This week's section begins with the Book of Shmot – Names. Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, known as Nachmanides, called this book the Book of Redemption, as it contains the account of the Exodus from Egypt, an event that, as our sages say, should be remembered and experienced every day. Beyond the simple meaning of this idea (that we should remember the Exodus from Egypt every day), we must find in this rabbinic commandment a deeper, more practical, and relevant meaning, so that this remembrance becomes a powerful tool for drawing closer to God and for personal improvement, and not merely the daily mention of an event in human history.
The Egyptians considered the Nile River a deity. The reason for this is that all the water they and their fields drank came from the Nile. In other words, the life force of all Egypt came from the river, which symbolizes nature. On the other hand, the defining characteristic of the Land of Israel was rain. That is, in the Land of Israel, the farmer depended on God to irrigate his fields, symbolizing that the life force came from God. (This difference is clearly stated in the Torah; see Deuteronomy 11:10-11.).
While the Jewish people lived in the Land of Israel, they witnessed God's influence on the universe firsthand. But when they descended to Egypt, when they entered exile, they saw only the river (nature) as a life force. The same is true of our current exile: the divine life force in creation is hidden, and the world is perceived as separate from God. It is as if we were in Egypt.
That is why our sages tell us that every day we must remember the Exodus from Egypt, so that we are always aware that our energy truly comes from God, despite finding ourselves in physical and spiritual exile.
The strength to break free from the "Egyptian" influence of considering nature as the sole source of life comes from the neshamah, the soul. The soul's faith is based on its constant presence before God, as if seeing Him, and this vision influences the person in this material world to have a sense of God's presence. Faith was one of the merits by which the Jewish people left Egypt, and faith is one of the merits by which we will be redeemed again, soon in our days.