It’s hard to believe today, but the most powerful economic empire in the ancient world 3,500 years ago was Egypt. Though still considered a leading and historic Arab nation, modern Egypt is a poor and downtrodden country, with its days of glory far behind it.
To truly understand the heart of the exodus from Egypt – which we celebrate on Passover – we must grasp the stature of that great Egyptian empire and the stark contrast between its cruel arrogance and the humility of the Promised Land, the destination of the Israelites as they left Egypt.
Ancient Egypt wasn’t just a wealthy, prosperous power rich in resources like gold and copper, with an advanced economy and a mighty army – it was also a center of knowledge and wisdom. Its magicians were experts not only in exact sciences but also in magic and sorcery. Historians believe that the first wheel that spun was invented in ancient Egypt. This aligns with the words of our sages who said that no wagon ever left Egypt without Pharaoh’s permission, lest its revolutionary technological secrets be revealed to other nations.
Such an economic superpower naturally symbolizes arrogance. The arrogant man believes he controls his destiny – that all his accomplishments are the work of his own hands; a true “self-made man.” He does not draw water from the spring of life but sees himself as its very source. “The Nile is mine, and I made it myself,” Pharaoh declares with pride. “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?”
Opposite him stands Moses, the humblest of all men, who attributes nothing to his own power. Even when leading the Ten Plagues – stunning miracles that reshaped nature – Moses sees himself only as the messenger of the creator, sent to warn Pharaoh and command him to let the chosen people go.
From Egypt to Israel: Leaving a land of pride to a land of humility
The exodus was a journey out of flourishing Egypt, a nation that credited all its success to itself: to the Nile that irrigated its fields, to its scholars and magicians, to its horses and chariots. Egypt was drunk with power, full of self-importance, convinced of its limitless might.
And the Israelites were headed to the Land of Israel – a land that understands it has nothing of its own. A land without natural resources or treasure, which depends solely on the creator. “A land that drinks water from the rain of heaven,” whose inhabitants constantly lift their eyes to the skies, praying for life itself.
In the formative process of the exodus, the Jewish people leave a land that represents the height of pride, and they journey to a land of humility. From bondage under a haughty king who saw himself as a god to eternal freedom under the leadership of the humblest man on Earth.
From a nation that turned its back on divine providence, elevating itself as the center of existence, to a people with a divine mission – to turn their eyes to the creator of the universe and attribute all success to Him.
This is the nation destined to illuminate the world with the secret of belief in one God, proclaiming a miraculous existence that depends not on nature but on the creator who sustains the world.
Thousands of years after that miracle, we still celebrate Passover. Here, in the Land of Israel, we all feel God’s providence and clearly understand that we are living a miracle. This awareness has only deepened over the past year, as anyone with eyes can see our enemies surround us from every side, seeking – as in every generation – to rise against us and destroy us. But the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hands.
We who have left Egypt know well: There is no point in attributing power or importance to any force other than the creator, who took us out from under the burdens of Egypt. No one will save us unless we cry out to the creator with all our might, that He have mercy on us, and – as in the days when we left Egypt – show us wonders once more. ■
The writer is rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites.