Here are two related thoughts on Shmos 10:29 through 11:4

Pharoah just said to Moshe that Moshe should not see Pharoah's face again.

10:29 Moshe said, You have spoken correctly. I shall never see your face again.

11:1 HaShem said to Moshe, One more plague shall I bring upon Pharoah and upon Egypt; after that he shall send you forth from here. When he sends forth, it shall be complete he shall drive you out of here.

11:2 Please speak in the ears of the people: Let each man request of his fellow and each woman from her fellow silver vessels and gold vessels.

11:3 HaShem granted the people favor in the eyes of Egypt; moreover, the man Moshe was very great in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of the servants of Pharoah and in the eyes of the people.

11:4 Moshe said, So said HaShem, At about midnight I shall go out in the midst of Egypt.

Rashi on 11:2 tells us (per chabad.org's translation):

2. Please, speak-. is only an expression of request. [The verse is saying] I ask you to warn them about this, [i.e., to ask their neighbors for vessels] so that the righteous man, Abraham, will not say He fulfilled with them [His promise] and they will enslave them and oppress them (Gen. 15:13), but He did not fulfill with them afterwards they will go forth with great possessions (Gen. 15:14 [from Ber. 9a]

And Rashi on 11:4 tells us (per chabad.org's translation):

4. Moses said, So said the Lord. When he stood before Pharaoh, this prophecy was said to him, for after he [Moses] left his [Pharaoh's] presence, he did not see his face [again [from Exod. Rabbah 18:1, Mishnath Rabbi Eliezer ch. 19]


There are two problems with this.

The first problem is:

Why Avraham Avinu would have a problem if the Jewish people were to leave Egypt without great posessions of gold and silver. And why this should be solved by Hashem requesting something of the Jewish people to do.

The second problem is:

If the section from 11:1 through 11:3 happens between Moshe telling Pharoah that they would not see each others' faces again, how could Moshe be saying 11:4 to Pharoah?

For the first problem, I want to bring up two things from the Akeida, and for the second problem, I want to see if Ramban is bothered by the order of 11:1-3 and 11:4.

Solution to Problem 1: Avraham and posessions of gold and silver

Please recall by the Akeida, in Sefer Bereishis:

22:5 And Avraham said to his young men, Stay here by yourselves with the donkey, while I and the lad will go yonder; we will worship and we will return to you.

22:6 And Avraham took the wood for the offering, and placed it on Yitzchak, his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife, and the two of them went together.

22:7 Then Yitzchak spoke to Avraham his father and said, Father And he said, Here I am, my son. And he said, Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the offering?

22:8 And Avraham said, Hashem will seek out for Himself the lamb for the offering, my son. And the two of them went together.

These two young men are identified as Yishmael and Eliezer.

The whole concept of the Akeida is dependent upon Avraham thinking that he would be sacrificing Yitzchak there. And thus Avraham could not possibly have believed his own words as he was saying them to Yishmael and Eliezer that "we" will return. And he must have believed, and it is said he hinted, that Hashem was providing Yitzchak as the offering, not some animal.

But Hashem has such love and friendship for Avraham that whatever comes out of Avraham's mouth, Hashem makes those words come true!

Thus, Avraham could _not_ tell a lie, simply because even if he intended to, Hashem would make things come out so that they would be true.

Furthermore, there is a classic way of resolving "great posessions" to mean the first two mitzvos we were given while in Egypt -- Rosh Chodesh being the first.

Surely Avraham would not disagree with anyone saying that even 1 mitzvah is worth far more than all the gold and silver in the world.

So why was this a problem that Hashem would come to ask the Jewish people for help to bring great physical posessions with them out of Egypt?

It must be that Avraham, when he awoke from the prophecy that was given at the covenant between the parts, Avraham must have said, perhaps only to himself, that he envisioned these great posessions to be material.

Given the above principle, that Hashem sees to it that whatever Avraham says comes true, Hashem wanted the Jewish people to leave Egypt with physical posessions, so that even an arguable diminishment of Hashem's ability to fulfill his promise for something good to happen -- when the only one who could make that argument would not even argue it (given the understanding of mitzvos as poessions) -- so great is Hashem's word, that even for this Hashem will see to it that Avraham's _misunderstanding_ would come true.

And for this Hashem shows even greater humility than is recorded in our motzei Shabbos davening. Hashem asks as nothing more than a request of His partners in creation - a request, yes which is also for their benefit, but for His benefit against a hypothetical question.


Summary of answer to problem 1: Avraham misunderstood, but Hashem's love for Avraham is such that Hashem fulfills even what Avraham misunderstood Hashem to have promised for good.

Solution to Problem 2: verses out of order, or did Moshe see Pharoah again

Ramban says on 11:2: (per Judaica Press)


Ramban explains that the favor the Israelites found in the Egyptians' eyes, as mentioned in the verse, does not refer to the favor they found when they borrowed from them (Exod. 12:36). Because if this were true it would not say, "So the Lord gave the people favor in Pharoah's eyes...," but "I shall give the people favor." Later, however, it does say: "The Lord gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they lent them" (Exod. 12:36).


The word at 11:2 is "vayitein" which is translated as "and he gave".

"Yitein" is future tense, but the leading "vav" is treated as a "reversing vav" to render this in the past tense.

In this particular case, however, the word must retain its future tense, and should be translated "and Hashem will give".

Since Rashi tells us that all of this prophecy from 11:1 to 11:3 happens while Moshe is still standing by Pharoah as he was at 10:29 when he said that it is true they will not see each others' face again, we know that this prophecy did happen then. And thus 11:4 is, as Rashi says, a continuation of what Moshe said at 10:29.

Then there is no conflict to the time-order of the passukimg 11:2 and 11:4, and no conflict betwen what Moshe said at 10:29 and Moshe still speaking with Pharoah at 11:4.

Summary of Answer to problem 2: 11:2 speaks in the future tense that Hashem will give the Jewish people favor, not that he already had, and this prophecy happened before Moshe left Pharoah's presence at 10:29, such that 11:4 is said before Moshe left Pharoah's presence.

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