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Near the beginning of our parsha (Beshalach), the Torah tells us how the Jews went out of Egypt (Ex 13:18). It says that they exited chamushim, a words that normally means, “armed,” but may also mean “divided into five” (from the word chamesh, meaning “five”). Rashi (in his second explanation) brings a Midrash saying that only one out of five Jews left Egypt. The others died in the plague of darkness, as punishment for not wanting to leave Egypt. The implication is that four fifths of the Jews, or eighty percent, had no desire to leave Egypt, and therefore they died there. That raises questions about the future redemption, when all Jews will leave the galut, or exile, and come to the land of Israel. That redemption is parallel and corresponding to the first redemption, from Egypt, so why is there a difference between who will be redeemed and who not? If there were Jews in Egypt who chose not to leave, why should there not be the same thing in the future – Jews who choose not to leave exile?
In fact, there is a Midrash that seems to imply just that; on the verse in parshat Shemot (Ex. 3:14), “And G-d said to Moshe, ‘I will be Whom I will beŔ the Midrash (Shemot Rabba 3:6) says, “I will be Whom I will be” applies to individuals, but regarding the overall congregation, even against their will, and against what they think is good for them, as they grit their teeth, I will reign over themŔ The commentaries explain that “I will be Whom I will beŔ is not an absolute statement – only those individuals who accept G-d are subject to His reign – and if not, they have free choice to reject Him. However, this cannot occur to the entire congregation; if most of the congregation rejects G-d’s reign, then He will reign over them against their own will (and not for their good).
At first glance, this seems to be what happened in Egypt; since there were many who wanted to stay, it was necessary for G-d to take them out against their own will. In fact, that is what the verse in Shemot (Ex. 6:1) says, Ӆand with a strong hand, he (Pharoah) will chase them out of his land.” Rashi explains that “with a strong hand” means that the Jews left Egypt against their own will. Since a significant portion of the Jews were opposed to leaving Egypt, G-d reigned over them “against their own will,” killing those who would not leave, and forcibly removing the rest of them.
Since the sages draw strong parallels between the exodus from Egypt and the future redemption, we might derive from this that also in the future, when the Jews leave galut, not all of them will leave, and it will be necessary for G-d to “take them out” forcefully. About this, though, Rashi says emphatically not. On the verse (later in Devarim), “And you will return to the Lord your G-dŔ Rashi explains that G-d will “grab them by the hand, each and every one…will be gathered one by one, the children of Israel.” That is, each and every Jew will be redeemed in the future redemption, including even the wicked. Even those who have no wish to leave their comfortable homes and affluent neighborhoods will do so in the future, since as it is written (Isaiah 27:13), “And on that day, they will blow the great shofar and the lost will come from Ashur and the rejects from the land of Egypt, and they will bow on the mountain of G-d in Jerusalem.” That is, even those who lack any will to leave galut will be aroused to do tshuva and come to Israel in the future.
And that enables us to answer a very curious part of the Passover hagada, in which we answer the “wicked son,” who asks us, “What is this avoda (“worship”) that you are all doing?” He excludes himself from the congregation, implying that he is among the Jews who do not identify with Judaism or with Pesach. The answer prescribed by the hagada is, “This is what G-d did for us in Egypt – if you had been there, you would not have been redeemed.” At first glance, this is a harsh answer, and lacking any benefit to either the one who asks or the one who answers him. But, from the perspective of the future redemption, this answer is the best possible one. The implication is that although from Egypt, this “wicked son” would not have been redeemed, he will be redeemed in the future redemption, when all Jews will leave galut. Now that we have been given the Torah, and the Jewish connection with the One above is absolute and irreversible, even the wicked will be redeemed and return to the land of Israel. This answer is meant to arouse the curiosity of the “wicked” son and encourage him to ask about the giving of the Torah, which raises him to such a high spiritual level that even he will be redeemed.
However, this raises certain questions;
1) In Egypt, as well as in the future, all of the Jews were “children” of G-d, and just as a child is connected to the very essence of his parents, so the Jews were connected essentially with the One above. So, why were not all of the Jews redeemed from Egypt?
2) Not all of the Jews who exited from Egypt were righteous. In fact, among them were also idol worshippers. How is it that they were redeemed from Egypt, and did not die with the rest of the Jews who refrained from leaving?
We can answer this question by citing a similar situation with regard to Yom Kippur – the day of atonement. Yom Kippur atones for all of our sins – except for those that violate the day of Yom Kippur itself. If we eat or violate any of the five transgressions that are particular to Yom Kippur, then the tshuva (“return to G-d”) that we do on that day does not help. The explanation for this is that the very day of Yom Kippur itself provides the atonement. However, this is on condition that we do not use the day to transgress. If we do, then the day cannot also atone. “The accuser cannot himself become a defender” – if we used the day of Yom Kippur to do a sin, we cannot expect it to turn around and defend us, and provide atonement for us. The same principle applied during the exodus from Egypt; G-d wished to take the Jews out of Egypt. However, those individual Jews who did not wish to go were free to make such a choice. Although the arousal from Above to take the Jews out of Egypt was a general arousal, applicable to all Jews, if a particular Jew decided that he did not want to leave, then the general arousal did not apply to him. (Those who did leave, against their will, as noted above, were not opposed to the exit from Egypt. Their hesitation, and the reason it was necessary to take them out “against their will,” was regarding the long hike in the wild, inhospitable desert).
If so, though, we may ask why should not the same principle apply regarding the future redemption. If individual Jews had the power to “opt out” of the exodus from Egypt, why would they lack such power in the future? Moreover, is some sinners were punished in Egypt because they did not desire to leave (as above), why should the same not occur in the future?
In order to explain, it is necessary to differentiate between human nature, and choice. Our nature is delineated by our birth, our genes, and our personal circumstances, such as the environment in which we grew up. These are among the factors that determine human nature, and they are factors that are beyond our control. Our choices, though, are within our control. What we choose comes not from outside forces, but from within ourselves. In fact, our most basic choices are expressions of who we are in essence. Such choices go far beyond human nature; in fact, the choices that we make may even be opposed to our nature. But, because we make such choices, they are meaningful to us and they express our very essence.
Nature and choice are what differentiate between the redemption from Egypt and the future redemption. The Jews were redeemed from Egypt because we are all the “children” of G-d. As a result of the G-dly soul within, it is our nature to follow Him and to cleave to His will. When we exited from Egypt, we did so as children who obey their parents – it was our nature. And those who did not do so followed their nature from a different perspective; they followed the nature of their animal soul. But, in neither case did they make an active choice – they simply followed their nature.
However, when G-d gave the Torah, He instilled a new element into the relationship between Himself and the Jews. He chose the Jewish people – and we, in turn, chose to obligate ourselves to serve Him. The introduction of a new factor – choice – changed the “equation.” It meant that it was no longer possible for the individual to work against the national choice. G-d chose the Jews as a nation, and the Jews chose to serve G-d as a nation. And this choice goes beyond our nature. It goes to the very essence of who we are as a people. We are defined by our choice to obligate ourselves to keep the six hundred and thirteen mitzvoth. If we do not do so, then He reigns over us “against our will,” until ultimately we enact our true, essential will, which is to keep the commandments of the Torah.
This is somewhat like the difference between a son and a servant. The son serves his father because this is his nature. By nature, he is connected and united with his father, and therefore he strives to do what his father wants. But since this is only his nature, if one day he does not feel well, or if he questions his father’s judgment occasionally, on that occasion, he may not serve him in the same manner and the same ardor.
The approach of the servant, though, is different. He has made a choice to take upon himself the yoke that his master places upon him. Because he has made a choice, his commitment is steady. It does not change or vary. This is the nature of the Jews after the giving of the Torah. By nature, we are the “sons and daughters” of the King, and we are naturally drawn after Him to do what He wants. But, we also have an animal nature that tends to conceal G-dliness and our level of performance may vary. But after the giving of the Torah, we are also like servants – we do the commandments because He chose us to be His agents, and we chose to serve Him. That is a commitment that does not stray or change, and it guarantees that we do what He wants without variation.
And for that reason, no individual Jew may ultimately “get around” our commitment to do what He wants. The animal soul may temporarily block our redemption; before the meshiach arrives it is possible to hide behind our beautiful homes and abodes in galut. But, once the meshiach arrives, the national impulse takes over, and our choice takes precedence. G-d will take every Jew by the hand, and we’ll all find ourselves in the holy land, the land of Israel.
When a Jew was defined by his nature alone, before matan Torah, he could still exercise his free choice to go against his nature, and remain in galut (Egypt). But, once the Torah was given and we chose to bind ourselves to G-d and to the mitzvoth, our essential choice is to leave galut. And that is why in the future (unlike the past), every Jew will eventually be led out of galut and come with the meshiach to the land of Israel.
From Likutei Sichot of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztz’l, vol. 11, p 1-7 Rabbi David Sterne, Jerusalem Connection in the old city of Jerusalem