(שמות י״ג:י״ח) וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר יַם סוּף לְתַקְּנָא אָרְחָא לְאַתְרֵיהּ. ר' יְהוּדָה אָמַר, מַאי שְׁנָא כַּד הֲווֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות ה׳:א׳) שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי, (שמות ט׳:ב׳) כִּי אִם מָאֵן אַתָּה לְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת עַמִּי, (שמות ד) בְּנִי בְכוֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא לָא הֲווֹ גְּזִירִין, וְלָא אִתְקַשָּׁרוּ בֵּיהּ כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת. וְהָכָא דַּהֲווֹ גְּזִירִין, וְעָבְדוּ פִּסְחָא, וְאִתְקַשָּׁרוּ בֵּיהּ, קָרֵי לוֹן אֶת הָעָם. AND GOD LED THE PEOPLE ABOUT THROUGH THE WAY OF THE WILDERNESS OF THE RED SEA. This was to pave the way for the manifestation of the Divine power at the Red Sea. R. Judah asked: ‘Why was it that when the children of Israel were still in Egypt, and were not yet circumcised, nor in full communion with the Holy One, He yet spoke of them as “my people” (Ex. 5, 1), and “my firstborn Israel” (Ibid. 4, 22), whereas now that they were circumcised, and had duly sacrificed the Passover lamb, and were fully joined to the Holy One, they are referred to merely as “the people”?

אֶלָּא בְּגִין הַהוּא עֵרֶב רַב, דְּאִתְדְּבָקוּ בְּהוּ, וְאִתְעָרְבוּ בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, קָרֵי לוֹן אֶת הָעָם סְתָם. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמות לכ) וַיִּגּוֹף יְיָ' אֶת הָעָם עַל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶת הָעֵגֶל. וַיִּקָּהֵל הָעָם עַל אַהֲרֹן. וַיַּרְא הָעָם כִּי בֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁה. וְכֵן כֻּלְּהוּ. The answer is that they were spoken of-not only here, but in many other places (e.g. Ex. 32, 1, 35)-as “the people” because of the “mixed multitude,’ which went out with them.’

ר' יִצְחָק ור' יְהוּדָה הֲווֹ אַזְלֵי מֵאוּשָׁא לְלוּד, וַהֲוָה עִמְּהוֹן יוֹסֵי טַיָּיעָא, בִּקְטִירָא דְּגַמָּלֵי עֲטוּפִירָא בְּכַתְפַיְיהוּ. עַד דַּהֲווֹ אַזְלֵי, אַשְׁכַּח הַהוּא יוֹסֵי טַיָּיעָא אִנְתּוּ חֲדָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין, דְּקָטִיר בִּירוֹקֵי חַקְלָא, אִשְׁתְּמִיט מִנַּיְיהוּ וְאַתְקִיף בָּהּ, וְאָתָא עָלָּה. תַּוְוהוּ ר' יִצְחָק ור' יְהוּדָה, אָמְרוּ נֵיתוּב מֵאָרְחָא דָּא, דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לְאַחְזָאָה לָן, דְּלָא נִתְחַבַּר בַּהֲדֵיהּ. תָּבוּ מֵאָרְחָא, בָּדְקוּ בַּתְרֵיהּ, וְאַשְׁכָּחוּ דִּבְרֵיהּ דְּבַת אֵל נִכָר הֲוָה, וַאֲבוּהָ פָּסִיל זַרְעָא הֲוָה. אָמְרוּ, בְּרִיךְ רַחֲמָנָא דְּשֵׁזִיב לָן. R. Isaac and R. Judah were once journeying from Usha to Lud, and with them was a certain Jose driving a train of laden camels. On the way this Jose turned aside and misconducted himself with a heathen woman who was gathering herbs in a field near by. R. Isaac and R. Judah were greatly shocked, and the latter exclaimed: ‘Let us abandon this journey, since God has given us a sign that we should not associate with this wicked man or have any further intercourse with him’. So they changed their course. On making inquiries they found that his mother was a heathen woman and that his father had been born in illegitimacy, and they blessed God for saving them from him.

פָּתַח ר' יִצְחָק וְאָמַר (תהילים ל״ז:א׳) אַל תִּתְחַר בַּמְּרֵעִים. מַאן אִינּוּן מְרֵעִים, דְּלָא כְּתִיב חַטָּאִים, אוֹ רְשָׁעִים. אֶלָּא מְרִעִים, דְּאַבְאִישִׁין לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ, וּלְהָנִי דְּמִתְחַבְּרָן בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ. ר' יְהוּדָה אָמַר, מְרֵעִים: אַרְחֵיק גַּרְמָךְ מִמְּרֵעִים דְּלָא תֶּהווֹן רֵעִים וַחֲבֵרִים כַּחֲדָא, דְּלָא יַבְאִישׁוּ לָךְ עוֹבָדוֹי, וְתִתְפַּס בְּחֶטְאוֹי. R. Isaac was reminded of the verse: “Fret not thyself because of the evildoers” (Ps. XXXVII, I). ‘The evildoers,’ he said, ‘as opposed to “sinners” or “wicked men”, are those who defile themselves and all who come into contact with them.’ Said R. Judah: ‘One must indeed beware of making friends (re’im) with the evildoers (mere’im), lest one should suffer for their deeds and be included in their judgement.

תָּא חֲזֵי, אִי לָא הֲווֹ אִינּוּן עֵרֶב רַב דְּאִתְחַבְּרוּ בְּהוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל, לָא אִתְעָבִיד הַהוּא עוֹבָדָא, וְלָא מִיתוּ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, כָּל אִינּוּן דְּמִיתוּ, וְלָא גָּרִים לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל מַה דְּגָרִים. וְתָּא חֲזֵי, הַהוּא עוֹבָדָא, וְהַהוּא חוֹבָה מַמָּשׁ, גָּרִים גָּלוּתְהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. Mark this. Were it not for that “mixed multitude”, which joined and mingled with the Israelites, the sin of the “golden calf’ would never have been perpetrated, and the children of Israel would not have had to suffer for it as they did.

דְּתָנֵינָן, בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּיִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַהוּא שַׁעֲתָא כְּמַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאֵי, וּלְמֶעְבַּד לוֹן חֵירִין מִכֹּלָּא, חֵירִין מִמּוֹתָא, וּלְמֶהֱוֵי חֵירִין מִן שִׁעְבּוּדָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמות ל״ב:ט״ז) חָרוּת עַל הַלּוּחוֹת, אַל תִּקְרֵי חָרוּת, אֶלָּא חֵירוּת. Nay, but for that sin Israel would have been, then and forever, that which the Holy One had ordained them to be; namely, pure as the angels and free from all evil: free from death and free from the dominion of earthly powers.

כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְעָבִיד הַהוּא עוֹבָדָא, גָּרִימוּ כֹּלָּא. גָּרִימוּ מוֹתָא, גָּרִימוּ שִׁעְבּוּד מַלְכְּוָון, גָּרִימוּ דְּאִתְּבָּרוּ אִינּוּן לוּחֵי קַדְמָאֵי, גָּרִימוּ דְּמִיתוּ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, כַּמָּה אַלְפִין מִנַּיְיהוּ. וְכָל דָּא, בְּגִין אִתְחַבְּרוּתָא דְּאִינּוּן עֵרֶב רַב, דְּאִתְחַבְּרוּ בְּהוּ. But that sin brought upon them death and subjection, and through it the tablets were broken and many thousands were slain. All this came from their association with the “mixed multitude”;

אוּף הָכָא, בְּגִינֵיהוֹן, לָא אִתְקְרוּן בְּנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלָא יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלָא עַמִּי, אֶלָּא הָעָם סְתָם. וְאִי תֵּימָא וַחֲמוּשִׁים עָלוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. כַּד הֲווֹ סַלְּקִין מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְלָא אִתְחַבְּרוּ בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ אִינּוּן עֵרֶב רַב, קָרֵי לוֹן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְחַבְּרוּ בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב וְגַם עֵרֶב רַב עָלָה אִתָּם, קָרֵי לוֹן הָעָם. and it was on their account that they are called here not “children of Israel”, nor “Israel”, nor “my people”, but simply “the people”’ As for the expression in the same verse, “And the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt”, this refers to the period before the “mixed multitude” joined them.’

רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אַקְשֵׁי וְאָמַר, כְּתִיב כִּי אַשֶׁר רְאִיתֶם אֶת מִצְרַיִם הַיּוֹם לא תּוֹסִיפוּ לִרְאוֹתָם עוֹד עַד עוֹלָם. אִי הָכִי, כָּל יוֹמָא הֲווֹ חָמָאן לְהַהוּא עֵרֶב רַב. אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, עֵרֶב רַב כְּתִיב, וְלֹא מִצְרַיִם, דְּהָא כַּמָּה שְׁאַר עַמִּין הֲווֹ דַּיְּירֵי בְּמִצְרַיִם. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא דְּכֻלְּהוּ אִתְגְּזָרוּ, וְכֵיוָן דְּאִתְגְּזָרוּ, לָא אִקְרוּן מִצְרָאֵי. R. Jose objected that at the Red Sea Moses said to the Israelites, “the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day ye shall see them again no more” (Ex. XIV, I 3), and yet according to R. Isaac’s interpretation they saw the “mixed multitude” every day. To this R. Judah answered that the “mixed multitude” were not Egyptians, but members of other peoples living in Egypt. Moreover, they had all been circumcised, and therefore would not in any case be called Egyptians.