Chapter 1

בכל דור ודור חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים

“In each and every generation a person is obliged to regard himself as if he had come out of Egypt.”1

This means to say that in every generation at all times, and under all circumstances, all Jews (without regard to gender, age or status) are to feel as if they personally left Egypt.

We must understand the meaning of this obligation. If all that is meant is that every Jew is to feel as if he personally departed from Egypt, then this sentence is superfluous. For right afterwards we are told: “Not only were our forefathers redeemed from Egyptian bondage, but we as well.”

What then is the meaning of “In each and every generation…”?

The word “generation” implies not only a quantity of time, but a quality;2 the simplest person as well as the most illustrious Torah scholar are equally obliged to regard themselves as having left Egypt. For the exodus was not only physical but also spiritual. The spiritual liberation from Egypt should be found within each individual, in all aspects of his life and conduct.

This is what’s meant by the statement: “In each and every generation….” For every soul which G-d places within a body is thereby subject to the spiritual equivalent of the Egyptian exile, and our service consists of spiritually liberating ourselves from Egypt. Although it is true that freedom from bondage came as a result of Divine benevolence “the supreme King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them,”3 it occurred only after we “cried out to the L-rd, the G-d of our fathers,”4 at which time, “the L-rd heard our voice and saw our suffering, our labor and our oppression.”

Our prayers to G-d are not always answered, though they are always heard. During the exile in Egypt, however, G-d did accept our prayerful cries, and observed our afflictions, toil and oppression. The same holds true regarding spiritual redemption. When we cry out to G-d [about our spiritual afflictions], He hears us. We are then liberated from [spiritual] Egypt.

In summary: The word “generation” refers to a measure of man as well as a measure of time. The greatest Torah geniuses, like the most simple folk, are obligated to feel that they personally departed from Egypt. Liberation from Egypt came after “we cried out to the L-rd, the G-d of our fathers.”