Deuternomy 26:6
וַיָּרֵ֧עוּ אֹתָ֛נוּ הַמִּצְרִ֖ים וַיְעַנּ֑וּנוּ וַיִּתְּנ֥וּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ עֲבֹדָ֥ה קָשָֽׁה׃
The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us.
After everything the Israelites experienced at the hands of the Egyptians, one would think that there would be little room for forgiveness. From the harsh labor to the terrible decree regarding baby boys thrown into the Nile river, how could anything but anger be felt toward the Egyptians. Surprisingly though, last week we read a verse that expressed an opposite inclination. While the descendants of other nations are not permitted to join the community of Israel, this is not true for Egyptians. “You shall not reject an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land.”
It’s remarkable that the Torah implores us to remember the gracious hospitality of the Egyptians. While it is true that in the time of Joseph they lived in peace with Egyptians, welcomed by them into a foreign land, shouldn’t that act of kindness and hospitality be negated by the many troubles inflicted by the Egyptians in later generations?
This is not the way of the Torah. While we are commanded to remember the Exodus, to remember the harsh slavery and suffering we experienced in Egypt, we are not permitted to forget the kindness of the Egyptians during those early years. We learn from the Torah a balanced perspective, one that does not allow pain and suffering to completely overshadow moments of goodness, even when those moments were fleeting. It asks us to remember that the human capacity for both cruelty and kindness can exist in the same people.