God speaks to Moses again after Pharaoh turns him away and imposes even harsher labor on the Israelite slaves. The Israelites are angry at Moses and Moses himself seems to be losing all hope. How does God plan to turn the bitter experience of slavery into something sweet?
(ב) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֵלָ֖יו אֲנִ֥י יהוה׃ (ג) וָאֵרָ֗א אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶל־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב בְּאֵ֣ל שַׁדָּ֑י וּשְׁמִ֣י יהוה לֹ֥א נוֹדַ֖עְתִּי לָהֶֽם׃ (ד) וְגַ֨ם הֲקִמֹ֤תִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי֙ אִתָּ֔ם לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶ֖ם אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן אֵ֛ת אֶ֥רֶץ מְגֻרֵיהֶ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־גָּ֥רוּ בָֽהּ׃ (ה) וְגַ֣ם ׀ אֲנִ֣י שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי אֶֽת־נַאֲקַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִצְרַ֖יִם מַעֲבִדִ֣ים אֹתָ֑ם וָאֶזְכֹּ֖ר אֶת־בְּרִיתִֽי׃ (ו) לָכֵ֞ן אֱמֹ֥ר לִבְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ אֲנִ֣י יהוה וְהוֹצֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֗ם מִתַּ֙חַת֙ סִבְלֹ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהִצַּלְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵעֲבֹדָתָ֑ם וְגָאַלְתִּ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ בִּזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבִשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃ (ז) וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִ֑ים וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יהוה אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם הַמּוֹצִ֣יא אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (ח) וְהֵבֵאתִ֤י אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָתַתִּ֨י אֹתָ֥הּ לָכֶ֛ם מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה אֲנִ֥י יהוה׃
(2) God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am Adonai" (3) I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name Adonai. (4) I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. (5) I have now heard the moaning of the Israelites because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. (6) Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am Adonai I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. (7) And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, Adonai am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. (8) I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I am Adonai.
How does a bitter experience prepare us for something sweet? Here is one idea from the commentator Malbim:
על ידי "עני מצרים" שהיה כור הברזל נצרפו והטהרו עד שזכו אל מתנת הארץ והתורה, כמו שאמרו חז"ל (שמות רבה א' א'): שלוש מתנות טובות נתן הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל, וכולן לא נתנן להם אלא על ידי יסורין: התורה וארץ ישראל וחיי העולם הבא.
By means of the affliction the Israelites suffered in Egypt, which was a "iron blast furnace"that refined and purified the Israelites until they were worthy of the gift of the Torah. As the rabbis teach (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 1:1) "God gave three great gifts to the people Israel and all of them were given only through afflictions: Torah, the Land of Israel and the World to Come.
HOW JEWS TURNED CHOCOLATE FROM BITTER TO SWEET
Cacao beans were unknown in Europe prior to 1500. They were used by people in Central and South America to make a bitter, spicy drink that was sometimes used in religious rituals.
As Europeans began to settle in the area, "Conversos" Jews who had ostensibly converted to Christianity to escape expulsion from Spain and Portugal were among them. These Jews were hoping to escape the Inquisition and discrimination in their home countries.
Merchants and traders were looked down upon at the time. So these ways of making a living were open to Jews and conversos. These Jews and conversos took a leading role in buying cacao, processing it, adding sugar to sweeten it for European tastes and exporting it to Europe.
Jews in Europe bought the cacao from other Jews and traded it all over Europe. Jews played an important role in popularizing hot chocolate drinks among the aristocracy and, later, among the masses. Jews were also among the first to develop chocolate confections. The French city of Bayonne became an important hub for Jewish chocolatiers until their Christian competitors banned them from the chocolatiers guild.
It can be said that the bitter experience of the expulsion of Jews from Spain and Portugal and the Inquisition lead directly to the spread of sweet chocolate treats in Europe. Without those persecuted Jewish traders and merchants, we might not be enjoying our delicious chocolate Shabbat today.
The ability to turn the bitter into the sweet is one of the reasons Jews and Judaism have been so resilient. Can you think of other examples of how Jews have turned the bitter to the sweet?
Can you think of examples in your own life where bitter experiences lead to sweet experiences?