Our Torah portion today recounts the last three of the ten plagues inflicted on the land of Mitzrayim: locusts, darkness, and the death of firstborns. It also details the commandments regarding the Passover festival and includes the Israelites’ departure from Mitzrayim after the final plague.

After the final plague, the death of firstborns, Pharaoh orders the Israelites to leave Mitzrayim. At this point, the Torah reads:

וְגַם־עֵ֥רֶב רַ֖ב עָלָ֣ה אִתָּ֑ם וְצֹ֣אן וּבָקָ֔ר מִקְנֶ֖ה כָּבֵ֥ד מְאֹֽד׃
וַיֹּאפ֨וּ אֶת־הַבָּצֵ֜ק אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹצִ֧יאוּ מִמִּצְרַ֛יִם עֻגֹ֥ת מַצּ֖וֹת כִּ֣י לֹ֣א חָמֵ֑ץ כִּֽי־גֹרְשׁ֣וּ מִמִּצְרַ֗יִם וְלֹ֤א יָֽכְלוּ֙ לְהִתְמַהְמֵ֔הַּ וְגַם־צֵדָ֖ה לֹא־עָשׂ֥וּ לָהֶֽם׃

The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand fighting men on foot, aside from noncombatants. Moreover, a mixed multitude went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had taken out of Mitzrayim, for it was not leavened, since they had been driven out of Mitzrayim and could not delay; nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. (Ex. 12:37-39)

I want to focus today on a single line from these verses: ״עֵ֥רֶב רַ֖ב עָלָ֣ה אִתָּ֑ם״ / “a mixed multitude went up with them.” We can interpret the phrase “mixed multitude” as meaning “a diverse group of people.” Essentially, in these verses, the Torah is saying that a large company of diverse people, both Israelites and non-Israelites, escaped Mitzrayim together.

According to the Zohar, a Jewish mystical text, the name Mitzrayim is derived from the word m’tzarim, which means “narrow place.” Therefore, Mitzrayim is a place or state of restricted opportunities, tight control, and narrow-mindedness. It is from this narrow place that the mixed multitude fled to freedom.

We often focus solely on the Israelites’ oppression under Pharaoh’s rule and their escape from Mitzrayim. However, we can assume – from Pharaoh’s obstinance and continued tyranny in the face of a series of devastating plagues and from the people of Mitzrayim’s high esteem of Moses (Ex. 11:3) – that it was not only the Israelites who were oppressed by Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s harshness and hardness of heart was unlikely to have been limited to a single portion of the population he ruled. It is much more likely that his tyranny pervaded his rule and impacted many of his subjects, both Israelites and non-Israelites. Moreover, the people of Mitzrayim’s high esteem of Moses, who was both an Israelite and a former prince of Mitzrayim (Ex. 2:10), may have stemmed from them seeing him as a leader they admired and from a longing for him to help them resist and escape the oppression that they, too, were experiencing under Pharaoh’s harsh rule.

I want to pause here for a moment and talk briefly about the concept of privilege. Privilege is an unearned, automatic advantage received as a result of social structures, historical power dynamics, and societal norms. It is inextricably linked with systems of power and oppression and is not a result of personal effort or merit. Privilege is intertwined with aspects of our identity, such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, culture, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, age, ability, level of education, and others. Privilege does not mean our life has been without challenges, and it does not mean we haven’t worked hard. Instead, it means that certain systemic barriers are not present in our life. In some areas, we have privilege. In others, we lack privilege. Furthermore, privilege is relative, and the ways in which we have or lack privilege can change over time and in different contexts. Having privilege is morally neutral. It is our actions – what we choose to do with our privilege and power – that are morally significant.

Returning to our Torah portion and the escape of the Israelites and a mixed multitude from Mitzrayim, we can see that the Israelites had both means and privilege to escape from Mitzrayim.

דַּבֶּר־נָ֖א בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וְיִשְׁאֲל֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ ׀ מֵאֵ֣ת רֵעֵ֗הוּ וְאִשָּׁה֙ מֵאֵ֣ת רְעוּתָ֔הּ כְּלֵי־כֶ֖סֶף וּכְלֵ֥י זָהָֽב׃
וַיִּתֵּ֧ן יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־חֵ֥ן הָעָ֖ם בְּעֵינֵ֣י מִצְרָ֑יִם גַּ֣ם ׀ הָאִ֣ישׁ מֹשֶׁ֗ה גָּד֤וֹל מְאֹד֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּעֵינֵ֥י עַבְדֵֽי־פַרְעֹ֖ה וּבְעֵינֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃

[Adonai said to Moses], “Tell the people to borrow, each man from his neighbor and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold.” Adonai disposed the people of Mitzrayim favorably toward the people. Moreover, Moses himself was much esteemed in the land of Mitzrayim, among Pharaoh’s courtiers and among the people. (Ex. 11:2-3)

The Israelites had a deity who guided them and who facilitated both the acquisition of goods and the opportunity to leave via miraculous plagues and making the wealthier people of Mitzrayim predisposed to give the Israelites precious metals and clothing (Ex. 11:2-3; Ex. 12:35-36). These privileges were not the result of the Israelites’ personal effort or merit but rather because of identity and circumstance. This is not a judgment, but rather a statement of fact. What is important is what the Israelites did with these privileges.

In Exodus 12:38, with the reference to “a mixed multitude” leaving Mitzrayim with the Israelites, we see how the Israelites used their privilege not only to escape the oppression they were facing but also to help others – regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, culture, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, age, ability, level of education, or any other category we so often use to draw lines between “us” and “them” – escape oppression, too. Together, they all – the Israelites and the mixed multitude – found their way to freedom.

This narrative highlights the Jewish values of diversity, acceptance, belonging, and justice. In the Torah, we are frequently commanded to notice and provide for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. These commandments underscore the importance of being aware of and responding to the needs of our fellow humans, even if they are different from us, and especially those who are most marginalized and vulnerable. Our Torah portion today extends this theme by emphasizing the importance of recognizing our own power and privilege and using it to help others, even if they are different from us. It is only by joining hands and working together that we can overcome tyranny and oppression and free all people from the Mitzrayims – from the narrow places – of the world.

May we all be blessed with the strength, courage, and humility to reflect on our privilege and power and to do the important work of using our privilege and power to care for one another and fight to abolish tyranny and oppression.

Shabbat Shalom.