לָכֵן אֱמֹר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי ה' וְהוֹצֵאתִי וְגוֹ'. וְאֵין לָכֵן אֶלָּא שְׁבוּעָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְלָכֵן נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְבֵית עֵלִי וְגוֹ' (ש״א ג, יד). הָלַךְ מֹשֶׁה וְאָמַר לָהֶם כָּךְ: וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֶל מֹשֶׁה מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ וְגוֹ'. חָזַר מֹשֶׁה וְאָמַר: הֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי. וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה דַּבֵר אֶל פַּרְעֹה. הַמָּשָׁל אוֹמֵר: מִן שִׁטַּיָּא לֵית הֲנָיָא אֶלָּא קַצְיֵהּ. Therefore, say unto the children of Israel: “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out” (Exod. 6:6). The word therefore implies that an oath was involved, as it is said: Therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli (I Sam. 3:14). Moses went to them and told them what the Holy One, blessed be He, had said: And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they harkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit and for cruel bondage (Exod. 6:9). Whereupon Moses turned to the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Behold, the children of Israel have not harkened unto me (ibid., v. 12). And the Lord said to Moses: “Go in, say unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go” (ibid., v. 11). A proverb states: “There is no benefit to be derived from acacia wood except when it is cut down.”4An old proverb indicating that one must wait until an episode is concluded to learn the result. “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן וַיְצַוֵּם אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶל פַּרְעֹה. עָשָׂה אוֹתָן שָׁוִים. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: הֱיוּ נוֹהֲגִין בּוֹ כָּבוֹד וְחִלְקוּ כָּבוֹד לַמֶּלֶךְ, שֶׁאֲנִי צָרִיךְ לוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת בּוֹ אֶת הַדִּין. לְפִיכָךְ מֹשֶׁה אוֹמֵר לוֹ: נֵלְכָה נָּא דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶת יָמִים. פֶּן יִפְגָּעֲךָ בַּדֶּבֶר אוֹ בַּחֶרֶב לֹא אָמַר, אֶלָּא פֶּן יִפְגָּעֵנוּ (שמות ה, ג), שֶׁנָּהַג בּוֹ כָּבוֹד. And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt (ibid., v. 13). By virtue of this verse He made them equals. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Be respectful, and pay homage to the king through whom I desire to execute judgment upon him. Whereupon Moses said to him: Let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword (ibid. 5:3). He said Lest He fall upon us to demonstrate that he was acting respectfully toward the king.