(ב) אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ ה' אֱלֹקֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִֽ֑ים׃
(2) I the LORD am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage:
(ב) אנכי ה' אלקיך. מאי דבור הוא זה ומה מצוה ומה אזהרה היא זו. וי"ל אנכי ה' אלקיך ואני מצוך שתדעו ידיעה ברורה כי הוא הבורא וכי אני הוא המצוה כל המצות ונאמן ליפרע הטוב והרע וידיעת השם שחייב אדם לדעת שהוא הבורא יתברך וית'
(Tosafot 13th Century)
(2) אנכי ה' אלוקיך, “I am the Lord your G–d;” how can we understand this utterance as a “commandment?” In which way does it represent an order to the listener? We must understand the words: “I am the Lord your G–d,” as implying that this is something that you must accept as fact, not merely as an article of faith, i.e. “you know, you do not merely believe.” It follows from accepting this as a fact that there is a system of reward and punishment for your actions, as He is capable of meting out reward and punishment as a result of being the Creator.
אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים בפעולות מתנגדות לפעולות כל אמצעי שהם הטבע והמערכת, וזה כאשר קבלת באמרך אז זה אלי ואנוהו וכו': (ה) מבית עבדים להסיר כל אונס, שאין עמו מקום לשום מצוה כתקנה:
Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Obadja Sforno - Italian rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher and physician.
He was born at Cesena about 1475 and died at Bologna in 1550.
אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים
I had to overcome all the obstacles that intermediaries (forces of nature, also My creatures and appointed by Me to perform My will) had tried to use to block My efforts. I am the One Whom you accepted as such when you said (Exodus 15,2) “this is My G’d and I want to glorify Him.”
מבית עבדים, from all exterior coercion in order for you to be free to worship Me, exclusively.
In the lives we lead, belief in and knowledge of Hashem has to be at the centre of our actions, from the words we speak, to the work we do, to the way we spend our time, to the behaviour we exhibit within our community and without.
We are answerable to Hashem for everything and we will be rewarded and punished for our actions because Hashem is the source of my existence as a Jew in the 21st century.
There will be challenges to my faith and belief and at times, I and others might be tempted to forget who we are are and where we came from, but these challenges are no greater than those which faced Hashem when we took us out from servitude to the most powerful, cultured and influential nation in the known world.
We are not slaves to work or to our iPhones. We need to remember how blessed we are, as free nation, serving Hashem at all times.