“...and you shall know that I am Hashem, your G-d, who takes you from under the burdens of Egypt.” (Shmos 6:7)
Most of us are familiar with the “four expressions of Geula,” V’hotzaisi - I will take you out, V’hitzalti – and I will save you, V’goalti - and I will redeem you, V’lokachti – And I will take you to Me. These each represent a different level of redemption, freeing us from slavery physically, mentally, and emotionally. Only after all four took place, were both we out of Egypt, and Egypt out of us. The four cups of wine we drink at the Seder on Pesach night represent these different expressions. But we weren’t done yet.
The “fifth” expression of Geulah is: V’hayvaisi – I will bring you to the land I promised to your forefathers. Though there may have been a fifth cup of wine in the Seder at one time, when we were living as a sovereign nation in the land of Israel, there is not one today. Our verse connects the fourth and fifth expressions of redemption, and if we pay attention, we’ll realize why the fifth expression is not automatic. Yes, Hashem can rescue us from Egypt, release the bonds that shackle us, and allow us to roam free, but that is not yet freedom.
The precursor to V’hayvaisi must be V’yedatem ki Ani Hashem – You must know that I am Hashem who took you from the burdens of Egypt. The Ohr HaChaim explains that you must know, with complete clarity, that I took you from subservience to Egypt and to give you the “burdens” of My being your G-d. It doesn’t say to “make you My servants” but to “give you” those burdens. It isn’t forced upon us, but neither do we automatically get the promised reward if we don’t choose this.
Becoming free is only accomplished once we willingly accept Hashem as our King and agree to serve Him with all our power. We must connect to Him and be part of His “household” in order to merit the Land of Israel. Thus, while the first four expressions can be done unilaterally by Hashem, only we can set the fifth into motion, by choosing our Master wisely and joyfully.
Our Rabbis say, “Hakol b’yedei Shomayim, chutz mi’yiras Shomayim – everything is in the hand of Heaven except fear of Heaven.” That is up to us - each day, each moment, whether we will choose to serve Hashem and see Him in our lives, knowing that this is the greatest benefit for us. Therefore, before Hashem brings us to the land he promised Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, we need to know with the same clarity they had, that the ultimate freedom comes from relinquishing control to Hashem and being confident that He will take better care of us than we could of ourselves.
