שמות, פרק ה׳, פסוק ג׳

Following Pharaoh's initial stubborn refusal to recognize the explicit Name of God, Moses and Aaron strategically shift their approach. They transition from issuing a divine command to making a modest request, framing their appeal in language the Egyptian king can understand and potentially accept [מלבי״ם, קאסוטו, רש״ר הירש, ברכת אשר, ביאור שטיינזלץ, רבנו בחיי]. Instead of invoking God's ineffable Name, they refer to Him as the God of the Hebrews. While Pharaoh was unfamiliar with the explicit Name, he was well aware of the Hebrews and the storied legacy of their ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph—who were known as extraordinary individuals possessing the divine spirit [רמב״ן, אבן עזרא, ספורנו, רבנו בחיי, ביאור יש״ר, חזקוני]. Furthermore, by deliberately referring to the people as "Hebrews" rather than "Israel," Moses and Aaron emphasize the common, lowly status of the masses rather than an elevated spiritual rank. This clarifies to Pharaoh that the requested departure includes the entire nation, not merely its leadership [רשב״ם, העמק דבר].

Moses and Aaron explain that their God has revealed Himself to them, yet they carefully phrase this encounter in a diminished, unassuming manner to avoid sounding boastful before the ruler of Egypt [אבן עזרא, רבנו בחיי, ביאור שטיינזלץ, הכתב והקבלה, קאסוטו]. They ask for permission to travel a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices. The necessity of venturing into the desert, rather than sacrificing within Egypt, stems from the local culture: sheep were revered as Egyptian deities, and slaughtering them publicly would have incited the locals to stone the Israelites [ריב״א, הדר זקנים, דעת זקנים]. The specific request for a mere three-day leave serves multiple underlying purposes. Primarily, it is designed to expose Pharaoh's deep-seated cruelty. Because he refuses to grant his slaves even a brief respite after two hundred and ten years of bitter labor, his ultimate punishment through the impending plagues becomes entirely justified [חומש קה״ת]. Additionally, framing the departure as a temporary journey later enables the Israelites to borrow silver and gold vessels from the Egyptians, who fully expect their return [הטור הארוך, הדר זקנים].

To underscore the urgency of their request, Moses and Aaron warn of dire consequences if they fail to offer their sacrifices, cautioning that God might strike them with pestilence or the sword. This warning alludes to the deeper spiritual mechanism of sacrifices, which act as a protective ransom against strict divine retribution [רמב״ן, רבנו בחיי]. Commentators offer various perspectives on the true target of this threat. One approach suggests that the warning was actually directed at Pharaoh—implying that God would strike the king himself—but the prophets respectfully redirected the phrasing toward themselves to preserve the honor of the monarchy [רש״י, רמב״ן, הטור הארוך, ריב״א, רלב״ג]. Another perspective views the warning as a universal danger: if divine anger is unleashed, plagues or war will not only afflict the Israelites but will cause catastrophic collateral damage throughout Egypt, making it in Pharaoh's best interest to comply [אבן עזרא, ספורנו, שד״ל, מלבי״ם, רש״ר הירש, ביאור יש״ר, אבן עזרא הקצר]. A third approach presents a purely pragmatic economic argument to the king: if the Israelites are denied their religious duty and subsequently perish, Pharaoh will permanently lose his entire labor force. Therefore, granting a three-day leave is far more logical than risking a total loss of his slaves [אור החיים, בכור שור, חזקוני, מלבי״ם].

Interestingly, this explicit threat of punishment was not part of God's original instruction to Moses and Aaron. Some scholars assert that the brothers introduced this warning on their own initiative as a rhetorical tactic to persuade the stubborn king [העמק דבר, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others, however, suggest that the impending danger was already subtly encoded in the very word they used to describe God's revelation to them, a term that simultaneously carries the dual meaning of a divine encounter and a sudden, harmful strike [רמב״ן, רבנו בחיי].