אנכי ד' אלקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים מבית עבדים
“I am Hashem your G-d who took you out of the land of Mitzrayim, from the house of slaves.” The Ribbono Shel Olam commences the Aseres Hadibros by saying that we must always remember that He is the One Who took us out of Mitzrayim where we were slaves. This is one of the fundamental points of Yiddishkeit. It would seem that perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that the Ribbono Shel Olam was the One Who created the entire world. Wouldn’t that be more monumental and show an even higher level of greatness than taking us out of Mitzrayim?
The first of the Aseres Hadibros is that we must know and believe that there is Hashem, from Whom everything comes about, and that we are obligated to serve Him. The Ribbono Shel Olam’s taking Klal Yisroel out of Mitzrayim demonstrated that He created the world and can change the world at will. There are those who believed that the world was always in existence. Of course, that is not true; Hakodosh Boruch Hu created the world from nothing. For those who believed that the world was always in existence, it would be impossible for supernatural miracles to occur. The Ribbono Shel Olam clearly demonstrated His endless power over this world, which proved His Oneness and that He created the world. Klal Yisroel saw and were witness to Yetzias Mitzrayim, which proved that Hakodosh Boruch Hu created the world. (רמב"ן)
The purpose of the Aseres Hadibros is to bring one to yiras ha’onesh and the greatness of the Ribbono Shel Olam. (Devarim 4:10) “אשר ילמדון ליראה אתי כל הימים אשר הם חיים על האדמה” – “So that they shall learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the Earth.” The first of the Aseres Hadibros says that Hakodosh Boruch Hu took Klal Yisroel out of Mitzrayim. In Mitzrayim, Klal Yisroel had the opportunity to see the punishment that Hakodosh Boruch Hu brought on the Mitzriyim. Remembering what happened in Mitzrayim is supposed to bring one to yiras ha’onesh, which is the primary purpose of the Aseres Hadibros. (לקט שיחות מוסר)
Now we can understand why Hakodosh Boruch Hu said “אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים.” Chazal tell us that when the Ribbono Shel Olam told Moshe that Klal Yisroel made an Eigel, Moshe came back down to this world, and when he saw the Eigel, he broke the Luchos. It seems that Moshe did not believe Hakodosh Boruch Hu; however, when he actually saw it, he believed it and broke the Luchos. Maharsha, Yevamos 62b - Certainly that is not the case, and Moshe Rabbeinu believed one hundred percent in what the Ribbono Shel Olam told him. Nevertheless, as great as Moshe Rabbeinu was, he was still human. The power of seeing causes one to react more than just believing. Hakodosh Boruch Hu starts off the Aseres Hadibros by referring Klal Yisroel to something that they saw with their own eyes. The Ribbono Shel Olam is the One Who took us out of Mitzrayim and rescued us from being slaves in Mitzrayim. It is incumbent upon us to serve the Ribbono Shel Olam and follow His commandments.
RABBI YAKOV YOSEF SCHECHTER
