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In his address to the people, Moshe is faced with the people's inability to listen to his words, and even he himself, while carrying out his mission, has difficulty seeing the process of redemption in its entirety. The process is described by the four stages of redemption, which represent the future redemption of the people, starting with their rescue from Egypt, until their arrival in the Land of Israel (“and I brought,” is the fifth stage). The Israelites, who are still in slavery and are struggling for their daily existence, are unable to believe even the detailed description of redemption as spoken by Moshe, which offers a plan of action and hope. And yet, the process of redemption continues.
In this unit we will learn about the stages of redemption that describe the stages of redemption and bring the good news, as God presents to Moshe in his words. We will also deal with the reaction of the people to the message of salvation. The people do not listen to Moshe and do not believe that redemption is possible - they are in the depths of slavery and fail to recognize a spark of hope. In the class we will discuss the gradual development that characterizes change processes, and the role of faith as the primary basis for change, especially in situations of difficulty and crisis. From deepening the plight of the slave, we will emphasize the meaning of man being free in body and soul.
El éxodo de Egipto. Mapa con explicacionesLearning about the concept – the four stages of redemption (and the fifth stage – "And I brought" which represents the future return to the Land of Israel)
To know the stages of the Egyptian redemption as shown to Moshe
To understand the reaction of the Israelites to the message of redemption
Identifying social and emotional motives for human choices
We ended the previous story with disappointment following the worsening of the Israelites’ situation. In fact, we are at the stage where the “plot gets more complicated” (in literary terms). The slavery worsens, the overseers, who find themselves in a difficult situation, turn to Pharaoh and express their anger at the situation.
In the first part of Chapter 6, G-d answers Moshe in response to his fear about the worsening of the situation, which is also expressed at the end of the previous chapter (Exodus 5:23). G-d tells Moshe that he will bring Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand: "...now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will fight and with a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land" (Exodus 6:1).
Rashi explains the repetition of the phrase “mighty hand.” The first time it is aimed at Pharaoh and the second time it is aimed at the Israelites’ situation, as they are immersed in the slavery, and are unable to perceive themselves leaving Egypt.
In his explanation to Moshe, G-d describes the redemption that will take place in five stages:
“Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am G-d. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your G-d. And you shall know that I, G-d, am your G-d who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I G-d” (Exodus 6:6-8).
This is how Nahmanides (Ramban) explains (Verse 6) the gradual development of the stages of redemption: “And I will bring you out … He assured them that He will take them out from the land of the Egyptians and that they will no longer suffer from their heavy burden … And I will deliver you … The Egyptians will no longer rule over them at all … And I will redeem you … He will bring such judgments upon them until the Egyptians will say: “Here You have the Israelites as a redemption for our lives [the Egyptians will agree to release the Israelites just so that their G-d will leave them alone] … And I will take you to me for a people … When you will come to Mount Sinai and you will accept the Torah. There, [at Mount Sinai], it was said, Then ye shall be Mine own treasure.”
And Rabbi Hoffman (RADATZ) (on Verse 8) explains the fifth redemption language: “and I brought - only after all that is stated has come true (I brought out, I saved, I redeemed, I took), will the final promise to the forefathers be realized - only as the Nation of G-d will you be able to come to the Promised Land.”
The words "I am the Lord" are repeated in the text to strengthen the providence of G-d and the faith required in Him in the process of redemption.
But, when Moshe spoke to the Israelites: "They would not listen to Moshe, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage (Exodus 6:9), meaning that “their spirits crushed - their souls, and cruel bondage - their bodies” (Abarbanel)
Nachmanides explains: “But they hearkened not unto Moshe for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage. It was not because they did not believe in G-d and in His prophet [that they hearkened not]. Rather, they paid no attention to his words because of impatience of spirit, as a person whose soul is grieved on account of his misery and who does not want to live another moment in his suffering even though he knows that he will be relieved later. The “impatience of spirit” was their fear that Pharaoh would put them to death, as their officers said to Moshe, and the “cruel bondage” was the pressure, for the taskmasters pressed upon them and hurried them [in their daily task], which gave them no chance to hear anything and consider it (Nachmanides, Verse 9).
We see that despite the people’s reaction, G-d continues with his plan, and instructs Mosh to return to Pharaoh. Like the Israelites, Moshe also does not see the whole process clearly, and raises the same difficulty he expressed earlier – being tongue-tied. He is afraid that he will not succeed in this mission. If the Israelites did not listen to him, how would Pharaoh listen to him? Even if Moshe's fear is justified, G-d commands the continuation of the mission with absolute determination.
We will read out a sentence that Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) said about slavery:
"The moment a slave believes that he will not continue to be a slave, his chains fall off. He frees himself and shows the way to others. Freedom and slavery are mental states."
The students will discuss the question – is slavery a physical or mental condition? Can a mental state affect the slave’s condition in the present and in the future?
We will conduct the discussion according to the practice of Think-Pair-Share.
Activity Sheet “Think-Listen-Share”
In this lesson we will learn about the stages of redemption, which are some of the things that G-d commands Moshe to say to the people, in order to convince them to believe in the idea that G-d will bring them out of slavery to freedom. As an introduction to this topic, we will ask:
1. How do you think the Israelites would have reacted to Gandhi's trial after the worsening of slavery in Chapter 5?
2. In light of the Israelites’ situation, deriving from the discussion and in light of the conclusion of Chapter 5:
“Then Moshe returned to G-d and said, “O my Lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people; and still You have not delivered Your people” (Exodus 5:22-23).
What does Moshe need to hear? What will help him continue on his mission?
G-d promises Moshe that the Israelites will come out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
“Then G-d said to Moshe, “You shall soon see what I will do to Pharaoh: he shall let them go because of a greater might; indeed, because of a greater might he shall drive them from his land” (Exodus 6:1)
We will ask:
What is the meaning of the phrase “with a mighty hand”?
Why is this phrase repeated in this verse?
We suggest Rashi’s explanation:
“Let them go” – directed at Pharaoh, that G-d will treat him with a mighty hand.
“Drive them out” – directed at the Israelites. Even if they do not want and do not believe.
“Let them go” – because of My mighty hand, he will let them go.
“Drive them out from his land” – despite the Israelites and they will not have time to prepare for their journey.
We can expand our understanding of the phrase, by looking at a display from the British Museum.
Screen the display on the board.
In the following verses (6-8) G-d describes the good news of salvation to Moshe, which he will announce to the people. This is a redemption to be carried out in stages. The students will learn the verses in Hevrutas or in groups. The study includes two parts:
1. Identifying the verbs that represent the stages of redemption, and discussing what they have in common and what is different between them, as well as reviewing the repetition of the words “I am the Lord” in these verses.
2. In the second part they will describe the process of redemption.
You can work on the first part in the plenary and discuss the questions. Then the students will do the assignment as independent work.
The students will share the descriptions they wrote.
- We will present the following statement to the students – "Moshe is about to announce the good news of redemption from Egypt to the Israelites. Stage by stage the Israelites will hear about the process from their liberation from slavery to arrival in the Land!'
We will ask – if you were to hear such a significant, detailed and encouraging message, how would you feel?
Share a sentence you think they would say, or a picture/emoji that expresses the feeling.
Following are additional points for class discussion:
1. Why do you think G-d chose to redeem Israel in stages? Wouldn't it make more sense to take the Israelites out of Egypt in a one-time, impressive, and remarkable event? Wouldn't we rather see an immediate rescue?
2. Will Moshe manage to convince the people this time? Now will they listen to Moshe?
3. Let's note that the fifth stage deals with a distant reality – the entry into the Land of Israel. Why should this step also be mentioned now? Is it significant that the Israelites hear this stage while they are still suffering under Egyptian slavery?
- We emphasize the fact that the promise in the fifth stage is about an event that will happen in the distant future and conditioned by the faith of the people: “And you shall know that I, G-d, am your G-d” (6:7) poses a challenge, on the one hand, but also gives hope for the fulfillment of the promises given to our ancestors.
-We speak about the four stages of redemption also on Pesach [Passover]. On the Seder night we drink four glasses for the four stages of redemption. We will deal with this later in the study program.
1. We start with a question – Did it ever happen to you that you were in a situation where you were unable to listen? Did someone try to tell you something, and you just couldn't listen?
- What conditions are required for us to really hear and listen to something meaningful that is being said to us?
Let’s read the people's response to Moshe, in Verse 9:
“But when Moshe told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moshe, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.”
Let’s explain the verse. We emphasize that there were two reasons why the Israelites could not hear, and in fact, believe, Moshe:
“Their spirits crushed” – inability to listen to things that do not concern their everyday life.
“Cruel bondage” – which does not leave them time to think or deal with anything that is far away, something which seems so disconnected from reality.
Possibility for Discussion – What is Slavery?, for working in pairs.
The page includes:
- Sections of a story by Frederick Douglass, who was the first slave to write his life story himself. Read about Frederick Douglass.
- A section dealing with slavery as a concept.
*The video does not correspond to the period of the Exodus (probably dates to a period of about 500 years before the Exodus), and apparently depicts the reality of a Canaanite slave, but it can be used to illustrate the difficult existence of slaves in Egypt and their need to turn to the gods in times of need.
The students will discuss the characteristics of slavery. How can sources help us explain the people's reaction to Moshe's words?
2. In the plenary discussion, we will ask:
- What does the people’s reaction teach us about their situation in particular and the situation of slaves in general?
- What is Moshe's role? What should/can he do in response to these reactions?
- In the previous lesson, you described the process of redemption in a graph, how would you integrate Verse 9 into the graph you created?
We read in Verses 10-13 that even though the people cannot listen, and despite the feeling of despair in the air, G-d commands Moshe to continue the mission.
Students will answer questions on worksheet The mission continues despite the difficulties.
We see that despite the Israelites’ reaction, G-d continues with the plan and instructs Moshe to return to Pharaoh. Like the Israelites, Moshe also does not see the entire process clearly and he returns to the same difficulty he expressed earlier – “The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, me—who gets tongue-tied.” He is afraid that he will not succeed in the mission. If the Israelites did not listen to him, how would Pharaoh listen to him?
Even if Moshe's fear is justified, G-d explicitly commands the continuation of the mission.
We will end the lesson with the question with which we started –
1. What will help Moshe convince the people, who are in a desperate and demoralized state, to believe in the message of the redemption?
2. What will help Moshe continue his mission?
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