B”H

Foundations of Judaism 1
Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
Part 1: The Exodus

© M. Zauderer 2012

TOPIC: The significance of the Exodus and Sinai Revelation in Jewish life

Lecture Outline

Section One
1) Laying the Groundwork: the Jewish Sages’ Introduction to Judaism
2) G-d’s Introduction at Sinai
3) Historical Background to the Exodus Miracles
4) Proving the Divine Origin of the Plagues: G-d’s Choice of Egypt

Section Two
5) Moses’ Role in the Exodus
a) The Truth of Moses’ Teachings

Introduction
If someone were to ask you how Judaism came about, how would you respond? Indeed, what
proofs do we have of the truths that Judaism teaches about G-d, man and the world around us?
And what role did Moses, that towering leader and teacher, play in the establishment of
Judaism? By clarifying these issues, we will better appreciate the unique foundation of Judaism.
G-d chose our Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to form the basis of a nation that would
be dedicated to the service of G-d (e.g., Abraham, Genesis 13:14-16; Isaac, Genesis 20:3-4;
Jacob, Genesis 35:11-12). He promised them that their descendants forever after would be a
living lesson of the Word of G-d for all of mankind (e.g., Genesis 17:7-8, 28:14). Yet the Torah
does not refer to the teachings of the Patriarchs as the basis of our religious beliefs; it points
only to the events that surrounded the Exodus, and to the Revelation at Sinai, as the
foundations of Judaism.
In this, part one of two lectures that outline the origins of Judaism, we will examine the
significance of the Exodus in the establishment of Judaism. In lecture two (divided into two
parts), we will explore the role of the Revelation at Sinai (part 2), as well as means of
perpetuating the messages of these two titanic historical events in the national consciousness of
the Jewish people (part 3).

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Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
Section One

Laying the Groundwork: the Jewish Sages’ Introduction to Judaism

In approximately 750 CE, the entire Khazar people (a tribe living in what is today southwestern
Asia) converted to Judaism. Legend has it that their conversion followed a philosophical debate
between the Khazar’s king and a Jewish sage. Three centuries later, Rabbi Yehudah Ha’Levi
(1080-1145, Spain) composed a monumental work of Jewish philosophy known as the "Book of
the Khazar," based on an account of this debate. We begin our study with excerpts from this
work, relating the king’s initial encounter with the Jewish sage.
Book of the Kuzari (Section 1, excerpts from chapters 10-25)
[Before inviting the Jewish sage to represent to him the foundations of Judaism, the Khazar
king had first discussed the origins of Islam with a Muslim scholar and of Christianity with a
Christian scholar.]

Khazar king: What is the basis of your religious beliefs?

Jewish sage: We believe in the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Who took the Jewish
people out of Egypt through miracles and wondrous deeds. Throughout the next forty
years, during which the Jewish people traveled through a barren wilderness prior to
entering the land of Israel, G-d provided for all their needs (e.g., Deuteronomy 8:2-
5,15-16). When the Jews left Egypt, G-d miraculously split the waters of the Sea of
Reeds in order to save them from the pursuing Egyptians (Exodus, chapter 14), and
forty years later He split the waters of the Jordan River in order to bring them into the
land of Israel (Joshua, chapters 3-4).

G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people through Moses, and in later generations, sent
thousands of prophets to admonish the Jewish people to observe it. God promised great
reward for its observance and severe punishment for its violation. There are countless
more details I could relate, but I have provided you here a concise outline of the basis
of Judaism.

King: I am disappointed with your response. I had expected to hear that you base your
belief in the Creator of the Universe, Who arranges and oversees every detail of life and
of the world, and Who supports your existence. That is what I have heard from the
Muslim and Christian scholars.

Sage: Allow me to explain my introductory remarks through a parable: If people were to

tell you of the outstanding charitable qualities and honesty of the king of India (a nation
very distant from the land of the Khazars), for which, they said, he was eminently
worthy of praise and honor, would you believe their description of him?

King: I would be a fool to believe such an account purely on the basis of hearsay!
Perhaps a king of India does not even exist.

Sage: If, however, emissaries from the king of India were to bring you extraordinary
gifts that you knew could be found only in a royal palace of India; and if an
accompanying document that undeniably came from the king of India attested to the
origin of these gifts from that king, would you conclude that you should listen to what
the king of India has to say?

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Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
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 King: Of course! The gifts and accompanying document would have resolved my doubts
as to whether a king of India exists, and would convince me of the truth of all that I had
heard about him.

Sage: How would you then describe the king of India?

King: I would describe him in terms of the gifts that he sent me, which I had seen
myself, and in terms of his character traits that had been proven to me, through the
gifts he had sent me.

Sage: My approach, then, was exactly the approach you would have taken! My
introduction to the foundations of the Jewish religion was based on eyewitness reports
of the encounters of an entire nation with G-d – as opposed to theological speculation or
intellectual proofs.

In truth, my response to your inquiry was patterned after G-d’s very first words to the
Jewish people when He spoke to them at Sinai: "I am your G-d, Who brought you out of
Egypt, from a house of bondage" (Exodus 20:2). G-d did not introduce Himself to the
Jewish People with the statement: "I am G-d, Who created the Universe [for which the
Jewish people had no eyewitness proof.]" On the contrary, G-d forged His relationship
with the Jewish People through events that they themselves had witnessed in Egypt and
at Sinai.
The Jewish sage’s message to the king is that Judaism is founded not on hearsay, but on the
firsthand experiences of an entire nation. During a forty-year period marked by unprecedented
miracles, the nation experienced numerous instances of irrefutable proof of G-d’s existence. The
parable of the Indian king highlights the great advantage of G-d’s having provided each
member of the Jewish people with concrete evidence of His existence, and with a clear
understanding of His relationship to us. G-d did not wish to base Judaism on the unsupported
assertion of one individual, or of a small number of individuals, even if they be the most reliable
of holy and wise men.

G-d’s Introduction at Sinai

Let us examine the Torah verse that supports the Jewish sage’s introductory remarks to the
Khazar king, noting those points that relate to the foundations of Judaism that G-d intended to
teach the Jewish people through the miracles of the Exodus. We will note Nachmanides’ (1195-
1270, Spain) insights on each piece.
Torah Text (Exodus 20:1-2)
G-d spoke all these words, saying: “I am your G-d, Who brought you out of Egypt, from
a house of bondage.”
Nachmanides (ibid.)
"I am your G-d…" – With these words G-d enjoined the Jewish People to know with
certainty that G-d exists; this knowledge involves accepting that:
• G-d’s existence is timeless;
• G-d created the Universe by His Own choice;
• G-d is omnipotent;
• G-d is aware of and acts upon His knowledge of all human affairs (Divine
Providence);
• We are obligated to serve Him.
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Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
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How can we know and accept these facts about G-d – does not faith imply some level of
reliance on unsubstantiated belief? In Judaism, the answer is no; faith is based on logic, reason
and knowledge. This is the subject of the second half of the verse. Nachmanides continues:
Nachmanides
Who brought you out of Egypt – It was your exodus from Egypt that confirmed your
knowledge of G-d. You are eyewitness to the miracles of the Ten Plagues and of the
splitting of the Sea of Reeds (G-d split the sea for the Jews and then drowned the
Egyptians in it) proved beyond any doubt the existence of:

• a Creator, Who created the world by His Own choice, and maintains complete
control over the world (in a world which always existed without a Creator, no
Power would have been able to alter natural law, as occurred during the Ten
Plagues in Egypt);

• Divine Providence – for G-d intervened on your behalf to redeem you from
Egyptian enslavement and to punish the Egyptians who wished to destroy you.

from a house of bondage – the term "house of bondage" expresses the absolute
hopelessness of your situation in Egypt; how complete was your subjugation to Pharaoh,
who had you imprisoned in his land – you had no opportunity whatsoever for escape
through any natural means.

G-d mentioned this fact when he began to speak with the Jewish people, so that they
would understand that they owed their allegiance to G-d. The chances of salvation had
been beyond the realm of worldly possibility, yet G-d redeemed them from there. This is
the import of the later verse: “[All this] is because the Jewish people are My servants.
They are My servants because I brought them out of Egypt. I am God your Lord”
(Leviticus 25:55).
G-d’s opening words to the Jewish people drew their attention to their own observations of the
miracles of the Exodus. The Ten Plagues taught them the true conception of G-d, His
relationship with Creation, mankind, and specifically, the Jewish people.

Historical Background to the Exodus Miracles

Nachmanides (1195-1270, Spain-Israel) explains the historical necessity for the unprecedented
miracles of the Exodus. What were the prevalent religious beliefs in the ancient world?
Nachmanides (Torah commentary to Exodus 13:16)
Historically, from the time of Enoch (3526 BCE - 2621 BCE), confusion reigned in the
realm of religious belief. Some people rejected altogether the existence of G-d, claiming
that the universe always existed, and that it did not have a Creator. Others accepted
that a Creator exists, but rejected the notion of Divine knowledge of human affairs –
“G-d would not trouble Himself with paying attention to the innumerable details of all
that goes on in the world,” they thought. There were others still who accepted that
there was Divine knowledge of human affairs, but they rejected the doctrine of Divine
Providence. G-d has abandoned man "as the fish of the sea" (Habakkuk 1:14), who are
subject to neither Divine reward nor Divine punishment for their behavior.

Consider this: with these assorted philosophies so prevalent in the world, a supernatural
event – that would serve as a reward and/or a punishment to a person or group – would
have refuted the various misconceptions people had formed about G-d and His
relationship to Creation. If, moreover, a prophet would have foretold that event, he
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 would have proven that there exists the phenomenon of prophetic experience. The
world would then know that G-d communicates with man, revealing to his most loyal
servants secrets of His management of the world.

The Ancient Egyptians, who had enslaved the Jewish people, denied – or doubted –
G-d’s existence, the concept of a created world, and G-d’s ability to control the natural
order – His involvement in the affairs of this world. The miracles which G-d performed
on behalf of the Jewish people in Egypt publicized to all the world the principles that G-d
exists; that G-d plays an active role in the affairs of humankind; and that G-d
communicates with righteous people when He so chooses. Establishing beyond any
doubt these basic principles of belief in G-d was a prerequisite for the giving of the
Torah to the Jewish people at Sinai.
Nachmanides explains the universal import of the messages that were conveyed through the
many miracles that were associated with the Exodus. At that time G-d demonstrated to the
world the truth of His existence, and of His relationship to people – not only to the Jewish
people, but also to all of mankind. G-d’s vanquishing of the mighty Egyptian Empire, the hub
and focal point of the ancient world, would bring all of humanity to recognize G-d.
Proving the Divine Origin of the Plagues: G-d’s Choice of Egypt
Rabbi Nissim (1290-1375, Spain), in his lecture on the Exodus, comments that G-d’s choice to
perform His miracles in Egypt was indeed the strongest proof of their Divine origin:
Rabbi Nissim (Collected Lectures of Rabbi Nissim, lecture three)
Before He gave the Torah to the Jewish people, G-d wished to verify beyond any doubt
the Torah’s assertions about His relationship to man and the world. To accomplish this,
G-d chose to make a public display of miraculous events, and to do so specifically in the
land of Egypt – the very land in which the masters of the occult of the ancient world
resided. If the Egyptian wizards would be convinced that such miracles were beyond
their abilities, and could be attributed only to an Omnipotent Creator, then the
foundation of G-d’s supremacy in the world would be firmly established; the time would
be right for the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people.

If, on the other hand, G-d had chosen to perform the miracles in a land whose people
lacked understanding of the art of the occult, then, no matter how impressive the
miracles, people would have continued to doubt that they could have come only from
G-d.
Just how important was it that the Egyptian wizards admit that the miracles could have been
performed by G-d alone? How strong an influence did their expertise have on the peoples of the
ancient world? The prophet describes the wisdom of King Solomon relative to that of the
Egyptian wizards: "G-d granted great wisdom and understanding to Solomon. Solomon’s
wisdom was greater than…all Egyptian wisdom." (Kings I, 5:9-10) Nachmanides (Introduction
to Torah commentary) cites midrashic literature that explains the uniqueness of Egyptian
wisdom: "What was Egyptian wisdom? They were the world’s experts in the occult" – indeed, at
the time the entire world recognized the superiority of Egyptian wisdom and the effectiveness
of their wizards.
Rabbi Nissim proceeds to cite a Talmudic midrash that highlights the value of the land of Egypt
experiencing G-d’s miracles:

After Moses performed the very first of the miracles before Pharaoh (the miracle
of the Staff, Exodus 7:10-12), Yochni and Mamra, Pharaoh’s chief wizards,
taunted Moses: "Are you bringing straw to Ofrayim [a region known for its
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Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
 abundance of straw]!?" Moses replied, "People say that vegetables should be
brought to the marketplace." (Talmud, Tractate Menochot)
Rabbi Nissim explains the meaning of their debate:

This midrash highlights the change in attitude that Pharaoh’s wizards underwent. Yochni
and Mamre at first concluded that Moses’ miracles originated within the bounds of
natural forces that man can manipulate. Therefore, they ridiculed Moses, suggesting
that he should never have come to Egypt – a land full of experts in the occult. Instead,
he should have tried to "sell his wares" in a land of people who are ignorant of this art.
There, Moses would have been able to impress them with his occult powers.

(Rabbi Naftali Berlin [1817-1893, Russia] adds that the metaphor of straw which the
Egyptian wizards used was intended to convey the message that just as people do not
distinguish between different types of straw, neither did they accept Moses’ claim that
his miracles were of a different type than their own. "We are all performing magic," they
told him.)

Moses responded that G-d’s choice of the land of Egypt for the performance of His
miracles was deliberate. The value of high-quality vegetables is fully appreciated only in
a bustling marketplace, which is filled with merchandise of varying quality; for this very
reason, G-d sent Moses specifically to Egypt to perform His miracles, for Egypt was a
land of especially skilled practitioners of the occult. There, more than in any other place,
is where the Divine origin of these miracles could be appreciated.
Indeed, during the Plague of Lice (the third plague), Pharaoh’s wizards admitted that the
miracle was of Divine origin:
The master wizards tried to produce lice with their hidden arts, but they could not.
[Meanwhile] the lice were attacking man and beast alike."It is the finger of G-d," they
told Pharaoh. (Exodus 8:14-15)
Nachmanides explains the broader significance of this admission:
Nachmanides (Exodus 8:15):
When the Egyptian wizards saw that they could in no way duplicate Moses and Aaron’s
plague of lice, they conceded to the Divine origin of the miracles. From that point on,
the Torah makes no mention of Pharaoh summoning his wizards to have them attempt
to duplicate the miracles that Moses performed (as Pharaoh had done for the first two
plagues of blood and frogs; Exodus 7:22 and 8:3), nor does it relate that the wizards
appeared before Moses to attempt to duplicate the miracles.
The wizards’ initial skepticism regarding the miraculous deeds represented by Moses actually
served to bolster the significance of their later acceptance of G-d’s power. G-d’s purpose was to
gain the approval of the detractors as well as the believers.

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Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
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Section Two
Moses’ Role in the Exodus
It is important for us to understand Moses’ leadership role in the performance of the miracles
associated with the plagues in Egypt. How did he suddenly rise to assume leadership over the
Jewish nation?
Though the Torah records God’s appointment of Moses as His leader to the Jews and Pharaoh
(Exodus, chapters 3-4), perhaps the Jewish people were captivated by Moses’ natural charisma,
by his fiery speeches of freedom, or by his religious ecstasy, and thus he succeeded in
becoming their self-appointed leader?

The Truth of Moses' Teachings

Twice during the preliminary encounters between G-d and Moses, Moses raised the problem of
his speech impediment., once during Moses’ preliminary encounter with G-d at the Burning
Bush, and later, after the initial setback in his mission to Pharaoh.Torah Text (Exodus 4:10;
6:12)
Moses pleaded with G-d: "I beg you, O G-d, I am not a man of words– not yesterday, not
the day before – not from the very first time You spoke to me. I am heavy of mouth and
slow of speech."

Moses spoke…"How can I expect Pharaoh to listen to me? I have a speech defect."
Rabbi Nissim explains that this deficiency played a most significant role in G-d’s choice of Moses
to represent Him to the Jewish people.
Rabbi Nissim (Lectures of Rabbi Nissim, Lecture Three)
The Hebrew word for "prophet" (navi) – derived from the Hebrew word "nava" ("flowing
[speech]") – indicates that a prophet regularly speaks before the public. Bearing this in
mind, why would G-d have appointed Moses [who had a speech defect] to be His
representative before the Jewish people and before Pharaoh? It is even more
remarkable that G-d did not cure Moses’ speech impediment after He had appointed him
to be His prophet.

The answer to this question becomes clear when viewed in terms of G-d’s desire that
the Jewish people recognize that the Exodus could be attributed only to G-d. In keeping
with this goal, G-d deliberately appointed Moses, whose speech lacked eloquence, to
represent Him to the public.

Everyone knows that a gifted orator can convince people to believe what is false and to
accept it as the truth. In contrast, someone who is speech-impaired has nothing upon
which to rely but the inherent truth of his words. When someone does not possess the
gift of fluent speech, it is only the compelling force of the facts he conveys that can
convince people of their truth. Had Moses been granted fluent speech, people could
have claimed that Moses’ success in convincing the Jewish people to follow him was
because of his great oratorical skills, and not because of the inherent truth of his words.
By choosing a speech-impaired prophet, G-d shifted the focus of the Jewish people’s attention
from Moses to his words. Lacking the ability to convince through pure force of persuasion,
Moses’ credibility depended upon the inherent truth of his teachings.

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Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org
Conclusion
In this lecture, we have learned that the origin of Jewish belief is not shrouded in mystery or in
blind faith. G-d performed authentic miracles (as G-d’s detractors, the Egyptian wizards,
eventually admitted) in order to prove to the entire world the truth of His existence, of His
Omnipotence, and of Divine Providence.
In the next lecture, we will shift our focus on G-d’s revelations to mankind from the worldwide
revelation which we have examined above (through the miracles performed in Egypt), to a
private encounter between G-d and the Jewish people. At Sinai, G-d reinforced the lessons
which the Jews absorbed through the miracles of the Exodus, for the Jewish nation were to be
charged with the task of perpetuating accurate knowledge of G-d and of his relationship to man
and the world. In addition to this, G-d would instruct the Jewish people to preserve for all
generations the eyewitness accounts of the Exodus and of the Revelation at Sinai.

Questions

For Review
1. How do the miracles of the Exodus serve as a foundation of Jewish belief?
2. How did G-d’s choice to perform His miracles in Egypt strengthen the credibility of those
miracles?
3. How did Moses’ speech-impediment enhance his mission to Jewish people?

For Consideration
4. "Mofet," a Hebrew word meaning "miracle" (e.g. Exodus 7:9), derives from the word
"patah," meaning, "to convince" or "to persuade." What influence should miracles have
upon us?

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Lecture 1: Origin of Judaism
Copyright © 2012 Moshe Zauderer, Jewish Interactive Studies www.jewishstudies.org