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In Shemot 15:22, Rashi says:


But in Shemot 12:36, Rashi says:






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Pinging info. –  msh210 Mar 10 '13 at 22:42

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A very reasonable explanation +1 –  Double AA Feb 5 '12 at 2:54
@DoubleAA But then it raises another question. If the Jews lived in Goshen seperated from the Egyptians, and the plagues did not affect goshen but only egypt proper... then who were the neighbors they were taking gold from!? Sometimes you just aren't supposed to link midrashim together and ask question :) –  avi Feb 5 '12 at 7:45
@avi A 'neighbor' is not always the person in the next house over. –  Double AA Feb 5 '12 at 14:13
@avi I completely agree with you that not all midrashim need to be understood in context with each other. That is precisely why I was so impressed with Alex's answer. You are the one being too technical here. Pharoh was not on the same social status as the rest of the people, and there can be a clear difference between what is in Pharoh's personal treasury and what he technically owned as de facto monarch of the land. These are not big assumptions at all in reading the psukim. –  Double AA Feb 5 '12 at 16:38
@avi, to take your questions in order: (a) Not all of the Jews lived in Goshen; Ex. 1:7 states that "the land was filled with them." (And Ex. 4:22 mentions the Jewish women "borrowing from... those who live in the same house.") (b) Aristocrats the Levi'im may have been, but they still weren't on the same social level as the king, and you wouldn't expect them to march into the palace (especially after Pharaoh had threatened Moshe with death if he came to see him again) and request stuff. (c) The land of Egypt became Pharaoh's in perpetuity (ותהי הארץ לפרעה), not the movable possessions. –  Alex Feb 5 '12 at 17:12

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