It was not enough that Hashem was prepared to take the Jews out of Egypt; it was also necessary for them to want to leave. Perhaps they had become complacent with their way of life, albeit miserable, but it was the only one they knew. Indeed, they might even have wanted to stay in Egypt. They might not have been able to accept a lifestyle so different from their accustomed one. The story is told about Horav Nochum M’Chernobel, who once spent a night at an inn owned by a Jewish couple. It was chatzos, midnight, when Rav Nachum arose…
