Why is it implied and taught that those who rebelled against Moses and God wanted to return to their former status as slaves in Egypt so they might sit by the fleshpots etc.? These people were brazen enough to challenge Moses and God. They had witnessed the defeat of Pharaoh, the elite of his army and chariot corps. They had frightened the Egyptian people into handing over their gold and jewels. In my reckoning they were not the type of people who when they had the upper hand would take orders from a defeated people. It seems to me they desired to return to Egypt so they could rule. Please tell me if I am wrong and if so why? Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you for your really interesting and original question. All I can do is to make a couple of suggestions.

1) It seems to me that Israel is incredibly successful, beyond the bounds of nature, when G-d is on our side. On the other hand, if he is not helping us, we are not going to be successful. This is what it means in Deuteronomy:

1:26 You did not want to go up (to Israel), and you rebelled against the word of G-d.

1:42-43 G-d said to me, “Say to them, ‘Don’t go up and don’t battle, for I am not with you . . .’” I spoke to you and you did not listen, and you rebelled against the word of G-d . . .

There’s no difference: If we refuse to go when G-d is with us, or if we decide to go when he is not – both are rejections of G-d’s sovereignty. He runs the world, and all our success is through him. So I’m not sure that the Jewish People would have expected to be able to beat Egypt, operating on their own. They certainly had had no active role to play at all in Egypt’s subjugation. Of course, these weren’t showing much faith right then – perhaps they were totally confused.

2) My second point is a little more subtle. Different nations represent different types of lives, different kinds of focus and purpose. For instance, I live in the United States. The US accepts people from many nations, but ultimately they are supposed to become Americans (the “melting pot”). America conquered the Indians, and it doesn’t even make sense anymore to suggest that their lands be given back – their culture basically no longer exists.

Lots of countries have done this in reverse as well. I remember hearing that China traditionally would “conquer its conquerors”; the emperor would change, but the conquerors would shortly be as Chinese as anyone. Anyhow, this is how I heard my Teacher of Blessed Memory understand the words in the Passover Hagadah: “If G-d had not taken us out, we and our children and grandchildren would all be slaves in Egypt still.” To go live there was to be subject to the physicality and idol worship of that nation; that’s the kind of place it was. It didn’t matter if they were lowly slaves or exalted ones; Egypt would have swallowed them either way.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach