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<DIV>Pharaoh has two worries about the Jews, in the same sentence, that
seem to contradict each other: " the Jews are multiplying too rapidly,
there are too many of them" AND "they might go up out of Egypt." Well duh
if there are too many of them, LET them leave, wouldn't that be the
solution? So it's hard to understand exactly what his point is.
"There are too darn many of them and they might leave!" Makes no
sense. (Reminds me of that joke, "I won't eat at that restaurant, the food
is terrible, and such small portions!")</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rashi says Pharaoh was speaking euphemistically, not wanting to curse
himself, but his real fear was not that the Jews might go up and leave
Egypt, but that the EGYPTIANS might be forced to leave their own country!
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Hirsch says that the Egyptians -- like all anti-Semites -- wanted a few
Jews around, because they knew they were good for the country, but not /too/
many -- like there's some optimum number of Jews an anti-Semite would want in
his country, not too few and not too many.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The contradictory nature of Pharaoh's anxiety ("There are too many Jews but
I don't want them to leave") reminds me of how the Soviets used to treat Jews --
hated them, persecuted them, but wouldn't let them leave. It's like, "We
all know this stinking country is a hellhole, one vast Gulag. Why should
you Jews be able to escape this prison-country?" Like letting them leave
would be a privilege, a reward for being such impossible people.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is also an additional phrase in there, "they might /join our enemies
and fight us/, and then leave." It still doesn't make clear exactly what
Pharaoh's concern was. I'm not totally satisfied with Rashi or with Hirsch
but maybe somebody else came across another commentary on this question that
sheds more light on it? Or do we just say, you can't expect anti-Semitism
to make sense, and that IS the message?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============</B></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See AOL's <A title="http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004" href="http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004" target="_blank">top rated recipes</A> and <A title="http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aoltop00030000000003" href="http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aoltop00030000000003" target="_blank">easy ways to stay in shape</A> for winter.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>