Before the Jewish people left Egypt, God made an unusual request:
“Please speak to the people, and let each man request from his neighbor gold and silver articles. Let every woman do the same.” (Exod. 11:2)
The language in the verse is surprisingly gentle. God typically commands the Israelites; here He asks gently, “Please speak.” Why the request?
The Sages noticed this anomaly. According to Rabbi Yanai, God was asking the Israelites for a favor: they should request gold and silver from their Egyptian neighbors so that Abraham would not be able to claim that God fulfilled the prophecy of enslavement, but not the promise that his descendants would leave Egypt with great wealth (Berakhot 9a–b).
But if God wanted the Israelites to leave Egypt with riches, surely He could have arranged it without any effort on their part. Why involve them at all? Why have them borrow from the Egyptians to fulfill His promise to Abraham?
In addition, requesting valuables from their Egyptians neighbors was uncomfortable and even embarrassing. Why put the Israelites through this ordeal?
To understand this, we must consider not only the physical liberation of slaves, but also the emancipation of their spirit.
Bontsha the Silent
I. L. Peretz tells the story of Bontsha the Silent, a simple Jew who accepted all of life’s humiliations — and he suffered far more than his fair share — with quiet resignation. His life and death passed unnoticed in this world.
In the World to Come, however, Bontsha’s arrival caused great excitement. Trumpets blew, important angels rushed to greet him, and he was crowned with a golden crown.
Bontsha reacted to all this commotion exactly as he had in this world: with silence. His silence was due to great trepidation; he was certain that a terrible mistake had been made.
However, when Bontsha’s trial began, and the defending angel related the long tale of misfortune and injustice that had been Bontsha’s daily lot, he slowly began to take heart. It is me they are talking about!
“Despite everything,” the defending angel concluded, “Bontsha never complained. He never protested, not against his fellow man, and not against God.”
In an unusual move, the prosecuting angel conceded the case. “Just as Bontsha has always been silent, so, too, I will be silent.”
The heavenly Judge then turned to Bontsha. “Your reward is not just a small portion of Paradise, but everything. Ask for whatever you wish.”
All turned to Bontsha, eager to hear what great reward he would request.
After a long pause, Bontsha finally spoke. “If it pleases the Court,” he said hesitantly, “I would like to be served every morning a warm roll with fresh butter.”
A stunned silence filled the courtroom. The angels bowed their heads in shame, and the prosecutor laughed bitterly.
Emancipation of the Spirit
Slavery is not just a legal status; it is also a state of mind. It is not enough to free the slaves. They must be trained for independence, courage, and aspiration. A lifetime of oppression can create a poverty of spirit, in which the highest imaginable good is a warm roll with fresh butter.
The Torah relates that the enslaved Israelites were incapable of accepting Moses’ message of redemption because of “smallness of spirit” (Exod. 6:9). Even in the desert, the former slaves remembered Egypt nostalgically, fondly recalling “sitting by the pot of meat” as they ate fish, onions, and melons (Exod. 16:3; Num. 11:5).
Against this background, we can understand God’s request. Asking the Israelites to borrow gold, silver, and fine garments from their Egyptian neighbors was an educational exercise. It was meant to raise their aspirations above fish and onions; to cultivate dignity, confidence, and a sense of worth.
Gold was not the true goal. Therefore, the Israelites were only entreated, not commanded to request these items. Only for spiritual goals and mitzvot does God command us.
It was not easy for the Hebrew slaves to make requests of their former masters. The Midrash relates that they would have happily foregone the Egyptian gold and left Egypt immediately. But they would require courage and greatness of spirit for the difficult journey ahead. Maimonides noted in the Guide for the Perplexed that the forty years in the wilderness were necessary to instill courage and independence in the former slaves — qualities a free people must possess.
God desires humility, but not the passive meekness of a Bontsha. He desires the humility of Abraham and Moses: great souls, dignified and bold, capable even of arguing with God.
(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, p. 44)
