'Let My People Go' (Ex. 5:1) as an Expression of the Human Spirit's Aspiration to Dignity and Freedom

 

Michelangelo's Moses

'Let My People Go' (Ex. 5:1) as an Expression 

of the Human Spirit's Aspiration to Dignity and Freedom

Dr. Lea Mazor, The Hebrew University

The Exodus from Egypt stands as the most prominent event in the Bible's narrative of Israel's history, appearing throughout poetry, prophecy, law, and psalms. The Ten Commandments themselves open with God's self-presentation: "I the LORD am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:6).

The Demand for Freedom

Moses stands before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and demands in the name of the God of Israel that he release the Israelites from his land. This powerful demand echoes repeatedly throughout the narrative with two essential components: "Let My people go" (Ex. 5:1; 7:16, 26; 8:17; 9:1, 13; 10:4) and its spiritual purpose—"that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness" (5:1) or "that they may worship Me in the wilderness" (7:16).

The claim to liberation rests on divine ownership. Israel belongs not to Pharaoh but to God. They are called "my people," and therefore, God declares, they must serve Him rather than Pharaoh.

The phrase "an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen״ (2:11) captures a defining moment in Moses' life that epitomizes the entire Egyptian bondage. In today's terms, this image of an Egyptian beating a Hebrew could serve as the "logo" that concisely represents the servitude.

Moses' historical mission was to lead Israel from slavery into freedom. Yet this freedom would not mean merely casting off the yoke and drifting into idleness. True freedom would have substance—accepting God's laws and commandments to regulate individual and communal life based on morality and justice.

The Strategy of the Weak

How would the tortured slaves break free from Pharaoh's tyrannical rule? Through the timeless strategy of the weak when confronting the strong: cunning. As the book of Proverbs advises, "For by stratagems you wage war, And victory comes with much planning" (24:6). The women of Egypt exemplified this approach: the midwives who defied Pharaoh's decree to kill male infants acted cunningly—and prevailed (Ex. 1:15-21). Moses' sister, determined to save his life, outwitted Pharaoh's daughter—and succeeded (2:7-10).

Remarkably, however, Pharaoh himself initiated this battle of wits, declaring הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה לוֹ, "Let us deal shrewdly with them" (1:10). Yet his cunning was destined to fail, defeated by the very weapon he chose—measure for measure. As the Psalms declare: ״With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure; And with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself subtle" (18:26-27). Moses planted in Pharaoh's mind the belief that the Israelites sought only a brief journey to worship their God, while his true intention was permanent departure.

Liberating Body and Soul

The long years of slavery scarred not only bodies but souls. The Israelites had become enslaved in spirit, no longer seeking freedom.

For this reason, Moses faced a dual challenge: not only to bring Israel out of slavery, but to bring the slavery out of them. Not only to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but to extract Egypt from Israel's consciousness. This profound effort is addressed in Exodus 11:2-3, according to my proposed interpretation.

The text instructs: "Speak in the hearing of the people, and let them ask each of his neighbor, and each of her flock, for vessels of silver and vessels of gold." The Samaritan Torah and the Septuagint add "and garments." This divine instruction was first given to Moses at the burning bush: "But every woman shall ask of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians ״(3:22). The phrase "and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters" indicates that these silver and gold items were primarily body ornaments to accompany the garments the Israelites would receive from their Egyptian neighbors.

The Significance of Compensation

The instruction is prefaced with an explanation: "And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed" (3:21). The phrase "you shall not go empty" deliberately echoes the Hebrew slave emancipation law in Deuteronomy, which mandates a grant to help freed slaves begin their independent lives:

"If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go empty. Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him and you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today" (Deut. 15:12-15).

This allusion to the Hebrew slave law introduces a revolutionary concept: upon the Israelites' departure from Egypt, a divine law would apply to them—one which, according to the narrative sequence, they are not yet familiar with—that grants rights to the servant. Rights are a new concept whose purpose is to create a change in the slave consciousness of those leaving Egypt.

The property they would bring out of Egypt, through God's intervention in softening Egyptian hearts, represented compensation for centuries of forced labor. From this wealth, the Israelites would later contribute "for the maintenance of the Tent of Meeting and all its service and the holy garments" (Ex. 35:22). Indeed, both men and women brought jewelry: "Earrings, and necklaces, and rings, and bracelets, all gold articles" (ibid.).

The exodus account confirms the fulfillment of this plan: "And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses, and borrowed of the Egyptians vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments" (Ex. 12:35).

Garments as Symbols of Freedom

The acquisition of "garments"—clothing—held special significance. Before the Industrial Revolution enabled mass production, clothing was an especially precious commodity.

Wearing the same garment regularly created a deep identification between person and clothing. Samuel was known by his coat, Elijah by his leather belt. This connection grew so profound that the custom of "being clothed with" an attribute developed. For example, "And Esther was clothed with royal robes" (Esther 1:11) meant she embodied royalty itself. Similarly, "Your priests will be clothed with righteousness" (Psalms 132:9; see also Isaiah 51:9; 59:17). Garments became markers not only of personal identity but also of social status, with clear distinctions between the poor clothing of slaves and the finer garments of free people.

Joseph's story illustrates how clothing marked status changes. As a free youth in Canaan, he wore the splendid striped tunic his father made for him. His jealous brothers stripped it from him and sold him into slavery. Joseph descended to Egypt—the land that would become a house of bondage for all Israel—as a slave, first in Potiphar's house, then in prison. When Pharaoh elevated him to "second-in-command" with nearly limitless authority, clothing marked his transformation from slave to free man: "And he arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck" (Gen. 41:42).

The same would hold true for the Children of Israel. Emerging from slavery to freedom, they would worship their God in the clothes and ornaments of free people—a rite of passage from bondage to liberty.

Divine Intervention

The lending of valuable property to slaves was inherently unlikely. Moreover, this occurred after the Egyptians had suffered devastating plagues: blood, frogs, lice, swarms, pestilence, and more. The Egyptians' compliance with the personal requests of individual Israelite men and women was miraculous, possible only through divine intervention: "And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people" (Ex. 11:3). The Lord who hardened Pharaoh's heart and sent Moses to confront him also softened Egyptian hearts to lend their property generously to the Israelites.

"And you shall empty out Egypt" is stated in Exodus 3:22, and so it was: "And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them; and they emptied out Egypt" (Ex. 12:36). The root N-tz-L (נצ"ל) here does not mean 'oppression' or 'abuse' as in modern Hebrew. In Biblical Hebrew, N-tz-L in the Piel conjugation means to take out or empty. Israel would empty Egypt of this property and leave with great wealth, fulfilling the prophecy of the Covenant of the Pieces: "and afterward shall they come out with great substance" (Gen. 15:14).

Like the liberation itself, the removal of great wealth from Egypt was accomplished through cunning—the Egyptians believed the items would be returned. This served simultaneously as punishment for the Egyptians and justice for the Children of Israel, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham:

"And He said to Abram, 'Know surely that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them; and they will afflict them four hundred years. But also the nation whom they serve I will judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance'" (Gen. 15:13-14).

Historical Precedent

The principle of "the actions of the fathers are a sign for the children" applies here. Abram and Sarai had descended to Egypt, driven by famine. Pharaoh took the beautiful Sarai, and the Lord punished him with great "plagues"—notably the same term used for the plagues of Egypt. Afterward, Abram and his household left Egypt with great wealth: "And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold" (Gen. 13:2).

Conclusion

The daring call "Let My People Go" has become a universal cultural and religious symbol and a wellspring of hope, expressing humanity's eternal aspiration for dignity and freedom.