Why did Moses tell Pharaoh he only wanted to stay three days in the desert with the people, instead of telling him outright he would leave Egypt forever? Didn’t he have the full power and mandate of the Creator behind him? Why deceive Pharaoh?”
Answers already received:
– it was done for Israel´s sake, to prove them Pharaoh would keep them forever if they didn’t help themselves (if Pharaoh refused to let them go even for as little as three days, well…);
– it was part of the entrapment that led Paraoh´s army to drown (without the three-day waiting period, Pharaoh might have pursued them too fast or not as fast as he should).
I was trying to connect the three days mentioned by Moses to other three-day periods, but got nowhere. Plus, the question of not announcing a definitive departure is really nagging.
This is a very hard question! I’d like to try to answer, to tell you my understanding of it, but I’ve found I just can’t do it briefly – hope you won’t mind. There are half-a-dozen points that are needed, and every one of them requires explanation and justification.
You asked me, Why did Moses deceive Pharaoh? You yourself suggested a good number of reasons why he would do what he did, so I’m not going to answer what you actually asked. But I disagree with something you assumed: There was actually no deception in what Moses said. I expect that that will satisfy you, if it were true, but it’s going to take some considerable justification.
Let me state the main points first, so you can follow where I’m going, and then I’ll expand on them.
- Three repetitions of anything new in the Torah means, a complete shift to a new system. Three days out of Egypt means, a total separation, completely out of its jurisdiction.
- The rules of property ownership are different for nations than the way we understand them for individuals. Though Israel was Egypt’s “property” as their slaves, they were free men the minute they were out of Egypt’s jurisdiction.
- The rules of agreements are also different. Obligations that would be implied in agreements between individuals often have no meaning at all between nations.
- Moses said they were to leave for three days. He never said they would come back. Usually such a statement carries a clear implication to come back, but not here.
- Thus, Moses was actually saying to Pharaoh, You must let us get completely out of your control. It will be entirely up to us whether to return or leave.
- Pharaoh understood this perfectly well. Though he hoped they would have no choice but to return, or that he could bring them back by force, he knew that letting them go was running the risk of losing them.
Long version with explanations:
1. I’m going to bring very many verses in the Torah that illustrate the idea of a three-time repetition. I’m not sure of all of them; many of them I think you may well be right to question. Still, the theme is a true one, and may actually shed light on a lot of these verses themselves.
Genesis 24(4) – On the third day, Avraham lifted up his eyes… (the Akeidah)
Genesis 29(34) – This time, my husband will be attached to me, for I have borne him three sons.
Genesis 30(36) – He (Lavan) placed three days journey between his flocks and Jacob’s.
Genesis 31(2) – Jacob saw Lavan’s face, and it was different from “t’mol shilshom” – the day before and the third day (the day before that). (This phrase is used many times in the Torah to indicate a significant change.)
Genesis 31(22) – It was told to Lavan on the third day that Jacob had fled.
Genesis 32(20) – (Jacob) so commanded the second group, and so the third group…
Genesis 34(25) – It was on the third day (from their circumcisions) when they were in pain…
Genesis 40(18) – The three baskets represent three days.
Genesis 42(17) – He put them into prison for three days.
Exodus 2(2) – She hid him for three months.
Exodus 5(14) – Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks as of until several days ago (t’mol shilshom), neither yesterday nor today?
The plague of darkness was for three days.
Exodus 15(22) – They walked in the desert for three days, and found no water.
Exodus 19(1) – On the third month from leaving Egypt, on that day they came to Mount Sinai.
Exodus 19(15) – Prepare yourselves for three days…
Exodus 21(29) – If it was a goring cow from before (t’mol shilshom)…
Exodus 22(17) – Three times in the year shall each man present himself before G-d…
Leviticus 19(23) – For three years shall the fruits be blocked off; they may not be eaten.
Numbers 10(33) – They traveled from the Mountain of G-d for three days…and the ark of G-d’s covenant traveled before them three days’ journey…
Numbers 22(28) – What have I done to you, that you hit me three times?
And three times Bil’am tried to curse Israel.
Deuteronomy 4(9) – You should make these laws known, to your son, and to your granson. (So too Isaiah 59(21) – My spirit which is on you, and my words which I placed in your mouth, shall not leave your mouth, nor your children’s mouths, nor your grandchildren’s mouths, from now and forever.)
Deuteronomy 4(42) – If he did not have a history of hating him (t’mol shilshom).
Deuteronomy 14(28) – By the end of three years, all tithes must be cleared out from the house and delivered.
Deuteronomy 17(6) – By the voice of two witness, or three witnesses, shall the defendant die.
Deuteronomy 23(9) – Children born to them after three generations may come into the congregation of G-d.
And Isaiah 6(3) – Holy, holy, holy is the G-d of hosts; the world is filled with his glory. (The Kuzari says that this means the recital continues forever.)
And in Ecclesiastes – A third-fold cord is not easily broken.
As I said, lots to argue about, but I think it’s a fascinating list!
2. The idea of property rights in the Torah is built around the beis din, the Jewish (or non-Jewish) court. If I grab your thing, they will give it back to you against my will. With nations, no such idea exists, because there is no “World court” to force offenders to comply. (Of course, even today this is largely true.) Thus, when one nation has taken something from another in their past history, it is more-or-less a lawyer’s game to suggest that they have to give it back. Power governs such interactions much more than law, and the Torah understands that.
Thus, even in a world where slavery was the norm, and if a slave would run away, the court would very likely help to bring him back, this was only between individuals. Israel may have been slaves to Egypt, but Egypt didn’t “own” them in any relevant sense. They only controlled them. The minute Israel would be out of their control, they would have no moral obligation to go back.
I’m speaking here of the monetary aspect. Next I’ll talk about keeping one’s word.
3. A similar idea applies to treaties. Since there is no court, agreements between nations are different than between individuals. While nations can make covenants with one other (pacts), that is because each of them gains something. An agreement for a nation to do something which is completely unilateral, where only the other nation gains, makes no legal sense. If they want to, fine. But the other nation has no claim on them that they have obligated themselves. That only works where there’s a court.
4. While Moses and G-d many times mentioned going into the desert for three days, they never once said the words “and return”. Let me give you two cases that illustrate that there is no implication of that here. (a) Could I borrow your hatchet? I need it for three days. – Here there is a clear implication that after three days my rights as a borrower end, and I would have no business holding on to it. It’s yours, after all. (b) I’m planning to going on a three-day hike tomorrow. What am I bringing? Well, I guess I’ll take my hatchet…
The second case is maybe an exaggerated example, but you see clearly there that there is no implication at all that he will bring the hatchet back. It is none of the asker’s business what he does with the hatchet after the three days.
5. So the point I’m trying to make: Moses was telling Pharaoh that they were going to go to a place where it was understood that they were completely (three days) out of Egypt. They didn’t belong to Egypt in any real sense, and there was no pact that would cause them to return. Moses was demanding of Pharaoh that they be allowed to move to a situation where he had no further hold on them. There was no automatic implication that they will return to his control – it’s not his hatchet anymore!
6. It is clear from the Torah that Pharaoh understood this perfectly. Listen to what he tried to do:
Exodus 6(21) Go, sacrifice to your G-d inside the land (in Egypt).
Exodus 10(8) Who will be the ones to go? Moses said, our old and our young, our children and our cattle… He said, (do you think) I would let your children go? Let the grownups go, if that’s what you want…
Exodus 10(24) Just leave your animals behind, even your children may go…(Moses said) We must take all our animals, not leave behind one hoof…we don’t know all what we’ll need to serve with till we get there…Pharaoh said, leave me, never see my face again!
Exodus 12(31) Pharaoh called to Moses and Aharon by night…go, serve G-d as you said…take all your animals as you said.
Pharaoh tried very hard to hold hostages! He didn’t believe in World Courts (except for himself) and didn’t make a single attempt to get Moses to make statements or promises that he knew would be irrelevant. He knew that once they left, they might come back if they wanted (or had nowhere to go), or he could try to get them back by force, but he would never have any further moral claim on them.
As I warned, I’ve been very lengthy, but I hope it is helpful.
Best wishes,
Michoel Reach