By Rabbi Dovid Sapirman, Dean, Ani Maamin Foundation
A cursory glance at the panorama of Jewish history will reveal that whenever we deviated from the path of Torah, it was due to the influence of surrounding nations and the desire to indulge in alien lifestyles.
When Yaakov Avinu and his family went down to Egypt, they were concerned about mingling with the depraved Egyptians. Their solution was to arrange to live on their own. When the brothers appeared before Pharaoh, Yosef instructed them to say that they know no other trade but raising sheep. Sheep were worshipped by the Egyptians, and they despised shepherds. He knew Pharaoh would keep the brothers apart from his population by isolating them in Goshen.
So it was in the beginning, as long as the sons of Yaakov were alive. But after the death of Levi, the last to die, the growing nation began to fear the slavery that had been predicted to Avraham Avinu in the bris bein habesarim. They hoped that by befriending the Egyptians, they could generate empathy and kindness, and avoid what had been foretold.
The plan backfired. The pasuk tells us that when the brothers died, Bnei Yisrael “multiplied exceedingly, and the land was filled with them.” The Midrash brings an enlightening statement. “R’ Yochanan said, they filled the whole Mitzrayim.” This means they moved out of Goshen and began mingling with the Egyptians. “All the theaters and the stadiums were filled with [the Jewish people]. Immediately, Hashem decreed upon them that the Egyptians should separate themselves from them.”
An explanation of the Havdalah ceremony is quoted in the name of the Beis Halevi. We thank Hashem, “Who divides between holy and profane, between light and darkness, between Yisrael and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work.” Just as there is an unalterable divider between light and darkness, with no one able to change the times of sunrise and sunset, so too is there an unalterable divider between Yisrael and the nations.
If we remain separated from the nations on our own, everything is fine. If we try to push over that line, then Hashem causes the nations to push back.
