This Week’s Torah Portion: Sh’mot – שְׁמוֹת (Exodus 1:1−6:1)
וְאַחַ֗ר בָּ֚אוּ מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאַהֲרֹ֔ן וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־עַמִּ֔י וְיָחֹ֥גּוּ לִ֖י בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃
Then, after, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Here says Adonai, the God of Israel: Let My People go, so they may have festivals to Me in the wilderness.” (Exodus 5:1)
We’ve all heard the famous line, “Let My People Go!” – whether it be on the big screen, in a book, in song, or from the Torah itself. We don’t often hear the next part, “…so they may have festivals to Me in the wilderness.” True freedom is having autonomy over ourselves and fully expressing ourselves without fear. May we continue to have the courage to be unapologetically ourselves – a truly free people unashamed to live our lives to the fullest, exactly as we are.
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 וְאַחַ֗ר בָּ֚אוּ מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאַהֲרֹ֔ן וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל שַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־עַמִּ֔י וְיָחֹ֥גּוּ לִ֖י בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃
Then, after, Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Here says Adonai, the God of Israel: Let My People go, so they may have festivals to Me in the wilderness.” (Exodus 5:1)
We’ve all heard the famous line, “Let My People Go!” – whether it be on the big screen, in a book, in song, or from the Torah itself. We don’t often hear the next part, “…so they may have festivals to Me in the wilderness.” True freedom is having autonomy over ourselves and fully expressing ourselves without fear. May we continue to have the courage to be unapologetically ourselves – a truly free people unashamed to live our lives to the fullest, exactly as we are.
