Plate 6. We Were Slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt

Mount Sinai and a pyramid mirror each other, two halves of a whole. The pyramid is upside down, demonstrating that slavery is an unnatural state. A midrash about Joseph and his brothers is inscribed in the background. The pyramid is draped with Joseph’s multi-colored coat; the colors carry over into the border, a mosaic of multi-colored glass, reflecting the shattered love of a family torn apart by favoritism and hatred. Mount Sinai is upright, indicating that learning Torah is a natural state, the very purpose for which we were created. Further, the rabbis argue that true freedom comes from the observance of Torah, which “inverts the pyramid of Egypt.” Freedom manifests itself in becoming a servant of God rather than remaining a slave to Pharaoh.