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“We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt”
What is the emphasis here on the words, “In the land of Egypt?” Is this not obvious?
We must understand what transpired to our ancestors in mitzrayim.
Our forefathers experienced a shocking metamorphosis - from dizzying heights of success into a spiraling descent of poverty and slavery - and exposure to a culture of idols and paganism.
We observe how Jews in Egypt attained positions of great authority and power.
The early years of Mitzrayim were the golden age of Jewish national development, affording the Jewish people wealth, influence, and prosperity.
The ancient Egyptian religion was polytheistic - rife with the rituals and beliefs associated with multiple pagan images and gods.
Over time, the Jewish Nation became deeply affected by the creeping influence of an idolatrous Pharaoh, powerfully controlling Egyptians in politically high places, and a state-sponsored atmosphere of paganistic practices.
The Haggadah intones, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt!” It was the spiritual climate and culture of Egypt itself that cemented the Jewish fate.
In a drastic countermeasure, Hashem caused the Egyptians to hate the Jewish People - an all too familiar pattern we see repeated throughout our history, in a desperate attempt to mentally wean the Jews away from an Egyptian avodah zorah influence.
We may also note how the Ten Plagues served as a divine instrument intended to positively separate the Jewish people from the Egyptians - in a purely physical sense.
בְּיָד חֲזָקָה
Ultimately, the Haggadah records, that the Jewish People were saved by G-d’s strong hand.
The ‘strong hand’ references Hashem's unique ability to destroy the Egyptians and spare the Jewish People simultaneously, within the same “space.”
Only the ‘strong arm’ of the Almighty can accomplish these two seemingly opposite forces of nature at the same time.
Additionally, Hashem’s “strong hand” served as a counterclaim to those who argued the Jewish Nation was similarly guilty of idolatrous behavior as the Egyptians and were undeserving of redemption.
The strong hand of G-d signaled that the Jewish People were worthy and merited the redemptive power of His strong hand.
We observe how the “Yad Chazaka” was the critical instrument and perfect divine mechanism powerful enough to protect and preserve the Jewish Nation then and for eternity!
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