Intro: Could it be that 80% or more of the Israelites didn't leave Egypt? Why not? What does this say about Diaspora Jewish communities more generally?
There is a source in the Midrash that suggests a large percentage of the people did not want to leave Egypt at all, which challenges us to discover just what was going in the minds of the people at the time and what be happening for us today.
God causes the plague of darkness to descend on Egypt. It is the 9th plague.
(כב) ויהי חשך אפלה. שלשת ימים. חֹשֶׁךְ שֶׁל אֹפֶל, שֶׁלֹּא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו אוֹתָן ג' יָמִים. וְעוֹד שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים חֹשֶׁךְ מֻכְפָּל עַל זֶה, שֶׁלֹּא קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו – יוֹשֵׁב אֵין יָכוֹל לַעֲמוֹד, וְעוֹמֵד אֵין יָכוֹל לֵישֵׁב; וְלָמָה הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם חֹשֶׁךְ? שֶׁהָיוּ בְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר רְשָׁעִים וְלֹא הָיוּ רוֹצִים לָצֵאת, וּמֵתוּ בִשְׁלֹשֶׁת יְמֵי אֲפֵלָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִרְאוּ מִצְרַיִים בְּמַפַּלְתָּם וְיֹאמְרוּ, אַף הֵם לוֹקִים כָּמוֹנוּ. וְעוֹד, שֶׁחִפְּשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְרָאוּ אֶת כְּלֵיהֶם, וּכְשֶׁיָּצְאוּ וְהָיוּ שׁוֹאֲלִים מֵהֶן וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים אֵין בְּיָדֵינוּ כְלוּם, אוֹמֵר לוֹ, אֲנִי רְאִיתִיו בְּבֵיתְךָ, וּבְמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי הוּא (שמות רבה):
(22) ויהי חשך אפלה … שלשת ימים — And why did He bring darkness upon them? Because there were wicked people amongst the Israelites of that generation who had no desire to leave Egypt, and these died during the three days of darkness so that the Egyptians might not see their destruction and say, “These, (the Israelites) too have been stricken as we have”....
(יח) וַיַּסֵּ֨ב אֱלֹקִ֧ים ׀ אֶת־הָעָ֛ם דֶּ֥רֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר יַם־ס֑וּף וַחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים עָל֥וּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(18) But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
*The commentaries that follow will explore the meaning of 'chamushim'.
*How many Israelites died during the plague of darkness?
(יח) וחמשים. אֵין חֲמוּשִׁים אֶלָּא מְזֻיָּנִים; שֶׁלֹּא תִתְמַהּ בְּמִלְחֶמֶת עֲמָלֵק וּבְמִלְחֲמֶת סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג וּמִדְיָן מֵהֵיכָן הָיוּ לָהֶם כְּלֵי זַיִין שֶׁהִכּוּ אוֹתָם בָּחֶרֶב) וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר "וְאַתֶּם תַּעַבְרוּ חֲמֻשִׁים" (יהושע א'), וְכֵן תִּרְגְּמוֹ אוּנְקְלוּס "מְזָרְזִין", כְּמוֹ "וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו" (בראשית י"ד) – וְזָרִיז. דָּבָר אַחֵר, חֲמֻשִׁים אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשָּׁה יָצְאוּ וְאַרְבָּעָה חֲלָקִים מֵתוּ בִּשְׁלֹשֶׁת יְמֵי אֲפֵלָה (מכילתא):
(18) וחמשים — The word חמשים means provided with weapons... that you should not wonder with regard to the war with Amalek and the war with Sihon and Og and Midian where they obtained weapons, since they smote them with the sword... In a similar sense it says, (Joshua 1:14) “and ye shall pass over armed (חמשים)”. Onkelos, too, translated it by מזרזין which signifies “armed” in Aramaic... Another explanation of חמשים is: only one out of five (חמשה) went forth from Egypt, and four parts of the people died during the three days of darkness because they were unworthy of being delivered (Mekhilta; cf. Rashi on 10:22).
*A midrash on the word 'chamushim', usually translated as 'well armed', instead refers to the root chet-mem-shin, referring to the number 5. If about 600,000 males leave Egypt, then, just focusing on the male population for a moment, some 3 million would have been the 'wicked' who died in the plague of darkness, a startling number.
Rabbenu Bachya quotes the same source and adds:
"And there are those who say [only] 1 in 50 [left Egypt], or 1 in 500 [left Egypt]..."
Toldot Yitzchak (Isaac Karo): 1458-1535, Spain & Jerusalem:
Karo quotes the source that 4 out of 5 died during the plague then adds, "...and regarding this interpretation, [we establish that] 'With a strong hand and an outstretched arm' refers back to the Israelites (rather than the Egyptians), since they did not want to leave Egypt and God had to, against their will, take them out with a strong hand and persuasive power... Those who did leave were not obstinate and, with everything that happened, they left since they needed to leave.
Kli Yakar (Rabbi Ephraim Luntchschitz, Prague 16th-17th c.):
R. Luntschitz builds on the original '4 out of 5' message and adds, "...Even those who wanted to leave Egypt - God had to take them out with a strong hand and against their will, against what was better for them.
...Ease destroys bravery, whilst trouble and care for food create strength; and this was [also for the Israelites] the good that ultimately came out of their wanderings in the wilderness.
Shemot Rabba 14:13 explains that "There were sinners among the Jews who had Egyptian patrons, and they had wealth and honor there, [so] they didn't want to leave."
Questions for reflection:
1) Why do you think the Midrash is inclined to offer the possibility that many of the Hebrews stayed, or were even killed by God, in Egypt?
2) Do you see parallels in more recent history, or even today? Especially given the establishment of the State of Israel?
3) What sympathies might we be able to gain for modeerns who are disinclined to join in the journey of being Jewish? Are there fixes available to overcome such reluctance?