The following text comes from Sefer Mi’luim, published in Mea Shearim some 30-odd years ago. I’m not precisely sure of the author.
The homiletical explanation of the Talmud Yerushalmi Rosh Hashana on the sentence “and He commanded the Jewish people” is that He commanded that they release their own slaves. This is deduced from Jeremiah (34.13):
“Thus says the Lord, I made a covenant with your Fathers on the day I took them out from the Land of Egypt, from the house of bondage saying at the end of seven years each person shall release his Hebrew slave.”
The Rabbis explain that the meaning of the phrase “On the day that I took you out” indicates that this command to release slaves was given in Egypt before the receiving of the Torah.
Thus the sentence “and He commanded the Jewish people and Pharoh King of Egypt to release the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” is explained as referring to the Jewish people as well.
Thus “to release the Jewish people from the land of Egypt” refers both to those who didn’t want to leave (that they should understand the superiority of freedom over slavery) and to the rich, that they should release their slaves immediately.
This is how I have understood the manuscript Yalkut Albichani. “What did He command the Jewish people? He commanded that they should release their slaves in order that they should go out free themselves;” a command not just for future generations but also given at that moment as well.
From the above Yalkut “in order that they should go free” one can see a fundamental ethical idea: Namely that a human being is not worthy to be free, truly liberated, if he enslaves others.
This essential justice, this prinicple of the love of humanity, ie., “What is hateful to you don’t do to your fellow,” the Torah proclaimed more than 3,200 years ago as the very first command given to the Jewish people in Egypt.
To our great sorrow this thought has still not penetrated the hearts of men. Who knows when enlightenment will dawn?