שמות, פרק ב׳, פסוק כ״ג

A profound historical turning point emerges from the deep darkness of Egyptian bondage. Decades of continuous suffering had passed, bridging a massive span of time that corresponds to Moses' long exile in Midian, from his youthful escape until he reached the age of eighty [רמב״ן, רשב״ם, ספורנו, הטור הארוך, קאסוטו]. To the Israelites, this era felt unimaginably prolonged, as days filled with sorrow, oppression, and slavery are always perceived as endless [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, פרדס יוסף, חזקוני].

During this dark era, the king of Egypt died. The primary approach among commentators is that the monarch literally passed away, an event that safely paved the way for Moses to return from exile since the men seeking his life were no longer alive [רשב״ם, ספורנו, קאסוטו]. However, this transition of power brought no relief to the enslaved Israelites. They had hoped the death of the tyrant would bring about a customary cancellation of harsh decrees and the release of prisoners. When they realized the new ruler was continuing and even worsening the cruelty, their spirits were crushed, and they believed they were doomed to eternal servitude [רמב״ן, חזקוני, הדר זקנים, ריב״א, ביאור יש״ר]. Conversely, another perspective suggests the king did not actually die but was struck with severe leprosy, a condition equated with death. Seeking a cure, his physicians instructed him to slaughter one hundred and fifty Israelite infants each morning and evening so he could bathe in their blood. It was this horrific escalation of cruelty that truly shattered the people and provoked their outcry [רש״י, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה, פני דוד].

The Israelites' reaction to their deteriorating circumstances unfolded in three profound stages of grief. First, they experienced a deep internal breaking, expressing their utter despair through heavy sighs [כלי יקר, צרור המור, רש״ר הירש, רבינו חננאל]. Some suggest that the national day of mourning for the king inadvertently granted the Israelites a rare pause from their daily toil, providing them a moment to gather, reflect on their bitter reality, and sigh [העמק דבר, שד״ל, מלבי״ם]. This internal sorrow soon erupted into a vocal cry, an expression of intense physical and emotional agony akin to the wail of a beaten and wounded individual [ספורנו, אור החיים, אלשיך]. Finally, this raw pain transformed into a genuine supplication, an intentional call directed upward, seeking God's intervention and salvation [אור החיים, צרור המור, אלשיך].

This desperate plea stemmed directly from the agonizing physical pain of their hard labor, rather than from a state of complete repentance or a formalized prayer [ספורנו, העמק דבר]. Yet, precisely because it erupted from such profound distress and confinement, the prayer ascended directly to God without any intermediaries and was received with favor [אור החיים, רבינו בחיי]. Another view posits that the Israelites were terrified to publicly mourn the slaughtered infants for fear of angering their oppressors. To mask their true grief, they disguised their wailing, claiming they were crying out from the strain of their labor or merely participating in the national mourning for the king [כלי יקר, מלבי״ם, דברי דוד]. Ultimately, even though the cry was largely born of physical agony rather than perfect faith, God listened. He responded not because of the people's merits, but out of deep mercy for their suffering, outrage at the Egyptians' cruelty, and in honor of His covenant with the Patriarchs [ספורנו, כלי יקר, רלב״ג]. This raw plea from the depths of bondage became the catalyst that set the entire process of redemption into motion [חומש קה״ת, ביאור יש״ר].