Tell the people to borrow, each man from his neighbor and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold.”

Since the last topic discussed in the Gemara revolved around the exodus from Egypt, the Gemara cites additional aggadic midrash on that subject. With regard to the verse: “Speak, please [na] in the ears of the people, and they should borrow, every man from his fellow and every woman from her fellow, silver and gold vessels” (Exodus 11:2), the word please [na] is unclear. The students of the school of Rabbi Yannai said: Please [na] is nothing more than an expression of supplication. Why would God employ an expression of supplication in approaching Israel? The Gemara explains that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: I beseech you, go and tell Israel: I beseech you; borrow vessels of silver and vessels of gold from the Egyptians in order to fulfill the promise I made to Abraham in the “Covenant between the Pieces,” so that

Speak to them about this. . . You might ask: Since Hashem told it to Moshe, is it not obvious that he will tell it to B’nei Yisrael? The answer is: Moshe did not intend to instruct them about this because [if they fail to return the borrowed items] it will be like holding stolen property. However, Hashem considered it as having received wages for their work (Sanhedrin 91a). Another answer: [Moshe was concerned that] the Egyptians will be troubled by the loss of their property and will chase after them. Therefore, Moshe needed to be told to instruct them.

The Gemara relates: On another occasion, the people of Egypt came to judgment with the Jewish people before Alexander of Macedon. The Egyptian people said to Alexander: It says in the Torah: “And the Lord gave the people favor in the eyes of Egypt, and they lent them” (Exodus 12:36). Give us the silver and gold that you took from us; you claimed that you were borrowing it and you never returned it. Geviha ben Pesisa said to the Sages: Give me permission and I will go and deliberate with them before Alexander of Macedon. If they will defeat me, say to them: You have defeated an ordinary person from among us, and until you overcome our Sages, it is no victory. And if I will defeat them, say to them: The Torah of Moses, our teacher, defeated you, and attribute no significance to me. The Sages gave him permission, and he went and deliberated with them. Geviha ben Pesisa said to them: From where are you citing proof that you are entitled to the silver and gold? They said to him: From the Torah. Geviha ben Pesisa said to them: I too will cite proof to you only from the Torah, as it is stated: “And the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years” (Exodus 12:40), during which they were enslaved to Egypt, engaged in hard manual labor. Give us the wages for the work performed by the 600,000 men above the age of twenty (see Exodus 12:37) whom you enslaved in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years.Alexander of Macedon said to the people of Egypt: Provide Geviha ben Pesisa with a response to his claims. They said to him: Give us time; give us three days to consider the matter. The emperor gave them the requested time and they examined the matter and did not find a response to the claims. Immediately, they abandoned their fields when they were sown and their vineyards when they were planted, and fled. The Gemara adds: And that year was a Sabbatical Year.

ושאלה אשה משכנתה, there can be no question that G’d would condone deceiving people into thinking that one borrows from them while not intending to return the “borrowed” objects. The meaning of the word ושאלה is not “she shall borrow,” but “she shall request as a gift.” We find the root שאל used in that sense in Judges 8,24 when Gideon asks the people who wanted to appoint him as king for something else instead. I quote: אשאלה מכם שאלה ותנו לי איש נזם שללו, “I request from you only one thing, that each one of you give me one nose-ring of the loot you captured, etc.” We also find the word שאל used as a request for a gift when Bat Shva relates this request to her son King Solomon in the name of Adoniah, Solomon’s half brother in Kings I 2,20-21. She said:שאלה אחת קטנה אנכי שואלת מאתך, יותן את אבישג השונמית וגו', “I have a small request from you; Avishag the Shunamite be given as a wife etc.” [clearly this woman was not going to be “on loan” to Adoniah. Ed.] The reason the Torah phrased it as ושאלה אשה משכנתה, when it could have written in general terms ושאל איש מאת מצרי, “let everyone request from an Egyptian, etc.,” was simply that if even the women would give gifts to the departing Israelites there was no need to mention that the men would do likewise. This sort of reasoning is found in Isaiah 33,23 where the lame are mentioned as helping themselves to loot. Need the prophet add that the healthy people did the same?

AND OF HER THAT SOJOURNETH IN HER HOUSE. For the Israelites owned land.Some complain and say that our ancestors were thieves. Can’t these murmurers see that this was a command from on high? There is no sense in asking why? God created everything. He gives riches to whom He desires to give it, and when He wishes to, He takes the very same riches away. There is no evil in this, as everything is His.