Pesach: A Nation Both Ugly and Beautiful

The Poor Palace Dweller

A visitor once arrived in a city and was immediately struck by a curious sight: a grand residence, standing tall in the finest part of town, yet clearly in decline. The mansion’s once-pristine grounds were now overtaken by wild weeds, and the trees, if one could call them trees, appeared to be hanging on by a thread. The windows, many cracked or missing altogether, were hastily stuffed with rags to fend off the wind and cold.

Naturally, the visitor approached a local to inquire about this oddity.

"Ah," said the local, "that house belongs to a man who inherited it from his wealthy ancestors. The house should be magnificent, but alas, he lacks the means to keep it up. It’s a sad story."

The visitor, still intrigued, pressed further. "What about the man himself?"

"Well," the local replied with a knowing smile, "you’ll find him inside, wearing an expensive suit—one his father bought for him when he got married—but his shoes are nothing but rags."

The Israelites in Egypt

In the Song of Songs, the shepherdess describes herself with striking words: "I am dark but comely" (Song of Songs 1:5). Dark, but beautiful? How could that be?

The Midrash explains: "I am dark in my own actions, but comely in the deeds of my forefathers."

This paradox captures the essence of the Israelites in Egypt. They were a people caught between two extremes—both flawed and elevated. On one hand, they carried with them the great qualities of their forefathers, the righteous Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose virtues were passed down to them. On the other, they were spiritually bankrupt, the effects of centuries of slavery in a foreign land evident in their actions and hearts.

A people, in many ways, like the palace-dweller: rich in inheritance, but destitute in present action.

 (Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 319-320)