As the waters of the Yam Suf are about to split, Moshe assures the Jewish People they will never see Mitzrayim again. Chazal interpret this pasuk not only as a promise but also as a commandment; this is one of the three pesukim that prohibit us from returning to Mitzrayim. In Parshas Shoftim, and again in Parshas Ki Savo, the Torah reiterates that we are not permitted to live in Mitzrayim. For many centuries there were thriving Jewish communities in Mitzrayim and as such many Rishonim dealt with the obvious halachic dilemma in justifying the existence of the communities. One of the approaches taken by some Rishonim, quoted by the Mordechai in Maseches Yevamos, states that the prohibition to reside in Mitzrayim does not refer to mere geographic location but rather to that area which is inhabited by the ancient people of Mitzrayim. Chazal speak about the historical event of the wars of Sancheriv that radically changed the borders of the nations of antiquity. For the purpose of other areas of halacha, Chazal observe that the original inhabitants of the lands of Amon and Moav no longer reside there. Similarly, notes the Mordechai, the people who live in Mitzrayim today are not the biological descendants of the Mitzrim of Yetzias Mitzrayim. As such the prohibition of living in Mitzrayim no longer is relevant.
This particular halachic argument has ramifications in the world of machsshava as well. According to this understanding, the Torah wants to distance us from the culture of the ancient Mitzrim, not the physical geography of Mitzrayim. What was the essence of the world view of the ancient Mitzrim that was so alien to the life of Torah that would become the legacy of Klal Yisrael after Yetzias Mitzrayim?
There are three dimensions of the world that Klal Yisrael encountered during their interaction with Mitzrayim that had to be eradicated. Mitzrayim was a society engulfed in idolatry. The Rambam in his introduction to the laws that governs idolatrous practice highlights the degree to which the Jewish People, during their years as slaves in Mitzrayim, had become entrenched in the religious beliefs and practices of their neighbors. If not for Yetzias Mitzrayim occurring when it did, the monotheistic truth that Avraham Avinu had discovered would have been forever last. The mitzva of taking a sheep and slaughtering it as a korban Pesach symbolized the total nullification of the religious symbol of the sheep that was so prominent in the world of Mitzrayim. The celebration of the first Pesach was the beginning of the transformation of a people that had become almost indistinguishable from its pagan neighbors to becoming the heirs to the monotheism of the Avos.
Along with idolatry, immorality was rampant in the society of Mitzrayim. In the introduction to the mitzvos that govern prohibited relations in Parshas Acharei Mos, the Torah draws our attention to the world of Mitzrayim as the antithesis of everything holy and pure. The sanctity of marriage and family could only be attained by distancing ourselves from the world of impurity that permeated the society of Mitzrayim. Perhaps for this reason there is such emphasis on the celebrating of the first Pesach in family units. The korban Pesach was eaten as a family, thereby symbolizing that it is the kedusha of family that will become the hallmark of the new nation of Klal Yisrael.
The society of Mitzrayim was able to commit murder on a grand scale. Jewish boys could be decreed to death at birth or be subsequently thrown into the river. A world permeated by violence and oppression that accompanied the slavery of the Jewish people is described in detail in the beginning of Sefer Shemos. In such a culture of lack of empathy and compassion, it is not surprising that government edicts were issued requiring murder. Many mitzvos were given to Klal Yisrael to instill in them the traits of kindness and compassion. We are reminded constantly how we suffered from oppression and are therefore obligated to show care and concern specifically for those who need it most.
There are halachos that govern pikuach nefesh when life is in danger. Shabbos, Yom Kippur, and almost all prohibitions are suspended when there is a risk to life. Yet, there are three areas in which one must give up one's life rather than transgress. Idolatry, immorality, and murder can never be violated. To do so undermines the very legacy of the Jewish People. As we stood at the banks of the Yam Suf and were told we will never return to Mitzrayim, we were being charged to never return to the values of Mitzrayim. We would build a society predicated on the belief in Hashem, the sanctity of the family, and kindness and compassion rather than oppression and violence. As we left Mitzrayim, we began the journey to Har Sinai where we would be taught how to live our personal and national lives based on these three eternal truths.
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