Limud HaTorah in Mitzrayim

Question

The Satmar Rav in Divrei Yoel (Parshas Vayigash, p. 480; left column) explains how Yaakov Avinu and his family were, halachically, able to leave Eretz Yisroel and settle in Mitzrayim although it is forbidden to settle in a country run by idol worshipers and heretics. The Satmar Rav says:

As for someone leaving the Land of Israel to go to outside lands, it is considered as if they are serving foreign gods. However, this is not the case when holiness is present in the foreign rule, as was the case during Joseph's time in Egypt. On the contrary, during the time of the Canaanites, they served foreign rulers. At that time, Yosef was placed over Egypt, and his rule was sanctified. The verse states, 'G-d has made me a ruler of all Egypt.' Thus, the rule in Egypt was considered holy, according to the promise given: 'Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation.'

He then says:

In this context, the greatness of the nation is attributed to their merit in studying the Torah, as stated: 'Who is like the great nation?' Israel is called a great nation because they upheld the Torah and its commandments. As our sages said, in Egypt, Israel continued to study Torah, and even Yehudah was engaged in Torah study. It is also mentioned that a Yeshiva (a place of Torah study) was established in Egypt, and Amram, the elder, sat there.

We know from Rashi (Bereishis 46:28) that the words "להורת לפניו – Lehoros Lefanav" mean:

לפניו BEFORE HIM — means before he should arrive there. A Midrashic comment is: להורת לפניו (in the sense of, “that there might be teaching before him”) — to establish for him a House of Study from which Teaching (הוראה or תורה) might go forth (Genesis Rabbah 95:3).

But.... The navi Yechezkel (20:8, see Rashi there) says:

But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken to me: they did not cast away every man the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Miżrayim: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Miżrayim.

But they rebelled against Me They are the wicked, the majority of Israel, who died in the three days of darkness, as it is said (Exod. 13:18): “and the children of Israel went out of Egypt, (חֲמֻשִּׁים)”one out of fifty, and some say, one out of five hundred. (Rashi)

The Satmar Rav says that even in Mitzrayim, the Jewish people continued to study Torah. How to reconcile this with what the Navi Yechezkel says? Are there clear sources that say that Yisroel was studying Torah in Egypt? And if so, how to reconcile that with the teachings that B'nei Yisroel were sunken to the -49th level of impurity?

We know from different source (Daas Zkenim) that since the Torah did not cease from shevet Levi, they were not enslaved (שלא פסקה מהם תורה כלל ולפיכך לא נשתעבדו במצרים), but this applies only to Shevet Levi.

Answer 1

The answer to your question maybe is similar to R. Yom-Tov Schwarz' explaination regarding the generation of Bayis Sheini, which I quoted in the discussion why Jerusalem got destroyed. According to him, Hashem ensures that the merits of those who observe the commandments and study Torah completely balance the misdeeds of those who have fallen off the derekh. In other words there were two groups of Jews in every shevet: those who kept emunah and acted with bitachon vs. those who did not. The problem might arise only when those who keep the mitzvos make them blemished, like we had senseless hatred during Bayis Sheini.

Here's the midrash Tanchuma Beshalach 1 partially quoted by Rashi:

And the children of Israel went up armed (Exod. 13:18). This suggests that only one out of five (hamishah) went up armed (hamushim). However, others say: Only one out of fifty (hamishim) went up, while still others insist that only one out of every five hundred (mihamesh) went up. R. Nehorai declared: By the Temple service! Not even one out of five thousand went up. When had the others died? During the days of darkness, they would bring their dead for burial while the Egyptians sat in darkness. The Israelites praised Him and thanked Him (for the fact) that their enemies were unable to see their misfortune and take satisfaction in it.

The midrash can be viewed as exactly proving the point of R. Yom-Tov Schwarz. It does not mean the p'shat that 80% of Jews died in Mitzraim, for entire Mitzraim in those days did not have over 10-15 mln people including the Jews. The midrash is talking about percentages of the Jews who had the intent to serve Hashem at different levels lishma. For example, the fraction 1/5,000 for a count of 600,000 signifies 10 people per shevet who were really learned and were full tzadikim, while the fraction 1/5 signifies 10,000 people per shevet, who just accepted the concept of leaving Mitraim to serve Hashem.

As a side note, when reading your question some people may ask: we know that Mitzrayim was a center of witchcraft and idol worship, even if run by Yosef, why was it necessary for Jews to go there? It turns out from the studies by archaeologists, the mitzrim were extremely serious about their religion. It was this kind of attitude that Hashem wanted the Jewish people to have when performing the mitzvos. However, this matter is tangential to your question.

Finally, in regards to the fact that Bnei Yehuda learned Torah in Mitzraim, we have a pasuk in Divrei haYamim A 2:6:

וּבְנֵ֣י זֶ֗רַח זִ֠מְרִ֠י וְאֵיתָ֧ן וְהֵימָ֛ן וְכַלְכֹּ֥ל וָדָ֖רַע כֻּלָּ֥ם חֲמִשָּֽׁה׃

The sons of Zerah (ben Yehuda): Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all.

Evidently these five sons lived in Mitzraim. Rashi explains futher:

and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara They all lived at the time of David and at the time of Solomon, and they were exceedingly wise. Concerning this it says (I Kings 5:11): “And he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol.” Further on, regarding Solomon’s wisdom, the expression is “Darda,” for even though it was called the generation of knowledge (דֵּעָה דּוּר) because of its wisdom, Solomon was wiser than all of them. Now when Scripture says הָאֶזְרָחִי, the “aleph” is superfluous, like הַזַּרְחִי (Num. 26:20), [because] he was descended from Zerah, and in many places, the “aleph” is inserted into the word, and is not pronounced, e.g. (Job. 13:17): “and my speech (וְאַחְוָתִי)” (Isa. 19:6): “And they shall abandon (וְהֶאֶזְנִיחוּ).” And likewise, (Num. 11:4): “וְְהָאסַפְסוּף, and the rabble.” Now sometimes it is completely missing, as (II Sam. 19:14): “תֹמְרוּ, you shall say,” and likewise, (II Chron. 22:5): “... and the Arameans (הָרַמִּים) smote.” [The verse in Kings] is expounded by Pesikta (Peskikta d’Rav Kahana p. 34, Pesikta Rabbathi 14:9): “... than all men this refers to Adam. Ethan is Abraham. Heman is Moses. Calcol is Joseph. Darda is the generation of the desert. Mahol means that He forgave them for making the Calf.”

One might think that they were descendands of Zerach. However, Bamidbar Rabba 14 teaches regarding the summary of the offerings of Nesiim:

“Five rams” (Numbers 7:17) – it corresponds to the five mighty ones of the world, and they are: “The sons of Zeraḥ: Zimri, Eitan, Heiman, Kalkol, and Dara; all of them were five” (I Chronicles 2:6).

In other words, this is the example of great Torah scholars from Mitzraim, since the Nesiim brought offerings beginning on the 1st of Nissan, one year after Exodus, when people could not have learned the Torah well unless they had a tradition.