We are adjured in our Parasha:(18:3-5):
Do not perform the practice of the land of Egypt in which you dwelt; and do not perform the practice of the land of Canaan to which I bring you, and do not follow their traditions. Carry out My laws and safeguard My decrees to follow. Then; I am Hashem, your G-d. You shall observe My decrees and My laws, which man shall carry out and by which he shall live - I am Hashem.’
Rashi brings the commentary of the Torat Kohanim:
The deeds of the Egyptians and the Canaanites were more corrupt than those of all other nations, and moreover, the Egyptians residing in that region in which the Israelites had dwelt, were the most corrupt of all.
Those Canaanite peoples that the. Israetlites conquered, were more corrupt than any other people.
The Maharal comments:
It seems to me that the Torah here comes to teach us that because of lofty level of Bnei Israel, these types of corrupt deeds are not appropriate to them, as we learn from Hashem taking Bnei Israel out of Egypt, this because it was not appropriate for them to be together , as the Egyptians were steeped in immorality, whilst - as we read - Bnei Israel guarded themselves in pure sanctity.
So too, the Canaanites, whom Bnei Israel dispossessed, and sat in their space, were also full of disgusting acts of immorality, the opposite of Bnei Israel, who guarded themselves against immorality, and therefore sat in their place, in the holy land, which does not tolerate such deeds.
It was therefore not proper for Bnei Israel to do such deeds, which were so foreign to them, and which - should they do them - would spoil their level, and not bear the name ‘Israel’.
Rav David Pardo, notes a seeming contradiction, in the Torat Kohanim, that Rashi brings:
The Midrash we brought, concludes:’The Canaanites were more corrupt than any other people’- including, we would understand, the Egyptians.
Yet, we find the same ‘accolade’, at the beginning of that Midrash- as we brought - concerning the venality of the Egyptians, who, we read:’were the most corrupt of all’ - and this after previously mentioning, that ‘the deeds.. of these two nations were more corrupt than the those of all other nations.’
How are we to reconcile these statements: Were the Egyptians, or were the Canaanites, the most corrupt people of all?
The answer seems to me, that the corrupt deeds of these two nations, were not the same: in one respect, the venality of the Egyptians surpassed even that of the Canaanites: in immorality and improper relations.
In a different area, the venality of the Canaanites exceeded that of the Egyptians: that of idolatry and sorcery, where - though the Egyptians also were adept in them - the Canaanites surpassed them.
Rav Zalman Sirotzkin expounds on the phrase ’’In which you dwelt’:
Simply stated, a nomadic people who moved from place to place, behaves either as the people from which they left, or, in the ways of the people to which they came.
‘But you shall not do so:’ Do not perform the practices of the land of Egypt in which you dwelt…and do not perform the practices of the land of Canaan to which I bring you.
Further, Hashem commanded, it should not cross your mind that Bnei Israel would behave ‘in the manner of Egypt’, as the locals did - that changed to turn their noble guests whom they themselves had invited to settle in their land, and whose brother - Yosef - saved the entire nation from starvation, and greatly enriched them, into their tormented slaves, and whose children they cast into the river.
It was not necessary to say this on the earlier generations, but on Egypt ‘in which you dwelt’ - in peace, as befitted the brothers of the viceroy, and whom Pharoah had commanded:’In the choicest part of the land, settle your father, and your brothers’; but even in the ways of the Egyptians of that generation, before the advent of the ‘new king who did not know Yosef’, who made Bnei Israel unwanted aliens and slaves - do not do, as they were already steeped in immorality (as we learn that Potiphar purchased Yosef to lie with him, and his wife cast her eyes on the righteous Yosef), and performed all the abominable acts of sorcery that are related, later in the parsha.
The Rav brings the intriguing teaching of the Torat Kohanim, that ‘these acts resulted from the presence of Bnei Israel, in the land of Egypt’.
Asks the Rav:
This seems surprising, as we have learned that Bnei Israel in Egypt guarded themselves from immorality, so how could they have been the cause of the abominable deeds of their ‘hosts’?
Further, our Sages teach that Yosef, when he descended to Egypt, guarded himself from immorality, and, this led to all of Bnei Israel doing likewise, in his example.
It therefore seems that the influence of Bnei Israel who descended to the land of Egypt, was on the side of virtue and modesty, not of corruption and venality!
The answer would seem to be, that the situation of Bnei Israel is guided from Above, and - as the prophet proclaimed - whatever our fortunes, we live by our Emunah, trusting in Hashem’s providence, even when we see the wicked prosper.
Not so, the nations of the world, their world and ways are totally focussed on the material life, and they measure their success by their material wealth, and their conquests over other nations, whom they subjugate - the world to come has no place in their outlook.
They seek only to emulate the material success of those they see as successful, and shun the less fortunate and successful, lest they be infected by their misfortune.
We can now understand, that the Egyptians, when they saw Yosef - the imprisoned slave - leave the prison, to rule over the whole of Egypy, to be to provider for the whole nation, and that his extraordinary success seemed to flow from his shunning immorality, and conquering his inclinations, also went in his ways - and all the males, also similarly abstained from immorality.
However, the later generation, seeing Bnei Israel as miserable slaves, tormented and afflicted and their children cast into the river, or used in place of bricks - sought to distance themselves from this wretched people, lest they be infected by their misfortune ill fate.
Further, seeing that Bnei Israel, still abstained from immorality, led the Egyptians to break all boundaries, and to indulge in all of the immorality recounted in the Torah.
We thus find, that the settling of Bnei Israel in Egypt, did- as the Midrash states - lead to the immoral deeds of the Egyptians, in the generation that afflicted our people.
Rav Baruch Halevi Epstein adds: The words ‘that you dwelt in’, regarding Egypt, and ‘the land that I am bringing you to’, regarding Canaan, seem superfluous, as this is well known to us.
It would seemingly have sufficed to say:’ like the deeds of the land of Egypt, and of the land of Canaan’.
However, it needs to be said that these words come to alert us, that we might err to think that there is an excuse for improper behaviour, if raised in a corrupt country - as in the generation of the flood, where all were corrupt, and the place was filled with robbery, each one learning from the other.
Therefore , the Torah comes here - by these words - to teach that they should not be used as an excuse for improper deeds, that they had been in a corrupt society - in Egypt - nor the venal deeds of the place that they were to enter - Canaan.
Those words are to be read as: ’Even though you dwelt there, and were used to act as they did, and even though you are entering that place, and you seemingly have an excuse to claim that you learned from their deeds - nevertheless, take care not to go in their ways or to act as they did.
The Kli Yakar adds:
’Like the deeds of the land of Egypt in which you dwelt’, and ‘the land to which I am bringing you’ are said specifically, as presumably Yosef chose for his brothers, and his father’s household, a place that was the least corrupt, so that they not learn from the evil ways of the local inhabitants.
However, the commentary of Rashi seemingly is seemingly the opposite of this, and is difficult - does it enter your mind to say that exactly those places where you sat, and to where I am bringing you, are the most corrupt of all, and therefore you should not go in their ways - but the ways of the places which are not as corrupt, do
Instead, it comes to add, that: so that Bnei Israel should have no room to err regarding them, and to say: Since we were settled in the land of Goshen, surely the reason is that the deeds of its people were not the most corrupt; so, too, since Hashem is bringing us to this land - to Canaan - their deeds, too, are not corrupt, and therefore you should reason that they are being dispossessed is because they are sitting in a land which is not theirs - but which they conquered from the seed of Shem.
Therefore, Hashen needed to announce that their deeds, too, were corrupt, and, though less corrupt than others, nevertheless there deeds were deserving of disgust, and, more so the ways of the other nations.
Further, by not placing both of them in the one - but saying twice, ‘do not go in their ways’, we can say that it separated them, and the Torah charged Bnei Israel that they sought to settle permanently in Egypt - as the Torah relates: ’Yaakov settled in the land of Goshen’ - whereas Hashem had said to them, to sojourn there as גרים: as aliens - and not as permanent settlers.
They did so because they were attached to the idolatry of the Egyptians, as the prophet Yechezkiel admonished them; and, so too Rashi, noting that many did not want to leave Egypt, and were killed in the plague of darkness, for their wickedness.
This is the meaning of the admonition: ’Like the deeds of the land of Egypt': what were their misdeeds there? that they sought to settle there, because their souls became attached to the Egyptian idols.
‘Do not do so again! - to seek to settle in the midst of those whose ways are bad, lest you go in their bad ways, as happened to you in Egypt.
‘’And like the deeds of the land of Canaan’: here they are admonished because they detested the holy land which the Avot so loved, until Hashem had to bring them there against their will, and not to their favor.
This is the meaning of: ’And not like the deeds of the land of the land of Canaan’ - what were those deeds ? ‘That I am bringing you there’: as your eyes witness, that I am bringing you there unwillingly, as you said in Elim: ’Would that we had died by the hand of G-d in the land of Egypt’, and the meraglim said: ’Let us take head, and return to Egypt’, and so, too, as our Sages said: ’The women loved the land, but the men detested it’, causing Hashem to make them travel via the desert of Yam Suf, so that they did not return to Egypt.'
Therefore, Hashem adjured them not to do so in the future, but, instead, to willingly go to the land which Hashem had ordained, as it alone is prepared for the keeping of Hashem’s ordinances.
Hashem related to each of the two lands separately: dealing first with the first: do not seek to settle in the impure land of Egypt, so that you do not learn the way of their abominations; and, on the second, second: He hastened them to go to the holy land, so that they could perform the land-dependent Mitzvot, which can only be performed there.
With regard to the second, He said: ’My ordinances you shall do.’: because they are the laws of the G-d of the land.’
The Alshich Hakadosh adds an important insight:
Here, in the command not to do as the nations do, but to go in the ordinances of Hashem and His statutes, the whole of the Torah is dependent.
Therefore Hashem wanted to command, that Moshe speak to the people in the manner, as if it was the mouth of Hashem that was speaking to them, so that it made an impression on them - and not as if it was an emissary of Hashem that was speaking - indirectly, unlike the direct speech where Hashem was speaking directly to them.
Therefore the Torah here says- in the direct style: ’Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Bnei Israel and say to them:I am Hashem your G-d, do not go in the ways of Egypt..observe My ordinances and My statutes and live by them I am Hashem’ - so that they make the necessary impression on them people, Hashem commanded him to say the words as they came out of His mouth, has He been speaking to them.
Though you, Moshe, are the speaker, do not say ‘so said Hashem: I am Hashem your G-d'.
The substance of the words is that I do not need to tell you not to exchange Me for other gods, heaven forfend, but, on the assumption that I am Hashem your G-d, and Me alone you are to serve, with this, in ‘the way in which Egypt ..’ serve their idols, do not serve Me.
This is lest you say that their ways are worthy to do, but not when done for their gods, but are meritorious if done for Hashem alone.
Should you say, that since the intention is to the One Above, what difference is there between their ways, and our ways, to this He said: ’My ordinances alone observe, and not those of Egypt.’
A parting thought from the Tiferet Shlomo:
'The ways of the land of Egypt where you sat, do not do..' What need is there to say this —are not all the prohibitions and Mitzvot ‘not to do’, set out in the Torah, so what need was there to say: ’The deeds of the land of Egypt, do not do’?
Further, why did the Torah deem it necessary to add:’in which you sat’ - has they not sat there, would these deeds have been permitted?
It needs to be said, that a Jew sitting in the midst of other peoples, should not think that it is permitted to do like their disgusting deeds, which may appear to the Jew, as absolutely permitted, when they are not forbidden by the Torah..
The Torah here comes to teach that we are to be separate and distinct from then in every matter - this is the underlying meaning of ‘In the manner of the land of Egypt where you sat..and in their ordinances’.
לרפואת חיילי צה"ל וכן נועם עליזה בת זהבה רבקה ונחום אלימלך רפאל בן זהבה רבקה, בתוך שאר חולי עמנו.