“In the Land of Israel the Jewish people arose.” Ben-Gurion read these words as he declared the establishment of the State of Israel. Yet Parshat Shemot suggests that the Jewish people were, in fact, born in Egypt. Exploring this seeming contradiction offers insight into how Jewish identity and peoplehood have been defined, then and now.

Shemot is filled with moments of identity discovered, tested, and affirmed. The midwives fear God rather than Pharaoh when commanded to kill Hebrew male infants. Moshe begins life as a Hebrew baby rescued from the Nile, grows up as an Egyptian in Pharaoh’s palace, and only later confronts his true identity when he witnesses the abuse of a Hebrew slave. His sense of dislocation is captured when he names his son Gershom, explaining that he was “a stranger in a foreign land.” Significantly, this parsha marks the first time the Jews are called “Am Bnei Yisrael” in Tanakh – ironically by the tyrannical Pharaoh. As with today’s “October 8th Jews,” Jewish identity is often sharpened in the face of antisemitism. 

Modern thinkers help explain why Egypt was such a formative birthplace. Nechama Leibowitz teaches that moving from slavery to redemption served an educational purpose, shaping a people committed to mitzvot and to compassion for the vulnerable. Leon Kass suggests that a nation forged through oppression would be especially receptive to faith in God and morally sensitive about how to use power. Jewish identity, from the outset, was shaped in contrast to ancient Egypt.

The Jewish people were indeed born in Egypt – for good reason. Yet only later, through brit Sinai and settlement in the Land of Israel, did they fully assume their national identity. Together, these stages teach that a complete Jewish identity binds peoplehood, moral responsibility, and an enduring connection and commitment to Israel. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson