OU TORAH Shmos By Rabbi Rabbi Twerskey H"YD

The pasuk says two things: a) Hashem saw, b) Hashem knew. The Beis Ha’Levi brings a Medrash that says there was a kitrug against Klal Yisrael of halalu ovdei avodah zarah v’halalu ovdei avodah zarah – why is Ha’Kadosh Baruch Hu showing preference to the Jews if they were doing avodah zarah like the Mitzrim? The answer that Hashem gave to that charge is that, unlike the Mitzrim, the Jews were only doing avodah zarah as a result of the slavery and resultant madness (tiruf ha’daas) with which they were stricken. That is what the pasuk, according to this Medrash, is saying: Hashem saw the situation, and He knew that it was only as a result of the impossible circumstances that they slipped into avodah zarah. The Beis Ha’Levi says that from this we see a definition of ohnes (something done out of coercion). Only if the person would not have done it otherwise, does the exemption of ohnes apply. The fact that the Beis Ha’Levi pins this idea on this particular Medrash apparently seems to be drush, but it is nonetheless a fundamental, very-practical concept.