The second book of the Torah is referred to as the book of redemption. It begins with the Pharoh implementing a policy of slavery on the Jewish people and progressively instilling immense pain and torture upon them. When the Jews cried out to G-d to save them, G-d dispatched Moshe at the Burning Bush to head back to Egypt to lead the Jewish People.
It wasn’t an easy task to convince the extremely humble Moshe to assume the mantle of leadership. The Torah records the discussion G-d had with Moshe, and at one point Moshe stated, “They will not believe me that I was sent by You even if I perform the miracles which are to prove that I was sent.”
During a class this week I posed the following question: Passover, its Seder, and the laws that come with it, commemorate the miracles that G-d performed for us – the ten awesome plagues and our miraculous and spectacular redemption from slavery. What if every person or family unit after being freed from Egypt through all these miracles were then allowed to choose their own direction and land to settle in. Would the tradition and memory of Passover and its miracles still remain within the descendants of those who were freed?
The overwhelming reply was, it would most likely peter out after a few generations. Just as vigils that are held over a tragic loss of a famous star or singer initially have major participation, as the years go on it lessens until their memory fades away.
So we have to ask ourselves, what is it that secured and assured that the miracles that happened on our behalf in Egypt remain till today and forever?
Let’s go back to Moshe’s argument with G-d, “They will not believe in me and the signs that I perform.” Moshe was basically pointing out to G-d, “Just because I perform a wonder, it will not assure that they will believe that I am doing it through G-d’s command and power. They could just as easy attribute the performance of the miracle to my magical powers just as the Egyptians had their powers.”
What Moshe was pointing out was, through the miraculous shock and awe alone, it would not preserve for all eternity the belief that it was the Hand of G-d who did all the miracles. The human mind can be impressed and inspired by awesome miracles but then it wears off and people will begin to deny that G-d generated the miracle. As we see, although Pharoh initially sent the Jews free, he then had a change of heart.
G-d understood Moshe’s concern and told him, “Don’t worry, it is not the miracles alone that are here to convince the Jews to believe in Me. Rather, at this very place, in the desert, at the Burning Bush which was at Mount Sinai, the Jewish people are going to converge and receive the Torah from Me, when I will reveal Myself and proclaim the Ten Commandments.”
G-d’s Revelation at Mount Sinai solidified that all the miracles performed in Egypt were through His power. Without this awesome event, Moshe was right, the Jewish people would not have continually believed that it was through G-d’s Hand.
More so, points out Rabbi Moshe Feinstein o.b.m., when G-d uttered the first command, that He is G-d, He immediately said, “Who took you out of the land of Egypt.” G-d directly cleared up any doubt and confirmed that He was behind every miracle and circumstance that happened in Egypt in order to impress upon the nation that they never question His involvement in the events that happened in Egypt, and for that matter in all occurrences of life.
The Torah mandate to observe Pesach and recall its events with (Pesach), Matza and Moror each year on the anniversary of the event, is what kept this belief alive within us, because it is embossed in the Torah as eternal law.
The word that Moshe used to convey to G-d the Jews will not believe him is, Yaminu. The root of the word Yaminu – believe – is Amain. When we affirm a blessing by saying Amain – we are essentially expressing our belief what was said is true.
The Talmud tells us that one has to be very precise in the way he says Amain. It is not valid if one cuts it short and says Amai or if he adds to it by saying Amaina and it’s also not pronounced Amen – it’s Amain!
