R. Hiya asked: ‘Why in the Ten Commandments is the singular (thou) used and here the plural (you)? Because in the whole of their existence Israel were never so united in heart and mind in devotion to God as on that day when they stood before Mount Sinai; hence they were addressed there as a single individual, but later they were not so single-hearted.’
R. Eleazar once went to pay a visit to R. Jose ben R. Simeon ben Lakunia, his father-in-law, accompanied by R. Hiya and R. Jose. On reaching a certain field they sat down under a tree, and R. Eleazar said: ‘Let each of us give a discourse on the Torah.’ He himself commenced with the text: “Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me” (Hos. 13, 4). He said: ‘Was God then their king only from the land of Egypt and not previously? Did not Jacob say to his sons, “Remove the strange gods from your midst” (Gen. 35, 2)?
The truth is that Israel never paid such recognition to the glory of God as in the land of Egypt, where they were so bitterty oppressed and yet did not change their customs; nay more, they saw every day much magic and sorcery which might have seduced them, and yet they turned aside neither to the right nor to the left, although they did not actually know much of the glory of God, but only adhered to the customs of their fathers.
Afterwards they saw many wonders and miracles, and therefore God said to them, “I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt”, where His glory was revealed to them by the sea, and they saw the brightness of His glory face to face, so that they should not say it was another God who spoke with them, but should know that it was the same one who brought them out of the land of Egypt, whom they had seen in the land of Egypt, who had slain their enemies there and wrought the ten plagues there.’
אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָיא, בְּקַדְמִיתָא, אָנֹכִי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ. זָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת. לֹא תִשָּׂא. לֹא תִרְצַח. לֹא תִנְאָף. לֹא תִגְנוֹב. בְּלִישָׁנָא יְחִידָאי. וְהָכָא, אֲנִי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. אִישׁ אִמּוֹ וְאָבִיו תִּירָאוּ, וְאֶת שַׁבְּתוֹתַי תִּשְׁמֹרוּ. אַל תִּפְנוּ אֶל הָאֱלִילִים. בְּלִישָׁנָא דְּסַגִּיאִין. אֶלָּא תָּא חֲזֵי, מִיּוֹמָא דַּהֲווֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁכִיחִין בְּעָלְמָא, לָא אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּלִבָּא חַד, וּבִרְעוּתָא חֲדָא, כְּמָה בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּקַיְימוּ בְּטוּרָא דְּסִינַי. וְעַל דָּא כֹּלָּא אִתְּמַר בְּלָשׁוֹן יְחִידָאי. לְבָתַר בְּלִישָׁנָא דְּסַגִּיאִין, דְּהָא לָא אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ כָּל כַּךְ בְּהַהוּא רְעוּתָא.
R. Hiya asked: ‘Why in the Ten Commandments is the singular (thou) used and here the plural (you)? Because in the whole of their existence Israel were never so united in heart and mind in devotion to God as on that day when they stood before Mount Sinai; hence they were addressed there as a single individual, but later they were not so single-hearted.’
רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הֲוָה אָזִיל לְמֵחֱמֵי לְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקוּנְיָא חָמוּי, וַהֲווּ עִמֵּיהּ רִבִּי חִיָּיא וְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי, כַּד מָטוּ חַד בֵּי חֲקַל, יָתְבוּ תְּחוֹת אִילָנָא חֲדָא. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, כָּל חַד לֵימָא מִלָּה דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. פָּתַח רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר, (הושע י״ג:ד׳) וְאָנֹכִי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וִאלֹהִים זוּלָתִי לֹא תֵּדָע. לָא כְּתִיב אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם, אֶלָּא אָנֹכִי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם, וְכִי מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הֲוָה לְהוּ מַלְכָּא, וְלָא מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא, וְהָא כְּתִיב (בראשית ל״ה:ב׳) וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל בָּנָיו הָסִירוּ אֶת אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹכְכֶם. וּכְתִיב (בראשית ל״ה:ג׳) וְנָקוּמָה וְנַעֲלֶה בֵּית אֵל, וְאַתְּ אַמְרַת מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.
R. Eleazar once went to pay a visit to R. Jose ben R. Simeon ben Lakunia, his father-in-law, accompanied by R. Hiya and R. Jose. On reaching a certain field they sat down under a tree, and R. Eleazar said: ‘Let each of us give a discourse on the Torah.’ He himself commenced with the text: “Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me” (Hos. 13, 4). He said: ‘Was God then their king only from the land of Egypt and not previously? Did not Jacob say to his sons, “Remove the strange gods from your midst” (Gen. 35, 2)?
אֶלָּא, מִן יוֹמָא דַּהֲווֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעָלְמָא, לָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדָעוּ יְקָרָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. בַּר בְּאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם, דַּהֲווּ בְּהַהוּא פּוּלְחָנָא קַשְׁיָא, וְצָוְוחוּ לָקֳבְלֵיהּ, וְלָא אִשְׁתָּנּוּ מִנִּימוּסָא דִּלְהוֹן לְעָלְמִין. וְתַמָּן אִתְבְּחִינוּ אֲבְהֲתָנָא, כִּדַהֲבָא מִגּוֹ שָׁפְכָה. (ס"א כפתורא דדהבא מגו טפסא) וְעוֹד, דַּהֲווֹ חָמָאן בְּכָל יוֹמָא, כַּמָה חַרְשִׁין, כַּמָה זִינִין בִּישִׁין, לְאַטְעָאָה לוֹן לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא, וְלָא סָטוּ מֵאָרְחָא לִימִינָא וְלִשְׂמָאלָא. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּלָא הֲווֹ יַדְעֵי כָּל כַּךְ בִּיקָרָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֶלָּא הֲווֹ אַזְלִין בָּתַר נִימוּסֵי אֲבָהַתְהוֹן.
The truth is that Israel never paid such recognition to the glory of God as in the land of Egypt, where they were so bitterty oppressed and yet did not change their customs; nay more, they saw every day much magic and sorcery which might have seduced them, and yet they turned aside neither to the right nor to the left, although they did not actually know much of the glory of God, but only adhered to the customs of their fathers.
וּלְבָתַר, חָמוּ כַּמָה נִסִּין, וְכַמָּה גְּבוּרָאן, וְנָטַל לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְפוּלְחָנֵיהּ. וּבְגִין דְּכֻלְּהוּ חָמוּ כַּמָה נִסִּין וְאָתִין בְּעֵינֵיהוֹן, וְכָל אִינּוּן אָתִין וּגְבוּרָן. אָמַר וְאָנֹכִי יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם. דְּתַמָּן הֲוָה בְּאִתְגַּלְיָיא יְקָרָא דִּילֵיהּ. וְאִתְגְּלֵי עָלַיְיהוּ עַל יַמָּא, וְחָמוּ זִיו יְקָרָא עִלָּאָה דִּילֵיהּ אַפִּין בְּאַפִּין. דְּלָא תֵּימְרוּן אֱלָהָא אָחֳרָא הוּא דְּמַלִּיל עִמָּנָא, אֶלָּא אֲנָא הוּא דַּחֲמִיתוּן בְּאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם, אֲנָא הוּא דְּקָטַלְנָא סָנְאֵיכוֹן בְּאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם. אֲנָא הוּא דְּעָבֵדְנָא כָּל אִינּוּן עֶשֶׂר מְחָאָן בְּאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם. וּבְגִּינֵי כַּךְ, וִאלֹהִים זוּלָתִי לֹא תֵדָע, דְּלָא תֵּימָא דְּאָחֳרָא הֲוָא, אֶלָּא אֲנָא הוּא כֹּלָּא.
Afterwards they saw many wonders and miracles, and therefore God said to them, “I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt”, where His glory was revealed to them by the sea, and they saw the brightness of His glory face to face, so that they should not say it was another God who spoke with them, but should know that it was the same one who brought them out of the land of Egypt, whom they had seen in the land of Egypt, who had slain their enemies there and wrought the ten plagues there.’