Shabbos Parashas Bo - 5777

Shabbos Parashas Bo - 5777

Rabbi Hal Miller

Please speak in the ears of the people, let each man request of his fellow and each

woman from her fellow silver vessels and gold vessels. [Shemos 11:2]

Why do G-d and Moshe set the people up for trouble by having them "acquire" belongings

from the Egyptians? The word for 'request' can also mean to borrow. There was clearly no

intention of returning these items, so any pretense of borrowing would have been false

and misleading. Why did the Jews need to clear the valuables out of Egypt, whether through

the pretense of borrowing or through asking for outright gifts?

Talelei Oros gives us an answer when he writes that the Egyptians claimed they "expelled the

lowly, despicable Jews in their midst of their own free will. In anticipation of this, G-d commanded

the Jewish people to borrow the precious objects of the Egyptians. This would clearly prove​ that

they had been forced to let the Jewish people go."

Sanhedrin [91a] tells us that this was reparation for the wages lost by Jewish slave workers

during their forced employment. But for that, the Jews would have been justified in taking,

without resort to what our verse discusses. The Ran says, "now that G-d had given them the upper

hand, there was no need to resort to" the subterfuge of asking for gifts, they could just take what

they desired. The plague of darkness during which all Egypt was frozen in place, would have been

an ideal time for the Jews to grab whatever they wished, without fear of being stopped.

Nechama Leibowitz compares our verse to the commandment that when a Hebrew slave goes

out from his Jewish master, he is not to go empty-handed, but with gifts from his now-former

employer. However, that law does not apply to a non-Jewish master, so seems thin as an

argument here.

Malbim says that it was payment for what the Jews left behind, houses, furniture, etc. Josephus

Flavius writes that it was a favor to the Egyptians, who were trying to get the Jews to leave as

quickly as possible, in hopes of ending the plagues. There are commentators who say that the

Jews were going to need the gold and silver while in the desert in order to build the Mishkan.

The answer might be found in the fact that G-d hardened Pharaoh's heart. What was He trying

to accomplish by His treatment of Egypt? He wished to destroy the licentiousness and evil, and

to bring the world to recognize His Supreme Authority. How does that apply to our verse?

First we look to Rav Hirsch. He writes of the plague of darkness that the Eyptians " were

completely helpless in their power," and that during that time, "no Jew took the opportunity to

take the slightest advantage." This taught the Egyptians something--they were not in a dispute

with the Jews, but with G-d.

Next to Sforno, who discusses why the people needed to be commanded to take from the

Egyptians. They were afraid that it would cause the Egyptians to chase them into the desert,

which is precisely what happened. Why would this be considered a good thing? G-d had

promised them that they had nothing to fear. Bringing the Egyptians out after the Jews

accomplished a few things. First, it led to the destruction of the Egyptians. Second, it

brought G-d's might into play in front of the Jews and all the world. Third, it proved to the

Jews that trust in G-d was the right thing to do. Our verse is not about the Jewish people,

but about the might of G-d.