Knowing Hashem Through Redemption

בפסוק לכן אמור כו' אני ה' כו' וידעתם כו'.

“In the verse: ‘Therefore say… I am the Lord… and you shall know…’”

The Sefat Emet introduces his reading of the verse promising that Israel will come to know God through the redemption.

פי' כי השי"ת אמר להודיע לבנ"י כי הגלות הוא לכבודו ית'.

He explains that God said this to inform Israel that the exile is for His glory.

The suffering has a divine purpose, revealing God’s greatness.

וע"י יצ"מ יתגדל שמו ית' כמ"ש וידעתם כי אני ה' כו'.

And through the Exodus His Name will be magnified, as it says, “and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Redemption itself becomes the revelation of God’s presence.

ועי"ז יטו שכמם לסבול עול הגלות.

And through this knowledge they would incline their shoulders to bear the yoke of exile.

Understanding the purpose of suffering enables endurance.

וממילא הי' נהפך גוף הגלות לחירות.

And consequently, the very substance of the exile would turn into freedom.

Once its meaning is understood, exile transforms inwardly into liberation.

ובאמת ידיעה זו היא הכנה לגאולה כמו שהי' באחרונה שקודם הגאולה קיבלו מלכות שמים כמ"ש משכו כו'.

And truly this knowledge is preparation for redemption, as in the final redemption, where before being redeemed they accepted the yoke of Heaven, as it says, “Draw…”

Accepting divine sovereignty is the prerequisite for redemption.

אכן מרוב עבודה קשה לא היו יכולים לשמוע אל משה כו'.

But because of the harsh labor they could not listen to Moses.

The oppression obstructed their ability to receive God’s message.

וע"ז רמזו חכמים ז"ל באמרם שהי' קשה להם לפרוש מע"ז.

And to this the Sages hinted when they said it was difficult for them to separate from idolatry.

Spiritually they were bound to Egyptian influence.

וחלילה לומר שהיו עובדי ע"ז אכן עבודת מצרים בעצמם נק' עבודה זרה.

Far be it to say they themselves worshipped idols; rather, Egyptian labor itself is called “foreign worship.”

The environment, not Israel’s intention, was idolatrous.

ואם היו מקבלין אותו הדיבור הי' נכלל עבודה זו בעבודת הבורא כנ"ל.

If they had accepted that divine utterance, this labor would have been included within the service of the Creator.

Receiving God’s word would have elevated their toil into sacred service.

והיה זה שורש ומפתח לגאולה.

And this would have been the root and key to redemption.

Spiritual readiness unlocks liberation.

כמו שהי' אח"כ.

As it indeed was later.

This principle is borne out in the unfolding of the Exodus.

לכן אמר משה הן בנ"י כו' פי' שכ"ז שאין בנ"י מקבלין ידיעה זאת אין מקום לגאולה ואיך ישמעני פרעה.

Therefore Moses said, “Behold, the children of Israel…” meaning that as long as Israel does not accept this knowledge, there is no place for redemption—so how would Pharaoh listen to me?

Moses argues that if Israel is not receptive, certainly Pharaoh will not be.

ואני ערל שפתים כי הדיבור צריך להיות לו מקבל לקבל בחי' הדיבור.

“And I am of uncircumcised lips,” for speech requires a recipient to receive the aspect of speech.

Moses claims that prophetic speech cannot function without a proper receiver.

והשיב הבורא ית' כי אהרן יהי' נביאך והוא יהי' השליח לקבל הדיבורים בעבור בנ"י כנ"ל.

And the blessed Creator answered that Aaron would be his prophet, and he would be the emissary to receive the words on behalf of Israel.

Aaron serves as the channel to make Israel capable of receiving the divine message.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that redemption begins with inner readiness—accepting divine knowledge transforms exile itself, and Aaron is sent to open Israel to receiving God’s word.