Q:
It says in the Torah that you shouldn’t completely push away a Mitzri convert from marrying into our nation because you were visitors in their land (Devarim 23:8). Does that apply also to other nations that we live among?
A:
No. I want to explain to you. The Egyptians did us a very great favor. You don’t understand that. We became a nation of millions in Egypt. The Egyptians didn’t make any pogroms. It was a nation of law and order. No pogroms. They tried a little bit throwing boys into the water, but it stopped. It was a short gezeirah. We increased and multiplied under the watchful eyes of the Mitzrim.
Now while we were in Egypt, no other nation was allowed to attack us. Edom, Amalek was waiting outside; they were very jealous of us. They wanted to cut us down. They didn’t want us to become a great nation. But they couldn’t attack Egypt. And so Egypt was like an asylum for us. The safest place to be in the world was Egypt then. We increased and multiplied there in Egypt. We were protected.
Now, as soon as they left Egypt they were attacked by Amalek. Why did Hashem do that? To teach them how lucky you were when you were in Mitzrayim; how safe you were in Mitzrayim. As soon as you left Mitzrayim, you’re being attacked.
Had you not been in Mitzrayim, nobody would allow you to increase and multiply. They would have made pogroms and massacred you if you were in Eretz Canaan or in some other place. In Mitzrayim, nobody could massacre you. It was a land of law and order.
I’ll prove it. They gave to Yosef, they gave him Eretz Goshen. They never took it away. They never took away Eretz Goshen from them. It was a land of law and order. The Bnei Yisroel had their own flocks and herds, tzon u’bakar, in Mitzrayim; all the years their own tzon u’bakar. They had their own Sanhedrin; the Ziknei Yisroel, they had. So although they suffered from Egypt but Egypt was a land of law and order. You have to understand that. They didn’t tolerate any criminal acts against Jews.
And therefore, the Bnei Yisroel increased and multiplied only because they were in Mitzrayim. That was the cradle of the Jewish nation. That’s where we were born. And that’s why we should be careful with Egypt. You should know כי גר היית בארצו – You were protected in his land. No other nation would have given you such protection. Outside, our enemies were waiting for us. As soon as we left Mitzrayim, ויבא עמלק. Why did Amalek come? To teach them how lucky they were up till now.
Tape # E-269 (March 15, 2001)
