Double those who left Egypt / כפלים כיוצאי מצרים
In the Talmudic tradition, the number of Israelites of the Exodus from Egypt is used as a poetic description for any large number of people. And for added emphasis, larger figures are viewed as double those who left Egypt. This doubling (using the exact phrase in the title) appears in six locations in Talmud (five in the Babylonian Talmud, once in the Jerusalem Talmud). One source is a reference to the First Temple Era. The other five are references to the Second Temple Era, split between the Jews of the Land of Israel and those living in Egypt.
- First Temple Era: The prophetic tradition is said to have given rise to a multitude of prophets (see Megillah 14a below).
- Second Temple Era (in Israel): The Land of Israel is viewed as exceedingly populated. One source refers to the reign of King Yannai (c. 103-76 BCE) (see Gittin 57a below). A second source refers to the reign of King Agrippa (41-44 CE) and involves an expert consultation on conducting a census using Passover lambs (see Pesachim 64b below).
- Second Temple Era (in Egypt): The Jewish community of Alexandria, Egypt is viewed as a mass multitude. This account is found in both Talmuds (see below). In another source, the same figure is cited as the death total of those killed in Alexandria following an attack by Hadrian.
Megillah 14a: A Nation of Prophets
מִיהוה טוּבָא הֲווֹ, כִּדְתַנְיָא: הַרְבֵּה נְבִיאִים עָמְדוּ לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּפְלַיִם כְּיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם. אֶלָּא נְבוּאָה שֶׁהוּצְרְכָה לְדוֹרוֹת — נִכְתְּבָה, וְשֶׁלֹּא הוּצְרְכָה — לֹא נִכְתְּבָה.
The Gemara answers: In fact, there were more prophets, as it is taught in a baraita: Many prophets arose for the Jewish people, numbering double the number of Israelites who left Egypt. However, only a portion of the prophecies were recorded, because only prophecy that was needed for future generations was written down in the Bible for posterity, but that which was not needed, as it was not pertinent to later generations, was not written. Therefore, the fifty-five prophets recorded in the Bible, although not the only prophets of the Jewish people, were the only ones recorded, due to their eternal messages.
Gittin 57a: Israel under King Yannai
״בִּלַּע ה׳ וְלֹא חָמַל אֵת כׇּל נְאוֹת יַעֲקֹב״ – כִּי אֲתָא רָבִין אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אֵלּוּ שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא עֲיָירוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ לְיַנַּאי הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּהַר הַמֶּלֶךְ. דְּאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב אַסִּי: שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא עֲיָירוֹת הָיוּ לוֹ לְיַנַּאי הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּהַר הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְכׇל אַחַת וְאַחַת הָיוּ בָּהּ כְּיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם, חוּץ מִשָּׁלֹשׁ שֶׁהָיוּ בָּהֶן כִּפְלַיִם כְּיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם.
§ Concerning the verse: “The Lord has swallowed up without pity all the habitations of Jacob” (Lamentations 2:2), it is related that when Ravin came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This is referring to the six hundred thousand cities that King Yannai had in the King’s Mountain. As Rav Yehuda says that Rav Asi says: King Yannai had six hundred thousand cities in the King’s Mountain, and each of them had a population as great as the number of those who left Egypt, except for three of those cities, the population of which was double the number of those who left Egypt.
Pesachim 64b: The Census of King Agrippa
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: פַּעַם אַחַת בִּיקֵּשׁ אַגְרִיפַּס הַמֶּלֶךְ לִיתֵּן עֵינָיו בְּאוּכְלוּסֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. אֲמַר לֵיהּ לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל: תֵּן עֵינֶיךָ בַּפְּסָחִים. נָטַל כּוּלְיָא מִכׇּל אֶחָד, וְנִמְצְאוּ שָׁם שִׁשִּׁים רִיבּוֹא זוּגֵי כְלָיוֹת כִּפְלַיִם כְּיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם. חוּץ מִטָּמֵא וְשֶׁהָיָה בְּדֶרֶךְ רְחוֹקָה. וְאֵין לָךְ כׇּל פֶּסַח וּפֶסַח שֶׁלֹּא נִמְנוּ עָלָיו יוֹתֵר מֵעֲשָׂרָה בְּנֵי אָדָם. וְהָיוּ קוֹרְאִין אוֹתוֹ ״פֶּסַח מְעוּבִּין״.
The Sages taught: Once, King Agrippa wished to set his eyes on the multitudes [ukhlosin] of Israel to know how many they were. He said to the High Priest: Set your eyes on the Paschal lambs; count how many animals are brought in order to approximate the number of people. The High Priest took a kidney from each one, as the kidneys are burned on the altar, and six hundred thousand pairs of kidneys were found there, double the number of those who left Egypt. This did not reflect the sum total of the Jewish people, as it excluded those who were ritually impure or at a great distance, who did not come to offer the sacrifice. Furthermore, this was a count of the Paschal lambs and not of the people, and there was not a single Paschal lamb that did not have more than ten people registered for it. They called that Passover the Passover of the crowded, due to the large number of people.
Sukkah 51b / JT Sukkah 5.1.: The Jews of Alexandria, Egypt
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה דְּיוֹפְּלוּסְטוֹן שֶׁל אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִיָּא שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם, לֹא רָאָה בִּכְבוֹדָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמְרוּ: כְּמִין בָּסִילְקֵי גְּדוֹלָה הָיְתָה, סְטָיו לְפָנִים מִסְּטָיו. פְּעָמִים שֶׁהָיוּ בָּהּ (שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא עַל שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא), כִּפְלַיִם כְּיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם. וְהָיוּ בָּהּ שִׁבְעִים וְאַחַת קָתֶדְרָאוֹת שֶׁל זָהָב, כְּנֶגֶד שִׁבְעִים וְאַחַת שֶׁל סַנְהֶדְרִי גְּדוֹלָה, כׇּל אַחַת וְאַחַת אֵינָהּ פְּחוּתָה מֵעֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד רִבּוֹא כִּכְּרֵי זָהָב. וּבִימָה שֶׁל עֵץ בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָהּ, וְחַזַּן הַכְּנֶסֶת עוֹמֵד עָלֶיהָ וְהַסּוּדָרִין בְּיָדוֹ. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לַעֲנוֹת אָמֵן, הַלָּה מֵנִיף בַּסּוּדָר וְכׇל הָעָם עוֹנִין אָמֵן.
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda says: One who did not see the great synagogue [deyofloston] of Alexandria of Egypt never saw the glory of Israel. They said that its structure was like a large basilica [basileki], with a colonnade within a colonnade. At times there were six hundred thousand men and another six hundred thousand men in it, twice the number of those who left Egypt. In it there were seventy-one golden chairs [katedraot], corresponding to the seventy-one members of the Great Sanhedrin, each of which consisted of no less than twenty-one thousand talents of gold. And there was a wooden platform at the center. The sexton of the synagogue would stand on it, with the scarves in his hand. And because the synagogue was so large and the people could not hear the communal prayer, when the prayer leader reached the conclusion of a blessing requiring the people to answer amen, the sexton waved the scarf and all the people would answer amen.
תַּנֵּי. אָמַר רִבִּי יוּדָה. כָּל־שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה דִיפְּלֵי אִיסְטֳבָה שֶׁל אֲכְסַנְדְּרִיאָה לֹא רָאָה כְּבוֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיָּמָיו. כְּמִין בַּסִילִיקֵי גְדוֹלָה הָיָה וְאַסְטיוֹ לִפְנִים מִסְטיוֹ הָֽיְתָה. פְּעָמִים הָיוּ בָהּ כִּפְלַיִים כְּיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם. וְשִׁבְעִים קַתֶידְרָאוֹת שֶׁלְזָהָב הָיוּ שָׁם מְקוּבְּעוֹת אֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת וּמַרְגָּלִיּוֹת כְּנֶגֶד שִׁבְעִים זְקֵינִים. וְכָל־אַחַת וְאַחַת הָֽיְתָה עוֹמֶדֶת כְּעֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ רִיבּוֹא דֵינָרֵי זָהָב. וּבִימָה שֶׁלְעֵץ בָּאֶמְצַע וַחֲזָן הַכְּנֶסֶת עוֹמֵד עָלֶיהָ. עָמַד אֶחָד מֵהֶן לִקְראוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה הָיָה הַמְמוּנֶה מֵנִיף בְּסוּדָרִין וְהֵן עוֹנִין אַחֲרָיו אָמֵן. עַל כָּל־בְּרָכָה ובְרָכָה שֶׁהָיָה מְבָרֵךְ הָיָה הַמְמוּנֶה מֵנִיף בְּסוּדָרִין וְהֵן עוֹנִין אַחֲרָיו אָמֵן. אַף עַל פִּי כֵן לֹא הָיוּ יוֹשְׁבִין מְעוּרְבָבִין אֶלָּא יוֹשְׁבִין כָּל־אוּמָנוּת וְאוּמָנוּת בִּפְנֵי עַצְמָהּ. שֶׁאִם יָבוֹא אַכְסְנַאִי יְהֵא מִידְבַּק בִּבְנֵי אוּמְנָתוֹ. וּמִשָּׁם הָֽיְתָה פַרְנָסָתוֹ יוֹצְאָה. וּמִי הֶחֱרִיבָהּ. טְרוֹגְייָנוּס הָרָשָׁע.
It was stated: “Rebbi Jehudah said, anybody who did not see the double stoa of Alexandria did not ever see the glory of Israel. It was like a large basilica with a stoa inside a stoa. Sometime there were there twice as many as left Egypt. Seventy golden chairs were there, inlaid with precious stones and pearls, corresponding to the Seventy Elders; each of them costing 250’000 gold denars. A wooden platform was at the center and the congregation’s beadle stood on it. If one of the congregation came to read in the Torah the official waved cloths and they answered after him “amen”. For every benediction which he said, the official waved cloths and they answered after him “amen”. Nevertheless they were not sitting mixed but those of each single profession were sitting separately, so that a stranger could associate with those of his profession, and from there he could find support.” And who destroyed it? Trajanus the evil one.
Gittin 57b: The Destruction of the Alexandrian Community
״הַקּוֹל קוֹל יַעֲקֹב וְהַיָּדַיִם יְדֵי עֵשָׂו״ – ״הַקּוֹל״, זֶה אַדְרִיָּינוּס קֵיסָר, שֶׁהָרַג בַּאֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִיָּא שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא עַל שִׁשִּׁים רִבּוֹא, כִּפְלַיִם כְּיוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם. ״קוֹל יַעֲקֹב״ – זֶה אַסְפַּסְיָינוּס קֵיסָר, שֶׁהָרַג בִּכְרַךְ בֵּיתֵּר אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת רִבּוֹא, וְאָמְרִי לַהּ: אַרְבַּעַת אֲלָפִים רִבּוֹא. ״וְהַיָּדַיִם יְדֵי עֵשָׂו״ – זוֹ מַלְכוּת הָרְשָׁעָה, שֶׁהֶחְרִיבָה אֶת בָּתֵּינוּ, וְשָׂרְפָה אֶת הֵיכָלֵנוּ, וְהִגְלִיתָנוּ מֵאַרְצֵנוּ.
§ Apropos its discussion of the destruction of the Temple and the calamities that befell Israel, the Gemara cites the verse: “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau” (Genesis 27:22), which the Sages expounded as follows: “The voice”; this is the cry stirred up by the emperor Hadrian, who caused the Jewish people to cry out when he killed six hundred thousand on six hundred thousand in Alexandria of Egypt, twice the number of men who left Egypt. “The voice of Jacob”; this is the cry aroused by the emperor Vespasian, who killed four million people in the city of Beitar. And some say: He killed forty million people. “And the hands are the hands of Esau”; this is the wicked kingdom of Rome that destroyed our Temple, burned our Sanctuary, and exiled us from our land.