On Seder night, we recite from Mishnah Pesachim (10:5):

בכל דור ודור חייב אדם לראות את עצמו כאילו הוא יצא ממצרים.

In every generation, all [Jews] must view themselves as if they had left Egypt.

The story of the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and their miraculous exodus brings the readers of the Bible into the world of the ancient Egyptians. The Bible touches on many different aspects of Egyptian culture, including, enslaving of foreigners, the power of Pharaoh, the use of magic, etc., however, few actual details are given to help us envision what Egypt was like, and all the details that are given come from an outsider’s perspective.

To fill in the story and get a better picture of this culture, we invited a broad range of ancient Near East scholars with first-hand familiarity with Egyptian texts and culture to introduce ancient Egypt on its own terms.

As Maimonides states (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Chametz and Matzah 7:1):

אפילו חכמים גדולים חייבים לספר ביציאת מצרים וכל המאריך בדברים שאירעו ושהיו הרי זה משובח.

Even great scholars are required to speak about the exodus from Egypt, and those who expand their discussion of what happened and what was are praiseworthy.

Banner iImage: Barcelona Haggadah c. 1340