Our Gemara on Amud Beis delves into the status of a Jewish slave redeemed by relatives. Rabbi Yose asserts that upon redemption, the slave gains freedom. In contrast, Rabbi Akiva contends that redemption by relatives results in the slave being bound to serve the relative until his contract ends. Even Rabbi Akiva acknowledges that redemption by a non-relative leads to complete freedom. (One could surmise that the act of charity from an outsider might not be as easily exploited. However, given the likelihood of relatives being compelled to assist, abuse is possible. A person might repeatedly sell themselves or mismanage finances, leading to their sale. Hence, if relatives bail them out, entitlement to their labor until the contract's end is established.)
Tzafnas Pa’aneach, in Beshalach, applies this rule to interpret Exodus 13:17:
וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒ וְלֹא־נָחָ֣ם אלקיםדֶּ֚רֶךְ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֥י קָר֖וֹב ה֑וּא
"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer;"
The final phrase, "although it was nearer," aligns with the pashut peshat. In this context, the Hebrew word "ki" signifies "although." But "ki" often means "because," and according to the Midrashic explanation, God chose not to guide the Jews through Philistine territory because of its proximity to Egypt. This closeness might tempt the Jews to flee back to Egypt when confronted by fearsome foes.
Tzafnas Pa’aneach employs the Hebrew word for "close," "karov," which also means "relative." Hence, the interpretation is as follows:
"When God liberated the Jewish people from Egypt, He wanted them to recognize their obligation to serve Him, not to escape His service. But, who decreed their indebtedness? Does God not abide by His own Torah? In the Torah, a redeemed slave goes free. Yet, the answer lies in the fact that the Jews were not redeemed by a stranger; they were redeemed by God, akin to a father, thus a relative. 'כי קרוב הוא' is rendered, 'Because God is a relative,' granting Him entitlement to assume ownership through this redemption."
Human behavior often follows the pattern of yielding autonomy to another. For our benefit, a part of us remains subject to something greater. Even when we believe we can escape this, we merely swap one master for another, becoming enslaved to desires and instincts, or base aspects of secular culture. Those without religious life's structure and community find transient freedom, only to succumb to unmanageable internal forces. This master is far less benevolent than God.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation 
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