Parshat Shemot tells us about the exile in Egypt and the first glimmerings of the redemption. According to our sages, the Jewish people merited the redemption because they maintained their purity and didn’t intermarry (or have relationships) with the Egyptians. The women were inspired by our matriarch Sarah who maintained her purity and rebuffed Pharaoh’s (and Elimelech’s) advances while the men were inspired by Joseph who did not succumb to the seduction of his master’s wife. The fact that the Torah publicizes one rare case where a child was born from an Egyptian man and a Jewish woman is evidence that this was the exception rather than a normal occurrence.
According to the Midrash the sea split when it “saw” the coffin of Yoseph. This means that the sea “agreed” to change its natural habits in the merit of Yoseph who had overcome his natural instincts. And since the Jews maintained their purity like Yosef, the sea split for all of them.
Before the Time
Although the Exodus from Egypt was already promised by G-d to Abraham, the moral behavior of the Jewish people hastened the redemption and enabled them to leave after only 210 years instead of the predicted number of 400. Yosef alluded to this when he said פָּקוֹד יִפְקֹד which can be interpreted to mean deduct 190 from 400.
This is why the sea originally refused to split as it “claimed” that the time of the redemption had not yet arrived, and it therefore was under no obligation to split. When it “saw” (became aware) of the bones of Yosef and the standard of holiness that he and his descendants maintained, the sea understood that the Jewish people deserved to leave early, and it went ahead and split. This is why Moshe was so particular to take the bones of Yosef with him because he knew that he needed Yosef’s merit for the nation to be able to cross the sea.
The Main Battle Is to Avoid the Battle
The Ohr HaChaim writes that, when a person is faced with a temptation, the desire for forbidden relationships can be so strong that a man may be powerless to overcome them (without Divine assistance). Which is why it is essential to avoid temptation in the first place by not looking at anything immodest or thinking lewd thoughts. There were great tzadikim who, despite their righteousness, had great difficulty in overcoming temptation once their desire was kindled by seeing a particular woman.
Yosef Ran Out
When the wife of Potiphar attempted to seduce Yosef, the verse says that Yosef left his garment in her hand and ran out. The commentaries wonder why he didn’t wrest the garment out of her hands before running away. The Ramban says that, out of respect, Yoseph didn’t want to overpower her with brute force. It has also been suggested that Yoseph ran out without his coat because he didn’t want to remain in the situation of temptation for even one extra second.
Yoseph’s Reward
The Midrash says that Yoseph was rewarded in various ways for refraining from sinning with his master’s wife. In the words of the Midrash:
- “His mouth, which did not kiss in transgression, rules over Egypt, as it says, ‘My entire people will be sustained at your directive.’ (Gen. 41:40)
- “His body that did not touch in transgression was ’dressed... in linen garments.’ (ibid. verse 42)
- “His neck that did not bend for transgression had a ‘gold chain’ [placed] on it. (ibid.)
- “His hands that did not grope in transgression had a ring placed on them, as it says, ‘Pharaoh removed his signet ring... and he placed it upon Joseph's hand (ibid).’
- “His feet that did not stride in transgression came and rode in coaches, as it says, ‘He had him ride in the alternate chariot that he had.’ (ibid. verse 43)
- “The thoughts that did not think in transgression became very wise, as it says, ‘They cried before him, “avrech,” which means great [av] in wisdom, but tender [rach] in years.”
As such, since Yosef was already rewarded in so many ways, in what merit did the sea split, as mentioned above?
In the Merit of Running
Reb Chaim Shmulevitz explains that the sea split in the merit that Yosef ran out immediately as mentioned above. The reward for this mitzvah which saved the entire Jewish people was much greater than the rewards mentioned above. This is because what’s most important and perhaps most difficult is to remove oneself from a situation of temptation completely.
The 50th Gate
Our sages say that the Jewish people reached the forty-ninth gate of impurity in Egypt and that if they had reached the fiftieth gate (level) of impurity it would have been impossible for them to be redeemed. The sins of immorality are associated with the 50th gate of impurity. Thus, the exodus was only possible due to their adhering to moral purity.
The Blood of Pesach and Milah
Our sages say that at the time of the Exodus the Jewish people were bare of mitzvot and hadn’t done their part to merit the redemption. As such, G-d gave them the mitzvot of the Pesach sacrifice and the Brit Milah. Why were those mitzvot chosen? Pesach was chosen to answer the claim of the angels that the Jews were idolators just like the Egyptians. By sacrificing the god of the Egyptians–the Egyptians worshipped the ram–the Jewish people disproved that claim. The Brit Milah, which symbolizes purity in relationships, represented the fact that the Jewish people had remained morally pure and therefore merited the redemption.
This is also why the Jewish people tied the Pesach sacrifice to their beds – to symbolize that the merit of the purity in their bedroom matters together with the rejection of idolatry (by sacrificing the Egyptian idol) would bring about the exodus.
No Barking Dogs
The Talmud says that when a person sins, the effect of the sin remains attached to him like a dog (which follows its owner). According to the Midrash, the reason the Torah instructs us to throw treif (non kosher) meat to the dogs is in appreciation for the fact that on the night of the exodus the dogs barked at the Egyptians but not at the Jews. Rabbi Shalom Abuchatzera (a cousin of the Baba Sali, 1893 – 1974) explains that the dogs barked at the Egyptians symbolizing the many transgressions they had done but didn’t bark at the Jews because they had remained pure.
The Future Redemption – in the Merit of Purity
It has been suggested that, just as their moral purity gave the Jewish people the merit that brought about the Exodus, so too, will we merit the final redemption because of our maintaining the integrity and fidelity of the Jewish family.
May We Fulfill the Above Lessons and Merit to See the Immediate Redemption!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMeVorach!
Copyright 2025 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
