The Jewish people did not tarry out of greed. They were fulfilling G‑d’s commandment to empty Egypt of its wealth. The spiritual dimension of this directive was to salvage all the potentials of holiness present in this wealth.
From this we learn two lessons: First, once we know what our Divine mission in life is, we must be so devoted to it that doing anything else seems unthinkable. On the other hand, as soon as it is clear that it is time to change direction, we must not hesitate. We should apply ourselves to our new mission with the same enthusiasm we gave to our previous mission.
Second, just as the Jews did not want to leave a single piece of Egyptian wealth unelevated, we should desire to bring every last individual closer to G‑d. Until we receive a clear directive to focus on something else, we must view every individual estranged from G‑d as a priceless pearl waiting to be redeemed from Egypt.1
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