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Tag Archive for: Sh’mot

Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

“Out of the Mountain of Despair a Stone of Hope[1]”_Shemot 2023 by Cantor Lauren Adesnik

וְכַאֲשֶׁר֙ יְעַנּ֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ כֵּ֥ן יִרְבֶּ֖ה וְכֵ֣ן יִפְרֹ֑ץ וַיָּקֻ֕צוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

V’cha’asher y’anu oto kein yir-beh v’chein yif’rotz va-ya-ku-tzu mi-p’nei b’nei Yis’ra-el.

But the more they [the Israelites] were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out, so that the [Egyptians] came to dread the Israelites.

–Exodus 1:12

18th Century commentator Or HaChaim, one of the founding members of the European Hasidic movement offers an interpretation through a lens of Jewish mystysism. Referencing the Zohar (literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah)  he concludes that the more The more persecution the Israelites suffered the more “good” was released from what had been only a mixture of good and evil previously. With the release of that “good”, i.e. good qualities, the Israelite families merited having more and more children.

This abundance of procreation not only elevated the blessings of the Israelites, it brought forth a new generation and a sense of renewed faith and hope for the future. This concept still rings true today. The more oppression many marginalized communities face today, the more good will rise from that oppression if we center ourselves with a firm foundation of faith and hope.

This weekend as we begin our journey from slavery to freedom as detailed in the book of Exodus, we celebrate and remember one of the most remarkable prophets of the 20th century Martin Luther King Jr.  We cannot equate our story with that of our brothers and sisters here in America, yet we stand together as brothers, sisters and fellow human beings in continuing to rise above the marginalization and oppression that faces us today.

Hope is  our launching pad.  It is the light that illuminates our path.  It is hope that keeps us moving forward when all seems lost, or the finish line seems impossibly far away. As we face the rise of antisemitism, racism, and divisive community, let hope motivate our action to “go high, when everyone else goes low.”

Shabbat Shalom

[1] Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a Dream” Washington, D.C. August 28th, 1963

Parsha Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת Torah Summary:

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22) A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10) Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15) Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian’s priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22) God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17) Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23) Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת

Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

Why does Moses ask God’s name? The rules for Divine encounters are pretty clearly established by this point in the Bible. Asking an angel their name is something you should definitely not do. Asking God’s name would seem unthinkable. And yet, here in Parashat Shemot, immediately after encountering God at the Burning Bush, Moses does just that:

Moses said to God: “When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is God’s name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh,” continuing, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites:  ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13–14)

Moses asks God’s name, but not directly. It is a more clever ask than, “What is Your Name?”Moses asks what he should say if the Israelites ask him “What is God’s name.” God’s answer is an equally clever response: Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, “I will be Who I will be.”

There is no record that Moses ever reports this name to the Israelites. Maybe Moses was just asking for himself all along. But, what Moses learned from God’s answer is something each of us can learn as well: Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, “I am in the process of becoming who I am.”

It is when we recognize our ability to be the best we can be, that we begin to see more fully the image of God within us all.

Parsha Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת Torah Summary:

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22) A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10) Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15) Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian’s priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22) God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17) Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23) Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת

Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

“A new king arose over Egypt; And he said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.’”

From Pharaoh who enslaved us in Egypt, till today, we find the same hate speech coming from leaders and tyrants.

When leaders incite against minorities in their midst, when they speak about us and them, instead of caring for all the inhabitants of the land, when they try to divide and not to unite. 

Then you know you are dealing with the same kind of tyrant pharaoh was!

Parsha Sh’mot Torah Summary:

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22) A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10) Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15) Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian’s priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22) God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17) Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23) “A new king arose over Egypt; And he said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.’” From Pharaoh who enslaved us in Egypt, till today, we find the same hate speech coming from leaders and tyrants. When leaders incite against minorities in their midst, when they speak about us and them, instead of caring for all the inhabitants of the land, when they try to divide and not to unite. Then you know you are dealing with the same kind of tyrant pharaoh was!

Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

“We are family (Hey, y’all)
I got all my siblings with me …”

In Genesis, we were a family. In Exodus, we are called for the first time a People. No longer just a family, we became a Nation.
From the beginning of our story, with God’s promise to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation” to the first time we are called a People, being Jewish is much more than a faith and a religion. Being Jewish is being part of a people, part of the people of Israel.

Sh’mot Summary:

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22)
A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10)
Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15)
Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian’s priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22)
God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17)
Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23)

This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot (Exodus 1:1−6:1)

“We are family (Hey, y’all)
I got all my siblings with me …”

In Genesis, we were a family. In Exodus, we are called for the first time a People. No longer just a family, we became a Nation.
From the beginning of our story, with God’s promise to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation” to the first time we are called a People, being Jewish is much more than a faith and a religion. Being Jewish is being part of a people, part of the people of Israel.

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22)
A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10)
Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15)
Moses marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midian’s priest. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22)
God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17)
Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23)