The story of the exodus is remarkably picturistic. The setting is in the most fascinating location in the ancient world, Egypt of the Pharoahs. The special effects, each of the ten plagues and especially the splitting of the Red Sea, capture the imagination of all who hear the story. This would seem to be highly fortunate as this is the story that for thousands of years Jews are obligated to tell to their children. However, the Torah makes clear that this was no accident, and that the unfolding of events was guided by the desire that there should be a good story to tell the children.

This epic story has become an essential part of our identity and impacts on how Jews perceive reality. The telling of the story continuously gives birth to new stories. As the Chief Rabbi of England, Jonathan Sacks, put it, the Jewish people are not a people that have a story, we are a story that has a people.