"…Who took you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery." (20:2)

The division between the words 'from the land of Egypt" and from the house of slavery" may also be deliberate, i.e. the first expression refers to the Exodus which has already taken place, while the last expression refers to the liberation in the future when the Messiah will arrive.

The words "who has taken you out of Egypt" also provide the answer to the question why G-d did not simply replace the Egyptians in Egypt with the Jews and establish us as the rulers in that land. Why was it necessary to leave the land, to travel through the desert, etc.? Surely the Israelites would have derived greater satisfaction from such a solution to their problems than to have to march to Canaan and there to dispossess a people which had never done them any harm. Moreover, it would have demonstrated G-d's power if He dispossessed the Egyptians of their land!

G-d explained that inasmuch as the very land of Egypt was a house of bondage, this would not have been appropriate. We read in Deut. 32,8: "when the Supreme G-d handed out the inheritance of the various nations, He established boundaries for the peoples in relation to Israel's numbers." The Zohar volume 1 page 108 comments that G-d handed out certain places on earth to the guardian angels of the various nations, and that the only land He did not assign to such guardian angels was the land of Canaan. G-d had reserved the land of Canaan for Himself.

The Torah says 'house of slavery,' describing the place as one assigned to one of G-d's servants (the guardian angel of Egypt). G-d did not want for the Jewish people to live in a homeland which "belonged" to the guardian angel of the Egyptians. He wanted the Israelites to reside in a country which was directly under His personal guidance.

An essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter

(W:17-62/Yitro )

Mount Sinai! The most important revelation of G-d-the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. Yet the very first word of the very first commandment (20/2), "Anochi"--I am G-d--is from the Egyptian language (Tanchuma, Yitro, 17)! This is very hard to understand. The Ten Commandments are the basis of the entire Torah. The first two commandments, "I am your G-d" and "You should have no other G-d", stand out from the rest, because they were heard directly by the Jewish people, "from the Mouth of the Almighty" (Sh'lah). And of these two, the first stands out even more, as it contains the word relating to the absolute essence of the Almighty--Anochi--which we are told is an Egyptian word!

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the solution to this puzzlement is in understanding the purpose of the revelation on Mt. Sinai. The Torah was not given to protect the sanctity of the Hebrew language. If this were the case, we would not have needed all of the drama. The reason why G-d came down on Mt. Sinai was to give the Jewish people the power to make holy and elevate the most lowly material things-even the language of Egypt.

Torah was not introduced on Mt. Sinai. Nor was sanctity invented there. The purpose of this eternal event was to connect holiness and sanctity, with physical reality-to make it possible to transform and elevate those things most distant from the world of Jewish life. Because this was the true purpose of Mt. Sinai, it was essential that it be expressed in the immediate opening word of the Ten Commandments. It was this first word that would give the strength for the lowest things, as represented by using the Egyptian language, to be elevated to G-dliness.

Let us explain this more clearly. G-d is telling us the way to Him is a journey that specifically passes through the lowly and material. A life immersed in physicality is not a liability, but rather an asset, if you realize your purpose is to elevate the material, and you make sure to follow the Torah's instructions. On the other hand, all of a person's involvement in Torah and prayer will only provide access to limited levels of spiritual growth. If one wishes to reach the apex, it is only through the descent to "Egypt"-going into the world, to elevate those physical things, which are distant from holiness.

This is a message for everyone, in every situation. Twenty-six years ago I heard Rabbi Meir Fund express this concept in a different way, explaining it to hundreds of people who were just beginning to become interested in Judaism. 'The observant community is struggling', he said. 'Over the last few decades it has become increasingly apparent that there are ingredients missing, ingredients necessary for the survival of the Jewish people.' He looked at the crowd, 'You are the army that G-d has sent into the secular world, to learn certain professions or skills, it could be in media or technology, to learn certain passions or sensitivities, which could be a love for humanity or a hatred for injustice, and to return with them to the traditional Jewish community to bring these ingredients where they are lacking.' He summarized it all, 'Your role is crucial. Never forget that every experience you had is important not just for your own tshuvah process, but for what it brings to the Jewish world.'

It is only when a person is involved in the physical according to the guidelines of Torah that he or she can reach the Infinite, and with that to the true purpose of the creation and what it means to be a Jew. This is the meaning of, "In all your ways you shall know G-d" (Proverbs, 3/6). Every aspect of one's life has to reveal holiness. Parshas Yitro teaches us that this concept is no side issue, but rather a main point of the Torah. Through this a person will be able to fulfill his or her ultimate purpose of truly connecting to G-d and to succeed in hastening the arrival of Mashiach.

Shabbat Shalom!