God’s Promise to Deliver the Jewish People

Parshat Vaera discusses the story of God’s promise to deliver the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt and its subsequent redemption. As it says in the opening of chapter six of Shemot, “God said to Moshe, ‘Now you will see what I will do to Paroh: He shall let them go because of My strong hand; and because of My outstretched arm he shall drive them out of his land.’” (Shemot 6:1) A deeper look at the text reveals God’s reasons for freeing the Jews from slavery and what He expected of them in the aftermath.

One midrash speaks to God’s promise of freedom and what He expected of the freed people. It states that, “God showed the Jews in Egypt four miracles to prove His power and four miracles to prove His knowledge”. (Vayikra Rabbah 8:5) This midrash speaks to the idea that God was not just merely freeing the Jews, but that He also intended to teach them lessons through the redemption. They were to learn the underlying message that God is all-knowing and almighty, and much of the experience of redemption was intended to help them internalize this principle.

Rashi’s commentary also helps to explain what God meant when He said “because of my strong hand and outstretched arm” (Shemot 6:1). Rashi states that the former refers to strength and the latter to His divine kindness. This teaches the Jews that not only did God extend His kindness to them, but He also has the power to make sure His promises were kept. God wanted to make sure that the Jews understood that their freedom was due to His divine strength, which surpasses human understanding.

This is ultimately a reminder that God watches over us and is always there to provide strength and kindness. We can learn from this that He will never forget us and is always looking out for our best interests. It also reminds us that redemption is possible for all of us, no matter what circumstance we are in, if only we have faith and take comfort in His presence in our lives.