"And Elohim led the people about"

30. "And Elohim led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds," NAMELY, to make way to His place IN ORDER TO EVENTUALLY SPLIT THE SEA OF REEDS. IF NOT FOR THIS, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO SIMPLY LEAD THEM THROUGH THE WILDERNESS, AND NOT BY WAY OF THE SEA OF REEDS. Rabbi Yehuda said, Why the difference? When Yisrael were in Egypt, it is written, "Let My people go" (Shemot 5:1); "if you refuse to let My people go" (Shemot 10:4); and, "Yisrael is My son, my first born" (Shemot 4:22). They were not circumcised at that time and were not bound TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, properly. But once they were circumcised, had offered the Passover sacrifice, and were bound to Him, He calls them "the people" and not "My people."

31. HE ANSWERS, It was due to the mixed multitude that attached themselves to them and were mixed with them that He calls them "the people" AND NOT "MY PEOPLE." It is written, "And Hashem plagued the people for the calf they made" (Shemot 32:35); "the people gathered themselves together to Aaron;" and, "the people saw that Moses delayed" (Ibid. 1). DURING A PERIOD WHEN THE CHILDREN OF YISRAEL WERE IN A DECADENT STATE, HE CALLS THEM SIMPLY, "THE PEOPLE" AND NOT "MY PEOPLE."

32. Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yehuda were traveling from Usha to Lod with camels tied TO ONE ANOTHER IN SINGLE FILE, and with loads on their shoulders. They were accompanied by Yosi the Merchant. While they were traveling, Yosi the Merchant found a woman of the other nations who was gathering among the grasses in the field. He turned away from them, and then raped her, coming in to her. Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yehuda wondered and said, Let us return from this road, for the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to show us that we should not associate with him. They returned from that way. They investigated him and learned that he was the son of a gentile woman while his father was of unfit ancestry. They said, Blessed is the Merciful One who has saved us.

33. Rabbi Yitzchak opened the discussion, saying: "Fret not yourself because of evildoers" (Tehilim 37:1). HE ASKS, Who are these evildoers, for it is not written 'sinners' or 'wicked?' HE RESPONDS, Rather "evildoers" are those that bring evil to themselves and to those who join up with them. Rabbi Yehuda said, "FRET NOT YOURSELF BECAUSE OF evildoers," IS DEFINED as staying away from evildoers so that you do not become friends and associate with them. Also, this is so that their actions do not hurt you and you are not caught for their sins.

34. Come and behold, if it were not for the mixed multitudes that joined with Yisrael, the deed OF THE MOLTEN CALF would not have occurred, and all those people of Yisrael would not have died. They would not have brought all that they did upon Yisrael. Come and behold, this deed and iniquity was the cause of Yisrael's exile.

35. For we studied that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired that Yisrael be at that time, DURING THE RECEPTION OF THE TORAH, as the supernal angels. And He desired to liberate them from everything: freedom (Heb. cherut) from death, and liberation from the yoke of other nations, as is said, "engraved (Heb. chaurut) on the tablets" (Shemot 32:16). Do not pronounce it "chaurut" WITH THE VOWEL A, but RATHER ONLY WITH THE E, 'cherut.'

36. As soon as that deed was done, they instigated everything. They caused the deaths of thousands among Yisrael, they caused submission to other kingdoms, and they caused the breaking of the original tablets. All this was due to the connection of the mixed multitudes who joined with them.

37. Here too, due to THE MOTLEY CROWD, they were not called 'children of Yisrael,' nor 'Yisrael,' nor 'My people,' but merely, "the people." You may reason THAT IT IS INDEED WRITTEN, "And the children of Yisrael went up armed" (Shemot 13:18). This is because the motley crowd had not yet joined up with them when they first rose out of Egypt. Thus, He still calls them "the children of Yisrael." They are referred to as "the people" as soon as they were joined with them, as mentioned in the scripture, "And a mixed multitude went up also with them" (Shemot 12:38).

38. Rabbi Yosi insisted and said, It is written, "For as you have seen Egypt today you will never see them again" (Shemot 14:13). Yet every day they saw the mixed multitude, WHO WERE EGYPTIANS. Rabbi Yehuda said, It is written, "a mixed multitude" and not 'Egypt,' for there were many other nations in Egypt AND FROM THEM CAME THE MOTLEY CROWD. Moreover all of them were circumcised and, since they were circumcised, they were not considered Egyptians.

39. According to the instructions of Moses, they accepted them. This is what the verse said, "Go, get you down; for your people...have become corrupt: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them" (Shemot 32:7-8). "I commanded them," is written, WHICH MEANS THAT MOSES HAD INSTRUCTED THEM TO ACCEPT THE MIXED MULTITUDES. "And the children of Yisrael went up armed (Heb. chamushim) out of the land of Egypt," MEANING one out of five (Heb. chamisha) were YISRAEL. Rabbi Yosi said, Five were of Yisrael and one FROM THE MIXED MULTITUDES. Rabbi Yehuda said, "chamushim," one out of fifty (Heb. chamishim) WERE OF THE MIXED MULTITUDES.

40. Rabbi Shimon said, the Jubilee, WHICH IS BINAH, did take them up from the land of Egypt. Therefore, it is written, "And the children of Yisrael went up armed ( Heb. chamushim) out of the land of Egypt," WHICH REFERS TO BINAH, CALLED 'JUBELEE (HEB. YOVEL), THAT CONTAINS FIFTY (HEB. CHAMISHIM) GATES. If not FOR JUBELEE, they would not have left. Therefore, they tarried fifty days to receive the Torah. The Torah did emerge and was given from that place OF JUBELEE. Therefore, "chamushim" is without a Vav, MEANING THAT IF IT HAD MEANT "ARMED," IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SPELLED WITH A VAV. BUT IT ONLY INDICATES THE NUMBER FIFTY (HEB. CHAMISHIM), WHICH IS THE SECRET OF JUBILEE. On account of it, the children of Yisrael went up from Egypt.

41. "And Moses took the bones of Joseph..." (Shemot 13:19) HE ASKS, Why did MOSES bring up his bones? HE ANSWERS, It is because he was the first to descend into exile. And in addition, only he possessed the sign for the redemption, NAMELY, "WILL SURELY VISIT YOU" (IBID.). He bound Yisrael by oath in this. This is what is written, "He had laid an oath on the children of Yisrael" (Ibid.). And this was explained.

42. Fortunate is the part of Moses, for Yisrael were occupied with borrowing silver from Egypt and Moses was occupied with the oath of Joseph. Some said that his casket was in the Nile River, and he raised it by the Holy Name. Moses also said, 'Joseph, the time for the redemption of Yisrael has arrived.' And he said, 'Rise ox,' and he rose - SINCE JOSEPH IS CALLED 'OX,' AS IT IS WRITTEN, "HIS FIRSTLING OF HIS HERD, GRANDEUR IS HIS" (DEVARIM 33:17). Some said he was among the kings of Egypt and he ascended from there. And some said that they put him into the Nile in order that they would not make him into an idol. Serach, the daughter of Asher, WHO WAS ALIVE DURING THE EVENT, showed Moses HIS PLACE.