Why does the Torah use the word "Vayaseiv Elokim ... "?
Sh'mos Rabah (20:18): 'Hashem laid for them a table (the Manna) and settled them in a leaning position (made it comfortable for them) to eat'. 1
Sh'mos Rabah (Ibid.): As the Pasuk writes in Tehilim, 78:19. Based on this, the Mishnah rules in Arvei Pesachim, 99b that, even the poorest person should not eat at the Seider until he is leaning (to his left).
What is the meaning of the word "va'Chamushim ... "?
Rashi #1, Rashbam, Seforno and Targum Onkelos: It means that they left Egypt armed.
Rashi #2: It refers to the fifth that left Egypt, after four fifths died during the plague of darkness.
Rashi #3 (in Yechezkel, 20:6-8): Only one out of fifty - some say only one out of five hundred left Egypt; the rest died during the plague of darkness. 1
Targum Yonasan: It means that each of the six hundred thousand men who left Egypt, left with five children. Refer to 12:37:3151*
Yerushalmi Shabbos, 6:4: B'nei Yisrael left with five kinds of weapons - the Mishnah lists a sword, bow, shield, club and spear. 2
The Oznayim la'Torah points out that these astronomical figures should not not be taken lightly, since his Rebbe, R. Eliezer Gordon, based on Chazal's statement "six in one go", explained how each woman could well have ended up with sixty babies - by giving birth each year to sextuplets during her child-bearing years.
Hadar Zekenim: They went out with the weapons mentioned in Yechezkel 39:9 'with a shield and buckler, with a bow and with arrows, with a mace and with a pear ' (and with spear). All of these are mentioned there except for the sword - (PF).
What is the significance of the fact that Yisrael left Egypt armed? Why does the Torah need to tell us this?
Rashi: Now that Hashem took them into the desert, He needed to arm them, to prepare them for any contingency that might arise. And the Torah tells us this to preempt the question - when they had to fight against Amalek and against Sichon and Og, from where did they obtain the weapons?
Ramban #1: Despite the fact that they traveled through the desert, the Torah is telling us that for fear that the P'lishtim who lived in the vicinity might attack them they took with them weapons, to be prepared to defend themselves.
Ramban #2 (citing the Ibn Ezra): The Torah is simply informing us that they went out free (fully equipped and able to fend for themselves) and not as slaves.
Rashbam: Since they were about to begin the conquest of Cana'an (if not for the sin of the Spies, which had not yet occurred), they needed to be armed.
Seforno: What the Torah means is that, in spite of the fact that they were armed, Hashem had to lead them via the long route (to avoid facing the Egyptians), since they lacked the courage to fight due to their lack of experience in warfare.
