Forced nomadism and religiosity

Submitted by Ianus (Poland), Jun 24, 2011 at 06:29

Dear Moshe , you wrote :

> Do you know how religious were the Jews when Moses redeemed them from the Egyptian bondage? Any idea?<

I am afraid it must have seemed a very strange "redemption" to most except Moses himself and his inner circle, hence hardly conducive to universal religious elation. Exodus 16.03 "There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. "If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt," they moaned. "There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death."

Definitely, Moses was popular when he oganized the looting of Egyptian riches .

12.36 "And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold... So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!"

Who of the beneficiaries could dislike that? But when out of a sudden they faced the spectre of starvation in the unhospitable desert people naturally enough turned against him. Or would you follow a leader who has deprived you and your children of your daily bread and forced you to re-start a nomadic lifestyle after a few centuries (430 years according to 12.40) of sedentary , stabilized existence in one of the most fertile lands in the Middle East ?

> I think that Jews of your kind would have never left Egypt, as many did not indeed.<

At any event many non-Jews joined the exodus as the Bible assures us .

12.38 " A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and herds of livestock."

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