Israel’s ascent from Egypt was
completed only upon the nation’s entrance into its Land, as we read “We are the
ones He brought out of there, to bring us to the land He promised our fathers,
and give it to us.” [Deuteronomy 6:23, quoted in the Hagadah] There is a
progressive process, from exodus to acceptance of Torah at Mount Sinai to
entering the Land, which is the ideal place for fulfillment of mitzvot.
This verse
stresses that the exodus from Egypt was goal oriented; its purpose was not
merely to take the Israelites from Egypt, but to bring them to
the situation where God will dwell among them.
This verse does not stand
independently, but must be understood in connection with God’s second charge to
Moses concerning the redemption from Egyptian bondage:
Therefore say to the Children of
Israel: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you
with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments; and I will take you to Me
as a people, and I will be for you a God, and you shall know that I am the Lord
your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I
will bring you into the Land which I lifted up my hand to give to Abraham
Isaac and Jacob, and it will be a heritage for you. I am the Lord. Exodus 6:6-8
The verses clearly state that the
purpose of the exodus was to bring Israel into its Land, while our verse adds
the dimension which conveys the significance of the Land: it is within the Land
that the nation of Israel will be able to bring the Shechina into its
midst, as our Sages taught that only the Holy Land is the land of the Shechina.
In essence, the exodus was not a goal
but a means to bring Israel to its own Land. Yet entering the Land is not the
final goal, rather the means to allow God to dwell among His people.
For Israel to dwell in its Land
without striving to bring the Shechina into the nation is to confuse the
means and the goal.
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