This week's Torah portion, Shemot, chronicles the events that happened to the Jewish people after they had been living in Egypt, beginning more than 100 years after they had entered that country. Nevertheless, the opening verse, "These are the names of the people who were coming into Egypt," indicates that, despite having lived there for so long, they were still "coming into Egypt." To them, it was a foreign land, i.e. not their natural habitat. They had been born in Egypt, even their parents had been born in Egypt, but it was not their home. It was exile; home was Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, and they were still in the process of "coming to Egypt."
What's the difference between Egypt and Israel? In the Biblical era, the societies were primarily agricultural, so when the Torah wants to contrast the two countries, it points to their water supply, stating: "The land to which you are coming to possess is not like the land of Egypt... where you plant your seed and water it by foot. Instead,... it is a land of hills and valleys. From the rain of heaven, it derives its water." In other words, in Egypt, the water came from the Nile, in Israel, there are no large rivers, meaning the water supply is almost entirely dependent on rain.
When the supply of water comes from a river, no G-dly influence is apparent and the natural order seems to control the water supply. In Israel, by contrast, "the eyes of all must look upward" to "the One Who holds the key to rain." It is clearly apparent that toil and till, try as we may, the success of our crops depends on G-d's blessings. In this way, the land itself educates us to trust in G-d, to see ourselves as in His hands and His providence controlling our lives.
In Chasidic thought, it is explained that Egypt is not only a geographical location but also a state of mind. In fact the Hebrew name for Egypt, "Mitzrayim," is almost identical to the word "meitzarim," which means straits or limitations. Because Israel taught the Jewish people to continually look up to G-d, they never could feel at home in Egypt. The concept of life being governed by natural routine was inherently foreign. Hence - as stated above - even after living in Egypt for an extended period, the place was new to them.
When viewed in that light, the exodus was an inevitable occurrence. Yes, it took years and, at a certain point, even the Jewish people's faith was somewhat weakened. But since the Jews, as individuals and as a people, were continually looking to G-d, ultimately, it was to be anticipated that G-d would turn to them and redeem them.
Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
