Illustration Credit: Rebecca Kerzner
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
One of the pesukim we read and explore in the Haggadah is this:
וַנִּצְעַק אֶל ה' אֱלֹקֵי אֲבֹתֵינוּ וַיִּשְׁמַע ה אֶת קֹלֵנוּ
וַיַּרְא אֶת עָנְיֵנוּ וְאֶת עֲמָלֵנוּ וְאֶת לַחֲצֵנוּ:
We cried out to the God of our ancestors. God heard and our cries. And God saw our suffering, our misery, and our oppresion.
The Haggadah connects this to another pasuk about God seeing:
וַיַּרְא אֱלֹקִים אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּדַע אֱלֹקִים:
God saw Benei Yisrael. And God knew.
What did God see? What did God know?
Here’s one suggestion:
R. Mordechai Cohen (500 years ago)
What did God see? God saw that Benei Yisrael were showing mercy to each other. A person who finished making bricks would come and help a friend to make theirs. God saw this and said, “These people are worthy for Me to have mercy upon them.”
ש"ך על התורה
מָה רָאָה? רָאָה שֶׁהָיוּ מְרַחֲמִים זֶה עַל זֶה כְּשֶׁהָיָה אֶחָד מֵהֶם מַשְׁלִים סְכוּם הַלְּבָנִים קֹדֶם חֲבֵרוֹ הָיָה בָּא וּמְסַיֵּעַ עִם חֲבֵרוֹ, וּכְשֶׁרָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁהָיוּ מְרַחֲמִים זֶה עַל זֶה אָמַר רְאוּיִים אֵלּוּ לִרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם.
- According to R. Cohen, why did Benei Yisrael deserve to be saved?
- What is so surprising about the behavior of the slaves?
- What can we learn from them about what it means to be truly free?
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