Original Torah: Ancient Words in a Modern Light

Exodus 11:1

א וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה ע֣וֹד נֶ֤גַע אֶחָד֙ אָבִ֤יא עַל־פַּרְעֹה֙ וְעַל־מִצְרַ֔יִם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֕ן יְשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה כְּשַׁ֨לְּח֔וֹ כָּלָ֕ה גָּרֵ֛שׁ יְגָרֵ֥שׁ אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּֽה׃
“And YHWH said to Moshe, another plague more I will bring onto Pharaoh and onto Egypt, afterwards, he shall send them away, as one sends away entirely (KaLaH), He will send off, yes, send off(GaReSh YeGaReSh) you from this.”

I open with this verse in Hebrew because I completely missed it in the English. In the English, God is telling Moses in strong language that Pharaoh will entirely set free the Israelites. However, the Hebrew uses the language of marriage and divorce. Israel is being divorced (GaReSh YeGaResh) from Egypt and is being sent to God as a new bride (KeShaLHoW KaLaH).

The play on words here is that the root GRSh is used in Rabbinic Hebrew for divorce, and the word for “entirely sent away” is the Hebrew word for bride (KaLaH). What does this mean for Israel’s relationship with God and Egypt? First, we learn that in a bad marriage, it is a mitzvah to get divorced.
See Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (and Malachi 2:13-16).

א כִּֽי־יִקַּ֥ח אִ֛ישׁ אִשָּׁ֖ה וּבְעָלָ֑הּ וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א תִמְצָא־חֵ֣ן בְּעֵינָ֗יו כִּי־מָ֤צָא בָהּ֙ עֶרְוַ֣ת דָּבָ֔ר וְכָ֨תַב לָ֜הּ סֵ֤פֶר כְּרִיתֻת֙ וְנָתַ֣ן בְּיָדָ֔הּ וְשִׁלְּחָ֖הּ מִבֵּיתֽוֹ׃

From here we learn that not only is Israel divorced from Egypt and no longer to serve him, but she can never go back to him. When Israel married God on Mount Sinai (Mekhilta Yitro, 3), it was to be a permanent marriage with no return to (the old ways of idolatry of) Egypt.

Moreover, the Torah teaches how we are to leave our Godless state (Egypt) and enter a Godly state (Torah). we must enter a state of serving God entirely, as Exodus 10:9 states:

ט וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ וּבִזְקֵנֵ֖ינוּ נֵלֵ֑ךְ בְּבָנֵ֨ינוּ וּבִבְנוֹתֵ֜נוּ בְּצֹאנֵ֤נוּ וּבִבְקָרֵ֨נוּ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ כִּ֥י חַג־יְהוָ֖ה לָֽנוּ׃ כו וְגַם־מִקְנֵ֜נוּ יֵלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֗נוּ לֹ֤א תִשָּׁאֵר֙ פַּרְסָ֔ה כִּ֚י מִמֶּ֣נּוּ נִקַּ֔ח לַֽעֲבֹ֖ד אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַֽאֲנַ֣חְנוּ לֹֽא־נֵדַ֗ע מַֽה־נַּעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה עַד־בֹּאֵ֖נוּ שָֽׁמָּה׃ Exodus 10:9 Moses replied, “We will all go, young and old: we will go with our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds; for we must observe the Lord’s festival.” But Pharaoh din’t let everyone go 10:10-11

Exodus 10:24 Pharaoh then summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord! Only your flocks and your herds shall be left behind; even your children may go with you.” But Moses insisted on everyone going “because they wouldn’t know how to worship till they got there”. (10:25-27)

So, we see that the Exodus begins with a divorce from a bad partner and ends with going out to greet our new lover. The Rabbis of the Midrash (HaZa”L) took this metaphor very seriously. It was expanded upon by the Kabbalists such that they sang “Boe Kalah” in the Lech Dodi song on Friday nights.

I’m a little too rationalistic to seriously imagine unifying with God. However, I do appreciate how the metaphor teaches us to be close that which is good (God etc.), that which is important to us. We left the corruption of Egypt to be better people. Ken Yehi Ratzon. So be it.

Shabbat Shalom,

See my old writings on plagues at Bo 5762, Bo 5762, Pslams