Birth is an intricate, painful process; the birth of a whole nation is even harder. As Egypt began suffering increasingly powerful contractions, Hashem instructed Moshe to start getting everything ready for the forthcoming birth. Each family had to have its own share of merit, each house had to show signs of bravery. Never in history was a nation separated from another nation like the Jewish People were separated from the Egyptian Nation. One nation became two when a multitude of slaves was extricated from their masters like a newborn is released from its bondage in its mother's womb. Wave after wave of convulsive contractions were necessary to prepare the way; powerful upheavals that needed to be monitored carefully so that the baby would not get crushed in the process. Hashem Himself passed through Egypt monitoring the Angel of Death as wreaked havoc throughout the land. Finally, one last thrust and the nation was out. Even then, the process was not over, however, for every bit of residue tissue had yet to be removed. The mixed multitude, the Erev Rav, came out with them. Millennia would pass before the souls of these questionable converts would decide which side they are on. The child was born prematurely and would need to develop ex-utero. Even in its present exile the Jewish Nation is protected by the protective walls of their houses. As a Jew crosses the threshold of his home, he is stepping out of holiness into the jungle called society. To achieve proper holiness in his home, however, he must slaughter all the idols of promiscuity, arrogance, and presumptuous squandering that the world around him worship. He must advertise his abhorrence of these things on his doorstep for all to see. He must be completely separate from the womb that surrounds him to achieve the complete independence required to be born into eternity.
Adapted from Rabbi Vali's book on Shemos. Questions and subscriptions can be mailed to: the Yeshiva