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Parsha Page
Torah, Exodus 1:1 – 2:25
These are the names of the
sons of Isra’el who came into Egypt with Ya’akov; each man came with his
household:
This phrase is a repeat of
Genesis 46:8 that introduced the exile of Ya’akov into Mitzrayim (Egypt.). Now, Sefer Sh’mot (the Book of Exodus)
continues the story of exile. According to the way our Bibles are laid out, this
is a new book, but it is really a continuation of the story begun in Beresheit
(Genesis). At the end of Genesis,
we saw the Hebrew nation consist of a few families living in exile in Egypt.
Now, in Sh’mot (Exodus) we will see that nation grow, and thrive.
They will gain their freedom and begin the journey to Eretz Israel. They will be
consecrated by Adonai as His Chosen People. They will learn many lessons, and
sometimes they will repeat mistakes to learn those lessons over and over. There
will be successes and failures, but always, even to this day, Adonai will love
them, will cherish them as His Holy People. He will protect them, and, when it
is in His purposes, He will discipline them.
The title of this book,
Sh’mot, does not translate to Exodus in English.
Rather, Sh’mot translates as the word Names. The first part of the book lists
names of the sons of Israel that came to Mitzrayim. Throughout this book, we
will find many important names, and several of the Names of God are used for the
first time.
We first read that even
after the original 70 souls died, their descendants became very fruitful in the
land of Mitzrayim and multiplied greatly, indeed they filled the land. A new Pharaoh came into power that did not recognize the
blessings that came to Mitzrayim because of the presence of Joseph and his
family. Indeed, the new ruler saw
them as a threat to his own power, since they were becoming so strong. But he also recognized that they were
too useful to be allowed to leave the country.
So, he implements a plan to gradually enslave and, perhaps, eventually
eliminate the Israelites. Pharaoh goes so far as telling the Hebrew midwives to
kill all of the male children. When the midwives secretly refuse to obey
Pharaoh, Adonai treated them well.
In chapter 2 Moshe is
introduced, as his mother hid him for three months before placing him in a
basket, and floating him down the Nile River. The daughter of Pharaoh finds
Moshe, and she raises him up as an Egyptian prince. When Moshe was grown, he
went to see his people, found an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and kills the
Egyptian. He fled into the desert, where he met Reul, a priest of Midyan, and
married Zipporah, the priest’s daughter.
The end of the reading tells
us that after Pharaoh died, God looked upon the Israelites and remembered His
covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Qeriath, Isaiah 27:6-13
Yeshiyahu just completed prophecies that many believe relate to the end times,
when Adonai will destroy the evil that opposes Him. Now he turns to a prophecy
of Isra’el being gathered from exile in Assyria and Mitzrayim (Egypt). The
prophecy relates the purpose for the punishment of exile – that is to purge the
people and Eretz Isra’el from idols and the high places where the people
sacrificed to foreign gods. The reading ends with the sounding of a great shofar
(rams horn) to gather the faithful exiles, and their worshiping Adonai on the
holy mountain in Yerushalayim.
Da’ath, Hebrews 11:23-31
In this well-known
chapter many individuals are listed that became famous because of their faith
and obedience. Moshe is mentioned several times. In every case, it was his
faith, or trust in HaShem, that has earned his mention. In these verses even
Moshe’s parents are listed because it was their faith that caused them to put
Moshe in the basket in the river. Throughout Moshe’s life he continued to trust
in Adonai, which allowed him to accomplish the tasks that Adonai planned for
him.
Igarath, 1 Peter 2:1-10
Kefa (Peter) has been
addressing the Jews in the Diaspora.
He has been encouraging them to live holy lives. He now tells them to desire the
Word of God. Kefa describes Yeshua
as a living stone, in fact the cornerstone of faith.
Anyone who has faith in Yeshua will be supported by that stone, those who
do not trust will stumble on that same stone. He contrasts the disobedience of
the surrounding nations with the Jews, reminding them that they are God’s chosen
people, having received His mercy.
They are again told to live such good lives among the pagans that they
give Glory to Adonai. They are told to emulate Messiah as He suffered.
Conclusion
Torah demonstrated his
faithfulness in protecting Moshe from certain death at the hands of Pharaoh.
Qeriath tells that those who have been faithful to Adonai will be returned to
Isra’el in the last days, to worship Him at the holy mountain. In Da’ath, faith
in HaShem is what made it possible for Moshe to accomplish all of the tasks that
Adonai gave to him. In Igarath, it is this same faith that Kefa calls us to
exhibit in following God’s mitzvoth.
Barukh HaShem,
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Shalom