ירמיהו, פרק ל״ד, פסוק י״ג

The foundational agreement forged between God and the Israelites at the birth of their nation serves as the focal point of a sharp prophetic rebuke. This historical moment highlights a deep moral contradiction: a people once liberated from slavery are now enslaving their own peers.

The mention of the Exodus period does not point to a single, specific day, but rather to the general era when the Israelites left Egypt [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that this foundational agreement took place at Mount Sinai, where God established a covenant with the nation to observe the Torah and all its commandments [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond the broad acceptance of the Torah, the reminder that they were taken out of a house of slaves carries a direct moral message for their immediate situation. God reminds the nation that just as He redeemed them from bondage and led them to freedom, He expects them to apply that same standard and refrain from enslaving their fellow Israelites [מלבי״ם].

Because of this, the ancient covenant is specifically tied to the commandment to release Hebrew slaves at the start of their seventh year of service. The prophet invokes this agreement because previous generations violated it, and the current generation is repeating the exact same offense. They had initially committed to setting their slaves free, but they broke their promise and forced them back into servitude [אברבנאל].