"And Hashem Brought Us Out of Egypt"
“'And Hashem
brought us out of Egypt,’ not through an angel, not through a seraph, and not
through a messenger...”
Our rabbis
tell us that there are four levels through which God lowered Himself, so to
speak, from the highest of the heavens to this, the lowest of worlds, in order
to create the physical plain. The four levels are Atzilus, Emanation; Beriyah,
Creation; Yetzirah, Formation; Asiyah, Completion.
These four
stages are derived from the words of the prophet: “All that is called by My
Name (a) for My glory, (b) I have created it, (c) I have formed it, and (d) I
have made it.” The first level, Atzilus,
is the conceptualization of creation. Atzilus
is derived from the word “etzel,”
meaning “next to.” This is because Atzilus
is the level that is closest to God. The second level is the initial
actualization of creation, the ex nihilo (something from nothing) creation of
primal matter. Third is formation, taking the amorphous matter and energy of
the previous stage and giving it shape and form. The final stage is completion,
in which the final product is perfected. According to the order in which we
read this section in the Haggadah we first mention malach (angel), then saraf
(seraph), and then shaliach (messenger).
This order
follows a sequence from lower to higher. The malach is in the “world,” or level of Yetzirah. The saraf is in Beriyah, a higher world than Yetzirah.
Thus far it would appear that we are going up in levels, but surprisingly, the
Haggadah then mentions shaliach,
which is a reference to Moshe Rabbeinu, who was in Asiyah, the lowest of the four worlds. How is it that the pattern
is broken – that we first ascend in levels and then we refer to the lowest
world?
Perhaps we
can answer in the following manner: It is true that the shaliach mentioned here is a human – Moshe Rabbeinu – and as such
he exists in the world of Asiyah, the
lowest world. However, Moshe Rabbeinu was a tzaddik, a person who is considered
to be on a higher level than the angels, as a tzaddik can rise higher than a malach or a saraf, for he overcomes the tests of the Olam HaAsiyah – something that a malach and saraf cannot
do. Consequently, being in this lower world actually makes the tzaddik rise
higher than those who are on a higher level from the outset and who do not have
to contend with the tests of the lower world. If so, it turns out that this
whole section actually does follow an ascending order: first there is the malach, then the saraf, and finally, the highest who rises from the lowest, the shaliach, Moshe Rabbeinu, who is higher
than the angels.
“Not Through an Angel”
There is an
obvious question to be asked here. We are told in Bamidbar, “And He sent a
messenger and brought us forth out of Egypt,” and our rabbis explain that this
refers to Moshe Rabbeinu. It would seem from this verse that the Almighty did,
in fact, take us out through a malach.
If so, why does the Haggadah assert that it was the Almighty Himself Who took
us out?
We can answer
this in the following way: Explaining a verse in Yeshayahu which states, “He
fulfills the word of His servant, and the counsel of His messenger He
completes,” the Yalkut Shimoni says:
“This is Moshe, as it says, ‘And He sent a messenger and brought us forth out
of Egypt.’ God said to Moshe, ‘Go and tell the Jewish people, “And I will pass
over in the land of Egypt in this night.” ’ Moshe went and told them, ‘So says
Hashem, “At midnight...” ’ God said, ‘So be it. I shall act at midnight in
order to fulfill the decree of Moshe.’ ”
The Midrash
explains that Moshe played an integral part in taking the Jews out from Egypt.
It therefore says, “And he [Moshe] took us out of Egypt.” However, Moshe was
not active in the actual Exodus; he only fixed the time when it would occur,
and the Almighty complied with this schedule. So in truth, it was God alone Who
actively took us out – “I and no angel.” However, “He sent a messenger who took
us out of Egypt” – the messenger, Moshe, determined the exact time at which the
Exodus would take place. Hashem followed Moshe’s decree, and it therefore says
that Moshe Rabbeinu took
us out of Egypt.
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