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Why did Egypt chase the Jews after expelling them, and what justified taking Egyptian wealth? The shiur develops the yesod that Jews were subjects of Pharaoh, not slaves to Egyptians—a critical distinction entitling them to wages. This legal relationship explains both the justified "taking" and reframes Sinai: Hashem (ה׳) introduced the Ten Commandments not as master to slaves, but as sovereign to subjects who earn reward.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental difficulty in the narrative of the Exodus: Pharaoh expelled the Jews from Egypt, yet immediately afterward he and the Egyptians regretted sending them away and pursued them. Rashi (רש"י) explains that the Egyptians wanted back the gold and silver the Jews had taken. But the pasuk says "How could we have sent them away from serving us?" suggesting they missed the labor, not the money. Furthermore, last week Pharaoh threw the Jews out; this week he chases them. What changed? The shiur explores another troubling pasuk: when Pharaoh became leprous and began slaughtering 300 Jewish children daily for blood baths, the Torah (תורה) says the Jews cried out "from the work" (min ha'avodah). How could parents complain about harsh labor when their children were being murdered? This seems an unimaginable insult.
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Beshalach 14:5, Shemos 2:11, Yisro 20:2
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