, “Why (lama) should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that God delivered them from Egypt,’”⁴⁰Exodus 32:12 “Why did you bring harm upon this people,”⁴¹Exodus 5:22 and, “Why should the nations say.”⁴²Psalms 115:2 In each of these cases, the question implies a rhetorical question to which there is a negative answer. The word mah on the other hand implies that the question wants an explanation for the practice. Even though the wicked child’s question begins with the word mah, his question still has a negative implication. First, he wants to know the reason for the rituals but his question implies that even if he knows the reason, he is not going to perform this act. He asks, “What does this service mean to YOU,” and not to HIM.
Three of the four children begin their question with the word, mah: “What are these statutes,” “What is the reason for this service,” and “What is this.” Therefore, the author of the Haggadah begins the four questions with the word mah as well. The opening words of Mah Nishtanah are an allusion (remez) to the story of Esther. “On that night, sleep deserted the king…”⁴³Esther 6:1 This took place on the night of Passover – it inaugurated the downfall of Haman. The first letters of Mah nishtanah halailah spell the name Haman, a reminder that this is a night of redemption in many generations.
According to the ways of esoteric interpretation (sod), the word mah is a reference to the sephirah of Divine Wisdom (chokhmah). The word chokhmah, comes from the words koach mah – the potential for mah.⁴⁴There are ten Sephirot or divine manifestations in classical Kabbalah: Keter, Chochmah, Bina, Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Hod, Hadar, Yesod, Malchut or Shechinah. Each of these different manifestations of God has a variety of different symbols and words which are outer manifestations of the inner life of God. Chokhmah, or divine wisdom is associated with the word mah. Rabbi Moshe Miller writes: “The Zohar breaks up the word chochma into two words: "koach" and "mah". "Koach" means "potential", and "mah" means "what is". Thus chochma means "the potential of what is", or "the potential to be". This aspect of chochma describes the state of chochma in relation to the sefira of keter. As chochma emanates from keter, it "appears" in an obscure and undefined state. It is only potential being. It is virtually non-being. Thus the verse states, "and chochma emerges from nothingness" (Job 28:12). In other words, it is in a state of constant flux between being and non-being - between revelation, the first point of immanent being, and non-revelation as it returns to its state of potential and merges in its source, keter. Chochma flashes in and out of existence. The Infinite Light thus becomes unified in the world of Atzilut through clothing itself first in the sefira of chochma.” The wise child then is connected to the attribute of divine wisdom. It is also connected to the Sephirah of Malchut; this night is a night of mah, Malchut.

“He turned and left Pharaoh’s presence” [10:6]. Moses angrily went out from Pharaoh. He had warned him about the plague of locusts, expecting that they would discuss sending out Israel. The locusts were greatly feared in Pharaoh’s eyes. They would eat up all the grain on the ground. Therefore, Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses and Aaron that they should return to him. Pharaoh’s servants said to him: how long will this people Israel be an evil to us, that God afflicts us with all of these plagues? Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them. Go and worship your God, but tell me who will go. Moses said: we must all go, women and children, since we have a holiday. This is Shavuot, that we have a holiday to receive the Torah. Pharaoh responded: what will the children do? Let the men go, since you said, to bring a sacrifice. The men bring the sacrifice and not the women or children. I see that you want to run away into the wilderness. It will be bad for you. I see a star in the wilderness that relates to you. This only means blood that you will die in the wilderness. This star is called evil, because it causes much evil for people. In truth, Pharaoh did see a star of blood over Israel. This means that Israel afterwards in the wilderness, the star alluded to the Golden Calf. They were supposed to have been destroyed because of that sin, but Moses prayed. Then the Holy One changed the blood into the blood of circumcision that Israel performed in the wilderness. Joshua said that Israel should be given the land of Israel. Therefore, Moses says in his prayer, “Let not the Egyptians say, it was with evil intent that he delivered them” [Exodus, 32:12]. That is to say, the Egyptians will say that You, God, took Israel out of Egypt in order to destroy them with the star that is called evil. Thus, all Your wonders and signs that You performed in Egypt will be forgotten and will be meaningless.⁵Rashi, Exodus, 10:10; Bahya, Exodus, 10:10. Pharaoh chased Moses out of his house.

I have removed. (Lit. I have rolled) I have removed the ridicule of the Egyptians who had said [when they were leaving], “See that ‘Raah’ is before you.⁷Shemos, 10:10. There is a star named Raah, which is a symbol of blood. We see it overpowering you in the wilderness.”⁸The Egyptians intimated that Bnei Yisroel would meet with disaster if they left Egypt because they would be under the power of the star of blood. This is what Moshe referred to in the wilderness [when he said,] “Why should the Egptians speak, saying, ‘With Raah, He took them out.’” But they did not know that [the blood they saw] was the blood of circumcision. And now when they were circumcised in the days of Yehoshua, and the blood of circumcision appeared, that ridicule was removed; for the mixed multitude that went up with them [from Egypt] were still taunting them. This is the way R’ Moshe, Ha Darshan explained [this passage.]

ראו כי רעה נגד פניכם Understand this as the Targum takes it: See, the evil you are about to do wilt turn against yourself. I have heard a Midrashic explanation: There is a certain star the name of which is רעה “Evil”. Pharaoh said to them, “By my astrological art I see that star rising towards you in the wilderness whither you wish to proceed. It is an emblem of blood and slaughter”. Consequently, when Israel sinned by worshipping the calf and the Holy One, blessed be He, intended to slay them, Moses said in his prayer, (Exodus 32:12) “Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, He brought them forth together with רעה (i. e. under the influence of the star רעה); this is, indeed, what he (Pharaoh) has already said, “See, the ‘רעה’ is before you”. At once, “the Lord bethought Himself concerning ‘רעה’”, and He changed the blood of which this star was an emblem to the blood of the circumcision because indeed Joshua had them circumcised. This is the meaning of what is said, (Joshua 5:9). “This day have I rolled from off you the reproach of the Egyptians”, for they said to you. “We see blood impending over you in the wilderness. (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 1:392; cf. also Rashi on Joshua 5:9.)