As we begin to read the book of Shemos it is important to remember the background that led to the Jewish People's arrival in Egypt. On a simple level, it was the sale of Yosef to Egypt and the subsequent famine that brought the family of Yaakov to Egypt. However, there is more to the story of Yosef and his brothers that led to the Jewish People's exile and eventual slavery. The Torah (Devarim 4:20) describes Egypt as a "furnace of iron." Just as such a furnace removes impurities and refines the final product, so too the suffering in Egypt would serve as a way to perfect the Jewish People. A closer look at the events in Sefer Bereishis can help us understand what had to be corrected in Sefer Shemos.
When Yosef's brothers are initially accused by him of being spies they immediately attribute the events that are occurring to their sin committed twenty-two years earlier. Their words of confession encapsulate the essence of their error. "We saw his pain and heard his cries and did not pay attention" are the words they use as they repent for what they had done to Yosef. To witness suffering and be oblivious to it was their grave error; whatever rationale they may have had to sell Yosef was irrelevant in light of the suffering of a brother. Compounding their sin was the suffering they brought to their father. After they begin to confess for their insensitivity, Reuven adds that they are being punished not only for the damage they caused Yosef but also for the anguish their actions had brought upon Yaakov.
To correct this flaw of not feeling the pain of others, the Jewish People are destined to suffer greatly at the hands of the Egyptians. As they suffer together, as a people, the bonds of brotherhood and caring for one another are strengthened. They must protect one another in the hostile environment that surrounds them. The Jewish midwives who risked their lives rather than harm innocent babies and bring untold misery to the parents had learned the lessons of caring and sensitivity, even at the expense of one's own interests. Similarly, the Jewish officers who chose to be beaten by their Egyptian masters rather than inflict more pain on the Jewish slaves had internalized the message of selfless sensitivity to the suffering of others.
The individual in Parshas Shemos who personified this caring and compassion was Moshe Rabbeinu. The Torah doesn't tell us much about the first eighty years of Moshe's life. Three incidents are recorded in the Torah and from these episodes we get a sense of why Moshe was chosen by Hashem. In his position as a prince in Egypt Moshe could have easily ignored the plight of his people. Nevertheless, "He saw their suffering." Moshe deliberately goes to see the fate of his people and immediately acts to alleviate the pain of another. Seeing a slave being beaten, he risks his own life and saves the unfortunate victim. The following day he sees two slaves fighting and being hurt. His caring and sensitivity to those who are suffering extends to complete strangers. After fleeing for his life he finds himself at a well and sees the daughters of Yisro being treated unfairly by the other shepherds and he protects them. It is only through Moshe that the Jewish People will be redeemed from their suffering and given the Torah that would guide them to care for others.
There are many mitzvos in the Torah that are supposed to sensitize us to the pain of others. Hearing the cry of the downtrodden, feeling the pain of the poor, dealing fairly with the worker, and even alleviating the suffering of animals are all part of our rectifying the mistake of our ancestor's lack of sensitivity to their brother. The Torah constantly reminds us to act towards others with care because we were enslaved in Egypt. The subsequent redemption and giving of the Torah serves as a guide for all of our interpersonal relationships and enable us to follow the example of Moshe to see the pain of others and not ignore it, but rather find the appropriate means to alleviate it.
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