So I’m noticing what you say about the Seder and having just celebrated passover myself I’d like to offer some perspective that you seem not to have been exposed to.
The Egyptians we’re punished because they were equally complicit in our suffering. There is even a commentary that goes so far as to say that there was something of a revolt and pharaoh was originally opposed to enslaving and breaking us but he was ousted from the palace until he capitulated. Further any officer carrying out his orders was blatantly culpable. They had the option of imitating the Jewish taskmasters and bearing the brunt of the punishment but they either chose to be prison guards from stamford or to simply defect as prisoners. Either way a choice to do the wrong thing. Also while all plagues affected almost (and yes I do mean not all) all the Egyptians to some degree, those who were more culpable for inflicting suffering on the Jews suffered more and the reverse was true as well. In fact, even according to the opinion that Moshe’s adoptive mother remained a gentile and thus an Egyptian, she did not suffer from any of the plagues because she went out of her way to save a suffering Jewish child. Meanwhile other Egyptian overseers were forcing parents to cement their children into walls when they fell short of their brick making quota and later on in the enslavement our status was expanded from that of slaves to the palace to slaves of the common citizen and it became somewhat commonplace for a Egyptians to even hook Jews up to plows and other farming equipment when they wished to give their animals a break. In fact they were so entrenched that even when the warning of the last plague was taken seriously enough by many of the firstborn to start a civil war to free us (out of self preservation rather than recognition they were wrong for how they treated us, otherwise your inevitable follow-up question of “why did they get killed then?” would be a great point.) their own fathers fought against them to keep us enslaved.
You might say “but all that didn’t happen because the exodus didn’t happen?” So I would respond that if you want to dismiss that part of the story as fiction so must you dismiss your classification of God based on that story. If you will judge the God to whom we pledge ourselves based on the exodus story, know that this is also part of that story partially based upon which we pladge him our allegiance.
Edit- I’d really hoped that unlike reddit, people here would explain why they disagree with something rather than just downvote and move on. Whoever already downvoted me, please explain why and for anyone who has just read this for the first time, if you disagree or don’t like what I’m saying please explain why. Thank you
So I’m noticing what you say about the Seder and having just celebrated passover myself I’d like to offer some perspective that you seem not to have been exposed to.
The Egyptians we’re punished because they were equally complicit in our suffering. There is even a commentary that goes so far as to say that there was something of a revolt and pharaoh was originally opposed to enslaving and breaking us but he was ousted from the palace until he capitulated. Further any officer carrying out his orders was blatantly culpable. They had the option of imitating the Jewish taskmasters and bearing the brunt of the punishment but they either chose to be prison guards from stamford or to simply defect as prisoners. Either way a choice to do the wrong thing. Also while all plagues affected almost (and yes I do mean not all) all the Egyptians to some degree, those who were more culpable for inflicting suffering on the Jews suffered more and the reverse was true as well. In fact, even according to the opinion that Moshe’s adoptive mother remained a gentile and thus an Egyptian, she did not suffer from any of the plagues because she went out of her way to save a suffering Jewish child. Meanwhile other Egyptian overseers were forcing parents to cement their children into walls when they fell short of their brick making quota and later on in the enslavement our status was expanded from that of slaves to the palace to slaves of the common citizen and it became somewhat commonplace for a Egyptians to even hook Jews up to plows and other farming equipment when they wished to give their animals a break. In fact they were so entrenched that even when the warning of the last plague was taken seriously enough by many of the firstborn to start a civil war to free us (out of self preservation rather than recognition they were wrong for how they treated us, otherwise your inevitable follow-up question of “why did they get killed then?” would be a great point.) their own fathers fought against them to keep us enslaved.
You might say “but all that didn’t happen because the exodus didn’t happen?” So I would respond that if you want to dismiss that part of the story as fiction so must you dismiss your classification of God based on that story. If you will judge the God to whom we pledge ourselves based on the exodus story, know that this is also part of that story partially based upon which we pladge him our allegiance.
Edit- I’d really hoped that unlike reddit, people here would explain why they disagree with something rather than just downvote and move on. Whoever already downvoted me, please explain why and for anyone who has just read this for the first time, if you disagree or don’t like what I’m saying please explain why. Thank you