Readings of Saturday, January 17, 2026, and Rosh Chodesh Shevat

Readings for Saturday, January 17, 2026

Va-ayrah (And I appeared)
6:2-9:35 Shemot (Exodus)

Va-ayrah is the second sedrah of the eleven that make-up the book of Shemot (Exodus).  The sedrah takes its name from the first word of the second sentence of the weekly reading, “Va-ayrah” - “And I appeared” as in I (God) appeared.  The sedrah divides into two basic parts.  The first part (6:2-7:13) has been described as a “Divine Reaffirmation” or restatement by God giving the reasons for Moshe’s mission and the conditions under which it will be carried out.  The second part (7:14-9:35) describes the first seven of the Ten Plagues.  You may detect a note of hesitancy in this guide.  It is only fair to warn you that I find this a most difficult sedrah and I may leave you with more questions than commentary.

“Divine Reaffirmation” (6:2-7:13)

Etz Hayim, the Conservative Chumash, uses this term to describe the first part of the reading and it is as good a description as any other.  In part, the opening verses are an answer to Moshe’s question at the end of the last sedrah, “Lord, why hast thou done evil to this people?  Why then hast thou sent me?”  Va-ayrah actually begins with the statement “And God spoke to Moses.”  According to some commentators, the root of the Hebrew word for “spoke” carries with it the connotation of a rebuke.  In other words, in providing Moses with a repetition of the information presented in Shemot, He is rebuking Moshe for his apparent lack of faith.  At the start of this sedrah, God (Elohim) tells Moses that his name is now יְהוָה Adonai or the Lord (Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay or YHVH).  From now on, YHVH will be the divine name that speaks to Moshe.  God tells Moshe that he is the same God who had appeared to the Patriarchs, but that they did know Him by the name YHVH.  But we saw YHVH used in Bereshit so how do we explain this apparent contradiction?  (And now you begin to see why I have so much difficulty with this sedrah.)  The Patriarchs may have known of the name but they did not know its full meaning.  Only with the Plagues, the Exodus and the giving of the Torah do we finally see the full might and meaning of the name YHVH.  The text repeats God’s instructions to Moses and Aaron about approaching Pharaoh.  There is one of those periodic genealogies (6:14 - 6:30), although this one only contains a partial listing of the tribes including just the first three, Rueben, Simeon and Levi.  The list stops at this point because the whole point of the genealogy is establishing the connection of Moses and Aaron with the house of Jacob.

The First Seven of the Ten Plagues (7:14-9:35)

There are only two groups of people for whom the Plagues do not present a problem - those who accept the Bible literally and those who dismiss it as book of tales on par with the legends of King Arthur or Robin Hood.  For the rest of us there are lots of questions with only partial answers.  What really did happen in Egypt?  What were the authors trying to tell us happened?  What message is there for us at the dawn of the 21^st century in these Plagues?  The easy answer is that God sent the Plagues to establish His power and might, to prove that He was Master of the Universe.  This may be an easy answer, but hardly a satisfying one.  I do not intend to discuss each of the seven plagues since that would make the Guide longer than the Sedrah.  What follows are some random comments that might prove useful.  Commentators have provided structure to the Plagues.  They divide them as 3-3-3-1.  “The first three proved the existence of God; the next three proved that His providence extends to earthly affairs and that He is not oblivious to material matters and the next three proved that God is unmatched by any power.” 

In each of the groups of three, the first two plagues are preceded by a warning, and the third plague comes without warning.  It is as if the third plague is a punishment for not “heeding the message” in the first two plagues.  Also, the first warning comes to Pharaoh by the Nile and the second comes in his Palace.  At the end of each of the first five plagues, the commentators say that Pharaoh hardened his heart.  It is only with the subsequent plagues that God hardens Pharaoh’s heart.  (Yes, it is the plagues and the questions of free will that make this an even more difficult sedrah for me.)  I would suggest that you read the text closely to see that different words are used to describe Pharaoh’s specific response to each of the plagues.  The First Plague is the boldest of all, save for the Tenth.  By attacking the Nile, God attacks the very source of all Egyptian society.  The end of the plague and Pharaoh’s response are also not stated in the same way as they are with subsequent plagues.  At any rate, the sedrah ends with the seventh plague and Pharaoh as unyielding as ever.

Themes:

Women

In the genealogy in chapter six we see the rare mention of wives.  In verses 20, 23 and 25 we read that Amram married Jochebed, Aaron married Elisheba and Elazar married a daughter of Putiel.  Each of these women had an honored lineage of her own.  By mentioning them, it would appear that the Torah is trying to confer extra merit on at least one of their offspring.  Only those who have not read the text would claim that women are absent from our tradition.

Pesach

Three aspects of the Seder have their origins in this sedrah.  The first is the recitation of the Plagues.  The second is the Four Cups of Wine.  In 6:6-7, there are four promises of redemption.  “I shall take you out.  I shall rescue you.  I shall redeem you.  I shall take you.”  The Four Cups of Wine commemorate these four promises.  The third aspect is Elijah’s Cup.  In 6:8, the text reads “I shall bring you to the land.”  Some felt that this was a fifth promise so there should be five cups of wine.  Others said no, there were only four promises.  As an act of compromise, and since all such disputes will be settled with the coming of the Messiah which will be announced by the prophet Elijah, it was decided to put a fifth cup on the table, but not to drink it.  Instead, it would be left for the prophet Elijah.  There may be other explanations for these customs but at least this provides a common point of departure for future discussion at your Seder or at Shabbat Torah study.

Marriage

 According to the Talmud, when contemplating marriage, one should consider the family of the future spouse.  For when you marry, you are not just joining your life with another individual.  You are becoming a part of that person’s family as well.  This is one of those many timeless teachings found in the Torah that speak across the ages to all generations.  According to Rashi, the origins for that teaching are found in this week’s sedrah (6:23).  The reading tells us the name of Aaron’s wife as well as the name of her father and brother.

Punishment

In Judaism, we believe that a warning should always precede punishment.  This view has been adopted in the world of modern employee relations.  We derive this concept from this week’s sedrah when Moshe, at God’s behest, warns Pharaoh about the plagues he will suffer if he does not free the Israelites.  Ezekiel, the prophet from whom we take this week’s haftarah, also has an interesting lesson on the subject of punishment.  If a person sees another doing the wrong thing and does not warn him, two things will happen.  God will punish the evildoer.  But He will also punish the person who failed to deliver the warning (3:16-18).  In modern times the entire concept of what is called progressive discipline centers around the question “Did you tell the person clearly and unequivocally what was expected?”  After all, how can you except the person to perform if he or she does not know what is expected of him/herself?  Also, did the person know the negative and positive consequences, of his or her behavior?

Free Will

According to Judaism, we all have it.  But our past behavior inclines us toward our future behavior.  In responding to the first five plagues, Pharaoh chooses to do evil each time, so that with the subsequent plagues, his response is almost predictable.  His inclination to do evil is “second nature” to him now.  And in that sense, some commentators say, we find the meaning of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart.  Another view on this is the belief that all men have the free will to pursue their destiny.  This is an issue of major concern among the Pharisees who had a great deal to say on the topic.  In speaking of the Pharisaic view of this, the historian Josephus said, "They ascribe everything to fate without depriving man of his freedom of action."  This idea was expressed by Rabbi Akiba: "Everything is foreseen (that is, predestined); but at the same time freedom is given."  Akiba, however, declared, "The world is judged by grace (neither by blind fate nor by the Pauline law), and everything is determined by man's actions (not by blind acceptance of certain creeds)."  Two other Rabbinic comments on the tension between free will and predestination are, "All is decreed by God except fear of God" and "Man may act either virtuously or viciously, and his rewards or punishments in the future shall be accordingly."

Name of the Divine

The shifting appellations for the name of God including Elohim, El Shaddai, and YHVH (6:3), require us to pay attention to how the terms are used in Hebrew.  The different names provide the basis for a significant school of Biblical interpretation known as “Higher Criticism.”  Simply put, these critics believe the different names for Ha-Shem are proof of multiple authors of the Torah; that they are proof that the Torah is compilation of legends from several different strains of forefathers that were smoothed into their current form by later editors sometimes referred to as redactors.  I suggest you read “Does Exodus VI,3, Support the Higher Critical Theory?” on pages 397 through 399 of the Hertz Chumash for a concise, highly literate treatment of this topic.  In talking of these critics, Hertz writes, “…all this wanton tampering with the text leads nowhere….  All suggestions of contradictions are merely due to an insufficient insight into the spirit and intent of Scripture on the part of the Higher Critics.”  In point of fact, the various appellations may be seen as God’s way of communicating different aspects of His divine presence to us.  Whatever your belief, when it comes to understanding the Bible, the question “What’s in a name?” is very significant indeed.  We will talk more about the “Yud Hay Vav Hay” format as we wend our way through the Torah. The name of Divine Being is the word we could not say and now we cannot pronounce.  Some say the essence of the name was a breath.  Could this be a way of telling us that the essence of divinity is silence?

Measuring Greatness

How does one measure one’s accomplishments?  What is the importance of lineage?  A line from this sedrah has given rise to numerous stories that provide illumination on this topic.  “These are the heads of their houses…” (6:14) introduces a description of the lineage of Aaron and Moses.  Among Jews the term for this kind of pedigree is Yichus.  Unfortunately, some people who come from a long line of scholars or rabbis, etc. become overly impressed with their own accomplishments and fail to appreciate the accomplishments of their fellow Jews who come from humbler beginnings.  The gist of a whole raft of those folk tales is that a Jew with Yichus should be humble in assessing his or her accomplishments because until their deeds and learning surpass that of their illustrious ancestors they really have nothing to brag about.  However, there is a countervailing notion.  Just because a person is born with Yichus does not mean he will accomplish anything.  If a person is not supposed to blame his parents for his shortcomings, then he should not have to give them credit for his accomplishments.  For example, both Absalom and Solomon shared the same Yichus.  They were the sons of King David.  But one is remembered as a vain, selfish rebel while the other is remembered as the ruler who built the Temple and helped enrich our religious literature.

Whose Counting Counts

In this week’s reading, Va-ayrah, we read about the seven plagues.  In next week’s reading, Bo, we read about three more plagues.  This makes for ten plagues.  The sages seemed to have accepted this count.  In the Haggadah, Rabbi Jose, the Galilean, uses the ten plagues in Egypt as proof that there were fifty plagues at the Red Sea.  The Egyptians said that the ten plagues were the “finger of God.”  God showed “His Hand” at the Red Sea.  If a finger is worth ten, then a hand (five fingers) is worth fifty plagues.  However, the Bible offers different counts.  While the book of Shemot (Exodus) says there were ten plagues, the Book of Psalms offers two other counts.  The author of Psalm 78 refers to the plagues in recalling the “past mercies” that God has shown His people (78:43-51).  However, his plague count is seven, not ten.  Also, the order in the two versions is different although both start with Blood and end with The Death of the First Born.  The author of Psalm 105, who was probably writing for the remnant of Jews who had returned from the Babylonian exile, uses the plagues as one example of how God has (and therefore will again) help a small group to overcome adversity (105:27-36).  This author uses eight plagues, not ten.  While he ends with the Death of the First Born, he begins with Darkness and then lists Blood.  What is the significance of these discrepancies?  It is not the first time different books of the Bible have offered different information.  Consider how differently the anointing of Solomon is described in Samuel and Kings, on the one hand, and in Chronicles, on the other hand.  Are the versions in Psalms an example of poetic license?  The references in Psalms demonstrate one thing - the Story of the Plagues and therefore of the Exodus - were well known to the Israelites from a very early date in Jewish history.  This would seem to strengthen the argument that regardless of the historical accuracy of the actual events described in the opening chapters of Shemot (Exodus) a departure from Egypt by our ancestors is grounded in some level of reality.

Stopping at Seven

 Why does the portion end with the seventh plague?  Is there something magical about the number “Seven,” as in the Seven Days tied to Creation?  Commentators like Ibn Ezra and Rashbam find the answer in the words of the last two verses of the reading.  After the rain, hail and thunder stopped, Pharaoh “sinned yet more and hardened his heart.   Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would not let the Israelites go” (9:34-35).  Unlike the previous plagues, there is no admission of guilt by Pharaoh with this plague.  Instead he increased his sin while stiffening his resolve against the Israelites, which the commentators say means that after the seventh plague Pharaoh was not just sinning, he was “enjoying his sin.”

Accuracy and Honesty

These continue to be troubling issues as we go through the second book of the Torah.  In Chapter 9, verse 3, Pharaoh is told that the Egyptian livestock will be struck “with a very severe pestilence” (NJPS) or “a very grievous murrain” (OJPS) if he does let Hebrews go to worship God.  Pharaoh did not comply and, “all the livestock of the Egyptians died.”  Then comes the plague of Hail in which the Egyptians are told to shelter their livestock unless they want them to die.  “Those among Pharaoh’s courtiers who feared the Lord’s word…brought their livestock indoors to safety” (9:19).  If “all the livestock” was destroyed in the fifth plague where did the livestock come for the seventh plague?  One said that the term “all’ was really an exaggeration and the author meant “most” or some such other great measure.  Another commentator indicates that “all” means “all” and that the cattle in the seventh plague were ones that the Egyptians bought from “foreigners in the land.”  Both of these answers seem to beg the question.  One possible explanation is that there was a great deal of time between each of the plagues, but the text does not say that.  As to the Honesty, Moses keeps asking Pharaoh to give the Israelites time off from work to go pray to their God.  But God has already told Moses that He plans on freeing the Israelites.  How do we explain this disconnect?  If we don’t, there are those who will say that Pharaoh was right to deny Moses’ request because he sensed that he was not telling the truth.  Of course, Pharaoh would not have acquiesced to a request to free the Israelites, but that is another matter.  Why then didn’t Moses just tell the Egyptian King what he wanted from the start?  I am sure that “Rashi’s proverbial 5-year-old daughter” knows the answer so I hope she will share it.

Reassurance from the Plagues

According to a Rabbinic tale, much to the consternation of the local peasants a Jew had acquired several head of cattle.  As was the custom of the place, the Jew took his cattle to the common green so that they could graze.  The peasants drove his stock off declaring that no Jewish cattle would feed on the common in their village.  The Jew was forced to drive his little herd up into the hills where they could forage for food.  One day bandits attacked the town.  In the course of their looting and pillaging, they slaughtered the cattle, butchered the beef and took it with them.  The peasants were beside themselves with grief.  What would they do for milk, cheese and butter?  How would they ever have meat to eat again?  At that very moment, the Jew came down the road into the town square driving his cattle, which had been in the hills before him.  The town was saved because as it says in this week’s sedrah about the plague of cattle disease, “But of the cattle of the Children of Israel, not one died” (9:6).

Moses in Egypt and the IDF in Gaza

As they moved into Gaza during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Forces warned the Arabs that they were coming.  In some instances, they reportedly placed phone calls telling the people to evacuate because the area in which they were living would be coming under attack.  They urged those who were innocent civilians to move away from the Hamas fighters so that they would not be wounded or killed in the upcoming attacks.  A precursor of this strange behavior, willingness to sacrifice the element of surprise to save lives, can be found in this week’s Torah portion.  In chapter 9, before the Plague of Hail, God instructs Moses to warn the Egyptians in the following words:

“18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now.  19 Now therefore send, hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.'  20 He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses; 21 and he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.”

The death and destruction of war, like the death and destruction that came with the plagues, are horrible things to behold.  Neither the IDF nor God is looking for corpses.  God is saying “let my people go” while the IDF is saying “let my people live.”

A Deepening Relationship

The relationship between God and Moses is tested for the first time.  Moses has failed in his initial attempt to negotiate with Pharaoh.  Not only has he not gained freedom for the Israelites, he had actually worsened their condition.  Moses does not throw in the towel.  More importantly, God does not respond with the kind of anger we will see with the episode of the Golden Calf.  Instead, he provides Moses with reassurance and helps to reinvigorate the great Prophet for the work that lies ahead.  It would appear that the Torah is providing us with paradigm for teaching and for comforting those who are weighed down by the challenges of life.

Moses and Aaron

The behavior of this duo is a puzzler.  The text says that Aaron is the “Prophet” for Moses.  Did Pharaoh think that Moses was, like him, a divine being in human form?  This might account for the fact that Pharaoh did not take Moses seriously.  Then, as one of my students asked, what language did Moses speak?  Did Aaron serve as the interpreter between these two dueling leaders?  And then there is the unanswered question of how Aaron felt playing a secondary role to his younger brother?  We can pursue this issue of “sibling rivalry” when we get to the Golden Calf.

MLK Holiday 2026

In one of those quirks of the calendar, this year’s observance of Martin Luther King falls on the Monday after we read about the first seven plagues and before we read about the last three plagues and the Israelite deliverance from bondage. Talk about providing everybody Rabbi with an easy topic for a great a sermon!  For those of us who have become cynical about the need to help the “widow, the orphan, the stranger in our midst: -- the weakest members of the society, this calendar coincide should remind us that like the African-Americans, we (the Jews) were slaves unto Pharaoh. We carry that condition of our servitude down through the ages, for the Torah reminds us over and over again that we should behave in a righteous way in dealing with others because “we were slaves unto Pharaoh.”  The fight for social justice is long, hard and at times seems to be a wasted effort.  But as the sages say, just because we cannot finish the job is no reason to start the work.

Haftarah

28:25-29:21 Ezekiel

The Man:  Ezekiel is one of the Three Major Prophets.  The other two are Isaiah and Jeremiah.  This grouping comes from the size of their books, not just the quality of their teachings and preachings.  Ezekiel lived at the time of the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian Exile (586 B.C.E.).  He is a younger contemporary of Jeremiah.  He was born about 620 B.C.E. and died about 570 B.C.E.  We know little about his personal life from the text.  He is described as the son of Buzi and is a member of the priestly family of Zadok.  He was married and his wife died suddenly.  He was carried into captivity by the Babylonians and lived in a place called Tel-abib (Hill of Corn Ears) on the banks of the Chebar River.  Apparently this was one of the sections set aside for the exiles.  According to legend, Ezekiel died of unknown causes during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar and was buried in a town lying between the Euphrates and the Chebar rivers.  A synagogue was built on that site and as late as the twelfth century pilgrims came there to read from a Sefer Torah supposedly written by Ezekiel’s own hand.

The Message:  According to some commentators, the material contained in this week’s haftarah was delivered about ten years before the Babylonian Exile.  There was a division among the leaders of Judah (the Southern Kingdom).  Some wanted to make peace with the Babylonians even if it meant becoming a vassal state.  Others sought to join an alliance led by Egypt that would resist the Babylonians with the intent of preserving the independence of the kingdom.  Based on these writings, Ezekiel opposed alliance with Egypt.  He likened her to a reed, which would splinter causing the destruction of the kingdom.  The prophets played many roles.  In this case Ezekiel was supplying very practical advice to deal with a very political problem.  This haftarah does raise the question of the accuracy of prophecy.  The Egyptians did lose to the Babylonians.  But Egypt was not devastated in the manner described by Ezekiel.  Her loss of power came through a slow downward spiral that did not reach its low point until the days of the Roman Empire.  But the Egyptians were never exiled and when the Israelites returned from exile, it was as a tiny remnant, not as a mighty host.  It would seem that Ezekiel got it right on the big stuff, but sort of missed out on the details.

Theme-Link:  In the sedrah we read of the arrogant Pharaoh who will not release the Israelites even when confronted with the reality of God’s might as evidenced by the plagues.  The haftarah describes an arrogant Pharaoh who fails to come to the aid of the Southern Kingdom and thus hastens the fall of Jerusalem.  Just as God punished the Pharaoh of Moshe’s time, He will punish this Pharaoh and his arrogant people.

Readings for Monday January 19, 2026

Rosh Chodesh Shevat

Rosh Chodesh Shevat

28:1-15 Bamidbar (Numbers)

This is the standard reading for each Rosh Chodesh.  Rosh Chodesh is the name of the minor holiday that marks the start of each month.  The term Rosh Chodesh is translated as New Moon.  The first day of the month is referred to as Rosh Chodesh because the months are lunar and the first day of each month comes with the start of the new moon.  In the days of the Temple special sacrifices were brought in honor of the new moon.  With the destruction of the Temple, the sacrificial system ended.  In place of the sacrifices, Jews read a description of the sacrificial offerings, which is described in the first fifteen verses of chapter 28 in the book of Numbers.  The Torah reading takes place during the daily morning service.  There are many Jews who have no desire to return to the sacrificial system.  They use these readings as a way of providing a connection with the past which is one of the keys to our future preservation.  Because of the Rosh Chodesh a shortened form of Hallel is recited.  Tefillin are worn until Mussaf or Additional Service

Because of its connection with the moon, Rosh Chodesh is thought to have special meaning for women.  There are some sages who suggest that wives and mothers should be presented with gifts on this, their holiday.  In lieu of gifts, others suggest giving Tzdekah in their honor.

Shevat is the eleventh month counting from Pesach and the fifth month counting from Rosh Hashanah.  Shevat has only one holiday.  On the 15th of Shevat, Jews observe a minor festival called Tu bi-Shevat also known as the New Year of the Trees.  Many observe it with a special Seder that includes foods from Eretz Israel.  For several decades it was the focal point for the annual JNF tree drive complete with its ubiquitous Tree Certificate.  Shevat is mentioned by name only once in the Bible - in Chapter 1, verse 7 of the Book of Zechariah, “Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is Shevat.”  This is the beginning of Zechariah’s prophecy about the rebuilding of the Temple in the days of the Persian Empire.  According to the Torah, Moses began the discourses known as Devarim (Deuteronomy) on the first day of Shevat.  “And it came to pass in the fortieth year in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel…” (Deut.1:3).  For Lubvaitchers, Shevat is a month of mixed messages.  The Tenth of Shevat is the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, the 6th Rebbe who passed away in 1950.  The Tenth of Shevat (1951) marks the assumption of leadership by his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson as the 7th Rebbe.  From a personal note, the 2nd of Shevat is the Yahrzeit of Reb Zusha, a gentle kindly soul about whom wonderful stories are told.

Shevat and Pesach

16^th of Shevat, 5238:  On January 29, 1478, “The Washington Haggadah,” the creation of Joel Ben Simeon was completed.  “In addition to the full text of the Passover night liturgy, the Washington Haggadah features stunningly intricate illuminated panels and a series of Passover illustrations that include depictions of "The Four Sons," "The Search for Leaven," and "The Messiah Heralded."  The enduring popularity of Joel ben Simeon's miniatures is reflected in the many reproductions of his work that have appeared over the years in anthologies of Jewish art and manuscript painting.  In 1991, the Library of Congress published a facsimile edition of the Washington Haggadah, accompanied by a companion volume with a detailed scholarly description, analysis, and assessment of the manuscript.”

Musical Shevat

19^th of Shevat, 5722:  On January 24^, Brian Epstein signed a contract to manage The Beatles establishing the “Jewish connection” with the FAB 4 who some consider the most influential and best-known music group of the 20^th century.

Solemn Shevat

18th of Shevat, 5746:  On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members including Judith Resnik, “the first American Jewish astronaut in space.  Resnik joined the space program in 1978 after graduating from Carnegie-Mellon with a B.S. in electrical engineering and the University of Maryland with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.  Prior to the 1986 Challenger tragedy, Resnik served as the mission specialist on Discovery's maiden voyage in 1984, logging 144 hours 57 minutes in space.  Resnik was the second American woman in space (after Sally Ride) and the fourth worldwide.  Before joining the space program, Resnik worked in the radar division of RCA, as a biomedical engineer in neurophysics at the National Institute of Health, and finally for the Xerox corporation.  She was accepted into the NASA program, along with five other women, in 1978.  An Akron, Ohio, native, Resnik was a classical pianist and a gourmet cook, and also enjoyed running and bicycling.  She was active in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the IEEE Committee on Professional Opportunities for Women, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Association of University Women.”

Copyright; January 2026; Mitchell A. Levin

 

Readings for Saturday, January 10, 2026

Readings for Saturday, January 10, 2026

Shemot (“Names”)

1:1 - 6:1 Shemot (Exodus)

Shemot (Exodus) is the second book in the Torah.  It consists of eleven weekly readings.  During non-leap years, the tenth and eleven portions are read on the same Shabbat.  Shemot (both the book and the first sedrah) literally means “Names” as in “These are the names (Shemot) of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob.”  Different commentators have divided the book in various ways.  For some, Shemot divides as follows:

·         A description of the enslavement of the Israelites;

·         Events leading up to, and including, the redemption from bondage;

·         Events leading up to and following the revelation at Sinai;

·         Presentation of a significant number of commandments (numbers 4 through 114 to be exact);

·         The building of the Tabernacle.

Shemot is known as the Book of Exodus in English.  The name comes from one of the most dramatic events in our history, the Exodus from Egypt.  The book of Shemot and the weekly reading of the same name each cover far too much material for this guide to deal with in depth.  You are urged to read the text and the voluminous notes in the various commentaries to capture the full impact of the events and their deeper meaning for the development of the Jewish people.  One question that comes up time and time again relates to the historic authenticity of the events described in Shemot.  Generally speaking, Jews view these events as part of our history.  “Whether or not the events happened exactly as described is in the final instance less important than the way in which they were experienced and comprehended.  Whether or not God objectively rescued Israel from Egypt is a question to which no historian can provide an answer.  But Exodus, the repository of Israel’s experience, says that He did and on this basis history and faith together have shaped the minds and hearts of Israel.”  This quote is from Plaut’s Commentaries, the Chumash of choice of the Reform Movement.  If the Reform Movement can accept the historicity of Shemot, I think we can set the question aside and move on to this text that describes some of the seminal events of our national existence.

Shemot, the weekly reading, describes the enslavement of the Israelites, the emergence of Moses and the first confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh.  This confrontation with Pharaoh, as with all subsequent confrontations, is really a confrontation between God and Pharaoh.  Much of the narrative for this week’s sedrah, like much of the first part of Shemot, includes tales many of you know from your days as Religious School students so I may skip over some of text just to save time.  On the other hand, as you read the text, you can’t help noticing what the Torah actually says as opposed to what are Midrash or Sunday School tales.

Enslavement of the Israelites 1:1-1:22

The sedrah opens by listing the names of the sons of Israel.  This provides a connection with the concluding portion of Bereshit and provides the glue that binds our historic and spiritual heritage.

“And a new king arose who knew not Joseph.”  Thus begins the tale of our enslavement, the outlines of which are repeated over and over again throughout our history as former allies and friends turn on us.  Did this new king not know of Joseph because he had served another dynasty such as the Hyksos?  Or did he not know of Joseph because he had decided to do evil to Joseph’s descendants?  The text is silent.  But the outcome is the same.  Having decided, for no apparent reason, that the Israelites pose a threat, the king now can justify enslaving them and trying to murder the male children.  This Pharaoh is often cited as history’s first anti-Semite.  The Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, who refused to murder the infant boys, should qualify as the first practitioners of civil disobedience.  They acted as they did because they feared God.  This term, “fear of God,” appears repeatedly throughout our text and is tied to the concept of the highest level of moral behavior.  The Pharaoh is not impressed by their rectitude, which should give us some idea about Egyptian morality.  If the midwives will not participate in infanticide, the Pharaoh has no choice but to order the drowning of all male babies in the Nile.  This decree sets the stage for our introduction to the central temporal figure in the last four books of the Torah and one of our tradition’s central figures - Moses or Moshe.

The Emergence of Moshe 2:1-4:28

First we are introduced to Moses’ parents, although not by name but merely by tribe.  There is nothing miraculous about the birth of Moses.  He is the product of a normal, married couple having their third child.  In order to save him, his mother puts him in basket and hides him among the reeds under his sister’s watchful eye.  Please note, the word used for basket is “tevah” the same term used for the ark in which Noah sails.  If you believe nothing happens by coincidence, what connections do you think the author(s) were drawing between the story of the Flood and Moses?  The daughter of Pharaoh finds the baby and in one of history's great ironies saves the great liberator from the death planned by her father.  Thanks to Miriam and the Egyptian Princess, the mother of Moses becomes his nurse.  According to some commentators, Moses’ mother provided him with his Israelite identification during this formative period of his life.  At the end of this sojourn, the baby is given to the princess who names him Moses:  “I drew him out of the water.”  Does the Egyptian Princess know Hebrew?  If President Bush’s wife can be bilingual, why can’t the daughter of the Pharaoh demonstrate the same skill?

The text is silent about the years Moses spent growing up in Pharaoh’s household.  The next time we meet him he is a grown man and his experiences at this time will pre-sage the events of his future life.  He kills an Egyptian who was “beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen.”  This tells us two things about Moses.  First, he knows who his people really are.  Secondly, he has a strong sense of justice.  Moses is forced to flee Egypt when one of his fellow Hebrews implies that he will expose Moses for killing the Egyptian.  This will not be the last time that his fellow Israelites will cause Moses pain and suffering.  Moses flees to Midian (an ill-defined region east of Egypt possibly in the Arabian Peninsula) where he encounters his soon to be wife, Zipporah and his future father-in-law, now called Reuel, but later called Jethro and Hobab.  Once again, Moses’ sense of justice comes into play as he defends the right of Reuel’s seven daughters to water their flocks at the well.  (Yes, we have seen others at the well.  What is the significance of the repetitive themes?)  Moses marries, has a son named Gershom (“I am stranger in a strange land” ties perfectly with “There came a king who knew not Joseph.”) and settles down to the life of a shepherd.  Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the king dies, but the enslavement continues.  Note the language in 2:24 and 2:25.  On the one hand it says “God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” which may contain the lesson that even when man forgets God, He remembers us.  On the other hand, what does it say about God when the text continues, “God took notice of them?”  Does this mean that God is not always paying attention to His Chosen People?  If not, what happened to catch His divine attention?  (These would seem to qualify as “Saturday Kiddush Questions.”)

The narrative now switches back to Moses and his first meeting with God at the Burning Bush on a site that will later be known as Sinai.  Moses is the reluctant prophet giving God all sorts of reasons why he is the wrong person for the task.  This modesty is another of Moses’ great traits.  In the course of their conversations, God reveals the future to Moses including the reason for the Exodus.  “And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”  In other words, Moses knows from the start that the deliverance from Egypt is a prelude to something even more glorious.  Unlike the Patriarchs, Moses wants to know God’s name.  In 3:14 God provides the enigmatic answer that has puzzled commentators ever since.  Interestingly enough, Moses never shares this name with Israelites.  Of further interest is that God tells Moses to invoke the names of the Patriarchs (3:15) when appearing before the Israelites.  Once again, we see the theme of historic continuity arise depending upon how one reads the text.  At the end of the conversation, God tells Moses that his brother Aaron will speak for him.  In subsequent verses, the text plainly states that Aaron spoke the words of Moses.  But in ensuing chapters, when the Torah says, “Moses spoke” should it really say, “Aaron spoke?”  Furthermore, when and why does Moses lose the speech impediment and no longer have need of Aaron’s tongue?

As Moses leaves Midian to return to Egypt with his wife and family, we find one of those strange interludes (4:24-4:26).  Is it a nighttime encounter reminiscent of Jacob wrestling with the angel?  Apparently somebody has not been circumcised.  Is it Moses?  Is it his son?

Apparently it is the younger son of Moses who has not been circumcised.  Moses, for some inexplicable reason, has failed to perform the primary ritual and it is only through the intervention of Moses’ wife that all are saved.  Some commentators contend that Moses now goes on to Egypt alone.  His wife and sons turn back and will not re-join him until Jethro brings them to him after the Exodus.

The First Confrontations with Pharaoh 4:29-6:2

While the elders of Israel are impressed with Moses’ presentation, the Pharaoh is not.  He scoffs at them and he scoffs at God.  After throwing the brothers out, Pharaoh decides to make things even worse for the Israelites.  Now they must provide the straw for the bricks as well as make the bricks and build the cities of Pharaoh.  By making their lives even harder, the Pharaoh figures he can discredit the brothers and bring an end to their meddling.  In point of fact, he seemed to have succeeded.  First the Israelites turn their wrath against Moses for making their lot worse.  Then Moses seems to lose faith with his questions (5:22-23).  But of course, God is God and neither Pharaoh nor the Israelites understand the true nature of the contest.

Themes:

Women

Shemot provides more evidence of the central role women play in the story of the Jewish people.  The midwives, Yocheved, Miriam, Zipporah and Pharaoh’s daughter all play pivotal roles in the sedrah.  We do not need to re-write our history to create great women.  Only those who have not studied Torah are unaware of these realities and therefore feel compelled to invent an unnecessary mythology.

The Midwives

The Babylonian Talmud provides this additional information about these brave women.  One was named Shiphrah, which means fertile.  She was so named because she ensured that the babies were born healthy.  The other was named Puah which means “open-mouthed.”  This appellation alluded to the soothing, calming affect her voice had upon the infants in her care.  Some contend that Shiphrah was Yocheved, Moshe’s mother and that Puah was Miriam, Moshe’s sister.

Two Sons

Moshe has two sons.  The elder is Gershom.  The name takes it root from the Hebrew word “ger” meaning stranger.  Moshe felt that he was a stranger in a strange land.  The younger is name Eliezer, which means “with God’s help.”  He was so named as a sign of Moshe’s gratitude for God having helped him escape from the wrath of Pharaoh.  Their fate is fascinating.  See if you can track it as we move forward.

Abraham and Moshe

Both are great men.  Both are prototypes of Jewish leaders.  Yet one was basically compliant and accepting.  The other was challenging and impatient.  According to the great commentator Rashi, “Moshe talked out of turn, Abraham did not.”  Abraham never complained even at the time of the Akedah Yitzchak.  On the other hand, Moshe repeatedly refused to accept God’s command that he return to Egypt and lead the Israelites.  Abraham was patient and accepting as can be seen in his willingness to wait for the birth of Isaac.  Moshe wanted a fast resolution (he hit the rock) and had a tendency to challenge God (do not destroy the Israelites and let me enter the Promised Land).

Pesach

The holiday will be upon us in a few months.  As you read Shemot, you should see elements of the Haggadah and the Seder.  Hopefully reading the source material will make celebrating the holiday a more meaningful experience.

Continuity

This is obviously important to the author(s) as well as being a basic concept in Judaism.  We see repeated invocation of the Patriarchs.  We see re-working of motifs from Bereshit.  And last, but not least, God reminds us that unfolding events are merely the realization of that which had been foretold to Abraham.

Defining a Real Jew

There have been many sectarian quarrels among various Jewish groups over the millennia.  In these conflicts, there are those who are always quick to declare that those who do not see things their way are not “real” Jews.  At the same time, there are the sons of Aaron who seek ways to find peace in the house.  A quote from this week’s portion provides the springboard for a tale about two approaches to the issue of “real Jews.”  When confronted by Moshe’s demands, the King of Egypt responds, “And Pharaoh said:  ‘Who (is) the Lord that I should hearken to his voice…’” (5:2).

A Chassidic Rebbe and his son were visiting a Jewish community.  On Shabbat afternoon, following the meal, as was the custom among the Chassidim, the Rebbe began a d’var Torah on the portion of the week.  The German Jews were not used to such a discourse and began mocking the Rebbe.  The son was infuriated.  “How,” he asked his father, “can you waste your words on Epikoros?”  The Rebbe was shocked that his son would refer to the German Jews as Epikoros, a term used to characterize people who are lax in the observances and/or non-believers.  The father agreed with his son that it would be wrong to speak Torah in front of Epikoros.  However, the father confessed a weakness - on Shabbat he felt the need to converse about the Holy Books.  It was agreed that on the following Shabbat, if the Rebbe felt the urge to speak, his son would remind him of the waste of speaking Torah to Epikoros by waving his hand.  Sure enough, on the following Shabbat, the Rebbe and his son sat down for Kiddush and the afternoon meal.  The Rebbe started to “talk Torah.”  The son immediately began making gestures to remind the father of his promise not to speak.  But the Rebbe ignored him and gave a brilliant talk that completely captivated those at the table.  After Shabbat, the son asked his father why he ignored his gestures and spoke Torah to the Epikoros.  “How can you call these German Jews Epikoros?  Pharaoh was the only Epikoros for he is the only one who questioned the existence of God when he said, ‘Who is the Lord that I should hearken to his voice?’  But these German Jews cannot be called Epikoros.  After all, at the first sign of trouble they cry out Shema Yisrael, Hear O Israel the Lord is One.”  And the son learned from the father that it is easy to strike a quarrel with another Jew.  But the merit is finding the common ground to unite the whole house of Israel.

Circumcision in Shemot

“So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin” (4:25).  The circumcision ceremony described in Shemot is a puzzler.  First, who is the son?  Is it Gershom the son whose birth is described in 2:21-22?  Is it Eliezer whose name we discover much later (18:2-4) when Jethro reunites Moses with his family after the Exodus has taken place?  Regardless of which son it was, why didn’t Moses perform this fatherly duty?  Some say it was because the baby was a newborn (thus it would be Eliezer) and he was afraid it would threaten the child’s health to circumcise him before a trip.  But if that is so, why would God threaten the life of Moses since laws may be abrogated over matters of health?  Zipporah’s assumption of the responsibility for the brit is a reminder that although it is the father’s primary responsibility to ensure that the brit takes place, the members of the community or in this case the wife, can act in his stead if he is unable to ensure the child’s circumcision.  Note that Zipporah uses a flint (stone knife) to perform the ceremony even though she is living in the Bronze Age when metal utensils have supplanted the cruder stone items.  The use of the flint reminds us of the antiquity of the Brit and the need to maintain close connections with the origin of our customs if they are to retain their original meaning.  Last but not least, this strange interlude might be there to remind of us the need to take care of the basics before going off on grand missions.  Could Moses have been so caught up in his new mission that he forgot to take care of one of the first commands; in this case the command that symbolized the connection between those whom he was about to help free with their ancestral patrimony?

What is the “Thing”

In chapter 2, verses 14 and 15 we read about the Israelites threatening to expose Moses and Moses subsequent decision to flee because Pharaohs wants to kill him.  “And Moses feared and he said:  Surely the thing (ha-davar) is known.  And Pharaoh heard this thing (ha-davar) and he sought to kill Moses.”  Modern translators have Moses saying “The Matter is known” and Pharaoh learning of “The Matter”).  The question is what was the thing that Moses feared Pharaoh finding out about and what was the thing for which Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses?  Were the “things” the same “things?”  Was Moses afraid that Pharaoh would be angry because he had killed somebody or was he afraid that Pharaoh would be angry because he would find out the Moses was a Jew?  Moses was troubled by the fact that he taken another life.  In fact, there are commentators who say that this is the real reason he did not get to enter the Promised Land.  But Moses knew that Pharaoh would not be troubled by this.  After all, Moses was a Prince in a land where life was cheap.  When Moses says “the thing is known” does he means that it is known that he is a Jew?  Pharaoh would not have threatened the life of a member of court for taking the life of commoner.  But he would have killed Moses for being a Jew since the destruction of the Jewish people was his goal.  What kind of society would not punish a murder but would punish a Jew for being a Jew?  The Egyptians may have been the first to have this moral value, but as we know now, they were far from the last.

Who was in Egypt

There is a great deal of controversy among some commentators as to who the enslaved people were.  This controversy extends itself into the story of the Exodus and the settling of the land by subsequent generations as described in Joshua and Judges.  In the opening chapters of the book of Shemot, we find the enslaved people described over and over again as “Hebrews.”  Professor Kugel points out that of the thirty-four times that the appellation “Hebrew” is used, twenty of those times are found in the narrative about Joseph or in the introductory chapters of the second book of the Torah.  Pharaoh calls the midwives “Hebrew midwives.”  Pharaoh’s daughter describes the baby she finds floating in the Nile as “one of those Hebrew children.”  When Moses intervenes in the fight, it is not between two slaves fighting, or two men fighting, but “two Hebrew men fighting.”  And in the first confrontation between Moses and the King of Egypt, he tells Pharaoh, “the God of the Hebrews” appeared to us.  We have gone from Abraham’s description of himself as being an “Ivri” (Hebrew) in Bereshit (Genesis) to being the Sons of Israel and now back to being Hebrews.  Are these all the same people?  Is this evidence of a text that brings together the traditions of several tribes and groupings who co-mingled in Canaan and created a common ancestry through a literary convention?  Or is this really the same people who are variously named depending upon the circumstances and who is describing them.  Consider the names applied to the people of the United States.  We have been called Americans, Yankees by 18^th century Europeans and Asiatics (not to be confused with the name given to the Northerners during the Civil War), Rebels by the English (not to be confused with the name given to Southerners during the Civil War) to name but three.  Yet all of the appellations apply to the same people.  This is one of those questions that get chewed over with a bowl of Cholent.

YHWH Again

Each year, it seems that another author or commentator takes another crack at deciding who Moses talked with at the burning bush; what is the name; what does it mean?  It is obviously an important issue, the comprehension of which is well beyond me.  You might want to look at How To Read the Bible:  A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now by James Kugel for another twist on this.  At the same time, you might be hearing some of an older theory that says the God of the Exodus has His origin in Midianite culture and that Jethro is the one who taught Moses about God, not the other way around.

Telling Lie

Is it ever acceptable to tell a lie?  Based on Shemot, the answer is “it depends.”  This sedrah contains three separate instances of people telling lies.  The portion begins with a lie when the Pharaoh declares, “And he said unto his people:  'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us; come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.'” (1:9, 1:10).  Then when the Pharaoh asks the midwives why they are not killing the Hebrew male babies (1:18) they reply with a lie:  “And the midwives said unto Pharaoh:  'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.'” (1:19).  And last but not least, God tells Moses that he should tell the Pharaoh that the Israelites only want “to go … three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God” (3:18) when God knows that they want to leave and not come back.  Everybody agrees that the Pharaoh’s lie is unacceptable.  But at least one commentator, Abarbanel, the 15^th century Sephardic sage, is bothered about the other two episodes.  He asks, “How could the Hebrew midwives, who feared God and were rewarded by Him, tell the obvious lie that ‘Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth?’”  “Why did God tell Moses to deceitfully request in His name a ‘three days journey’ into the wilderness rather than demanding ‘Let My people go?’”  The lie of the midwives may be acceptable on many different levels.  First, if they had told me the truth, they would have been signing their own death warrants.  There is a difference between “Kiddush Hashem” and suicide.  Secondly, the concepts of truth and lies are predicated on a Just Society.  Obviously Pharaoh’s Egypt was not a Just Society.  But as to God’s deception; suffice it to say that the Sephardic Sage is not the only one who is baffled by this seemingly un-God-like behavior and will continue to look for an answer.

Aaron and God versus Moses and God

“The Lord said to Aaron, ‘go to meet Moses in the wilderness.’  He went and met him at the mountain of God, and he kissed me” (4:27).  This one simple sentence describes Aaron’s first meeting with God.  No burning bushes; no mysterious voice; no dramatic dialogue between man the Divine.  God tells Aaron what to do and Aaron does it.  I am not sure what is more puzzling:  the difference between the first interaction between the brothers and God or the lack of commentary on the subject.  But then I must confess that Aaron often puzzles me.  He fails the leadership test three times - twice at the time of the Golden Calf and once when he joins Miriam in the rebellion against Moses.  Yet he is rewarded with the role of High Priest.  He is rewarded again by seeing his son also assume the position thus knowing that his family will hold the position in perpetuity.  And he is rewarded with a peaceful death, mourned by the whole house of Israel.  Are these seemingly disproportionate rewards somehow tied to the ease with which he accepted the Lord’s instruction and his willingness to play second-fiddle to his younger brother?  Who knows?  But it does give us something to think about the next time we demand more of an explanation from God than He appears to be willing to give.  As to the mountain where they met, some say that it is the same mountain where Moses had his first encounter with God and the same mountain on which Moses will stand when he receives the Ten Commandments.

Visiting Pharaoh

When God talks to Moses at the Burning Bush he tells him that elders of Israel will go to Pharaoh with him (“Then you shall go with the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt”).  When Moses returns to Egypt he meets with the elders but when it comes time to visit he goes only with Aaron (“Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh”).  Why didn’t the elders go with Moses?  Why didn’t Moses follow the plan laid out by God?  Did this have anything to do with Pharaoh’s rejection of Moses’s request?  The commentaries I have looked at don’t address this apparent discrepancy between God’s plan and man’s actions.  Yet it sits there begging to be explained.

Seeds of the Golden Calf

The Golden Calf is viewed as one of the most shameful moments in Jewish history.  But the creation of the calf might have its antecedents in this week’s reading.  The building of the calf begins with the Israelites saying, “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him ‘Come make us a god who shall before us, for that man Moses, who brought us the land of Egypt - we do not know what has happened to him.’”  These recently freed slaves did not comprehend the concept of this all powerful diety who had no physical form.  They were following Moses to whom they attributed an element of divinity.  But in Parsha Shemot, God describes the Aaron/Moses relationship as follows.  He tells Moses, “Thus he” (meaning Aaron) shall serve as your (meaning Moses) spokesman, with you (meaning Moses) playing the role of God to him (meaning Aaron).  In other words, God tells Moses and Aaron that what the people will see is Moses playing the role of the divine one.  How can we blame the children of Israel for accepting this bit of divinely created theatre as reality?  Is this an example of “the medium is the message”?  If nothing else, it should give us pause not to be overly judgmental when studying the events in our ancient history

Lessons in Leadership

Looking at this from the point of view of realpolitik, the Pharaohs should have won.  They had all of the trappings of power.  All Moses had were his sandals, his staff and an idea - an idea that philosophers would describe as the concept of the just society.  Read the story of the Exodus as one of rebellion - the willingness of people to give up the security of slavery for the dangers of revolt and living in an inhospitable wilderness (Bamidbar) - and you can begin to wonder what really motivates people.  When do ideals and values trump the fear of chariots and the lash?

The Sin of the Egyptians

“The Egyptians ruthlessly imposed upon the Israelites…Ruthlessly they made life bitter for them with harsh labor.”  The word which modern English translate as “ruthlessly” is “B’fah-rehch” may also be translated at “with crushing harness.”  In other words, the Egyptians did not just enslave the Israelites, they went out of their way to make life harsh for them; almost as if they enjoyed the slavery of the Israelites.  Some might say that misery is part of the human condition.  However, enjoying the misery of others is quite a different matter.  Misery may love company.  But we are not supposed to love the misery of others.

Doing More With Less

One of the mantras of management in the 21st century is doing more with less; cutting back on staff and resources while demanding greater productivity.  But there is nothing new in this.  Pharaoh followed the same policy.  He decided the Israelites had too much time on their hands so he told them that they would have to gather their own straw and make their own bricks while still meeting their daily building quota.  And when they could not meet the demand of the Egyptian king, what did he say?  He called them “Lazy.”  He called them “shirkers.”  Modern senior management is a little more elegant - they categorize their workers as ingrates who do not appreciate the fact that they have a job in this tough economy.  Of course, Pharaoh described the Israelites as lazy from the comfort of the sedan chair carried by his slaves, just as the leaders of corporate America disparage their workers from the comfort of their…well I think you get the point.  Is exploiting “wage slaves” any more acceptable than exploiting “bond slaves?”

All of the Facts All of the Time

In “On Not Obeying Immoral Orders” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ commentary on this week’s Torah portion, he writes “Moses passes from prince of Egypt to Midianite shepherd to leader of the Israelites through a history-changing encounter at the burning bush.”  This description of events is true, as far as it goes.  Unfortunately, in what some might see as an inadvertent sanitization of history, Rabbi Sacks leaves out a piece of the story and in doing so he inadvertently denies the human of dimension of Moses thus diminishing his accomplishments.  Moses stopped being a Prince of Egypt only when he fled after expressing his fear about being punished by Pharaoh for killing the taskmaster.  The day after he did the deed “Moses was frightened and thought:  Then the matter is known.”  It was then, and only then, that Moses fled and became the Midianite shepherd.  Based on the text, Moses was quite content to be a Prince of Egypt.  He had no problem with killing the taskmaster.  After all he was a Prince of Egypt which gave him such power.  It was only after he thought that Pharaoh would punish him that Moses decided to get out of town.  This is all very human behavior.  And because it is, the accomplishments of Moses are made even greater.  The TaNaCh is story about human beings with all their foibles, weaknesses and strengths.  The stories speak to us because we can see ourselves in them.  They challenge us.  In the case of Moses, he was capable of acting in hot anger, of hiding his deeds and fearing the pain of punishment.  But he rose above those weaknesses to lead our ancestors who were some of the greatest complainers and gripers in history from bondage to freedom, from the Yoke of Pharaoh to the Yoke of the Torah and from impending disaster on the banks of the Sea of Reeds to greatness on the banks of the River Jordan.  If the “authors” of our sacred text could paint us “warts and all” it behooves those who would act as commentators to always make sure to leave in all of the facts all of the time.

The Haggadah and the Sedrah

This year the reading of the Book of Shemot parallels the run-up to Pesach.  We will finish Shemot, the book that provides the historic basis for Pesach, just two and half weeks before we sit down for the first Seder.  So, this year provides us with an excellent opportunity to see how much of the actual text of the Haggadah comes from each of the weekly readings.  This week we find:

"Great, mighty," as it is said:  And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, and multiplied and became very, very mighty, and the land became filled with them. - 1:7

"The Egyptians treated us badly," as it is said:  Come, let us act cunningly with (the people) lest they multiply and, if there should be a war against us, they will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the land." - 1:10

"And they made us suffer," as it is said:  "They set taskmasters over (the people of Israel) to make them suffer with their burdens, and they built storage cities for Pharaoh, Pitom and Ramses." - 1:11

"And they put hard work upon us," as it is said:  "The Egyptians made the children of Israel work with rigor. - 1:13

"And we cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers," as it is said:  "During that long period, the king of Egypt died; and the children of Israel groaned because of the servitude, and they cried out.  And their cry for help from their servitude rose up to God." - 2:23

"And the Lord heard our voice" as it said:  "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." - 2:24

"And he saw our suffering," this refers to the separation of husband and wife, as it is said:  "God saw the children of Israel and God took note." - 2:25

"Our labor," this refers to the "children," as it is said:  "Every boy that is born, you shall throw into the river and every girl you shall keep alive." - 1:22

"And our oppression," this refers to the pressure, as it is said: "I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them." - 3:9

(Translation - Chabad; Torah Citations - ArtScroll)

For those who think they know all there is to know about the holiday, it might be interesting to compare the explanations for these verses found in the commentaries in various Haggadot versus the explanations provided in various Torah commentaries.

Torah Timeline

How long does the Exodus narrative last?  How long does it take to go from Moses’ encounter at the Burning Bush to the Crossing at Sea?  There is no gap in the text.  A simple reading makes it seems like the events happened one after another, but logic would seem to say otherwise.  We know that Moses died at the age of 120.  We know that the Israelites wondered in the Wilderness for 40 years.  This would mean that Moses was 80 at the time of the deliverance from Egypt.  Logic would dictate that Moses was in his 20’s when he slew the Egyptian and fled to Midian.  There would appear to be a parallel between the two most famous Shepherds who worked for their fathers-in-law - Jacob and Moses - so for the sake of argument we can say that Moses worked for Yitro for twenty years meaning that he was in his forties when he headed back to Egypt.  This would mean that the events leading of the Exodus starting with Moses’ and Aaron’s first meeting with Pharaoh and the escape across the Sea of Reeds took place over a period of 40 years.  Viewing events as having taken place over a forty-year period gives it an entirely different texture than does treating as something that happened over a matter of weeks which is the superficial sense one gets from reading them back to back in the weekly Torah readings.  Also, when we participate in the Seder, we are supposed to “experience” the deliverance from slavery.  If the events covered forty years, then a “short” Seder would seem to fly in the face of a meaningful observance.

Haftarah

Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 (Ashkenazim)

Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 (Sephardim)

This is one of those weeks where the haftarah you hear chanted will depend upon what synagogue you are attending.  The vast majority of congregations in the United States follow the readings of the Ashkenazim.

Isaiah

The Man and the Message:  The Prophet Isaiah is one of the Three Major Prophets.  The other two are Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  The term major refers to the fact that their books are longer than those of the other prophets.  Isaiah is also the first of the Later Prophets, those coming after the books that start with Joshua and end with Second Kings.  The book of Isaiah is attributed to at least two and possibly three authors.  Traditionally, the fist thirty-nine chapters are attributed to a historic figure described in the beginning of the book.  Chapters forty through sixty-six are attributed to a second, anonymous author.  Isaiah’s name in Hebrew is Yeshayahu, which is a form of a word meaning help or deliverance.  The name is certainly consistent with the teachings of this prophet.  The historic or First Isaiah lived during the eighth century B.C.E.  He began preaching around 740 B.C.E.  His public career lasted for some forty to sixty years spanning the reign of four Kings of Judah beginning with Uzziah and ending with Hezekiah.  He was married to a woman he refers to as “the prophetess” and he had two sons.  Apparently he was related to the royal family which meant he could address his teachings directly to those in power.

According to tradition, Manasseh, whose reign was both long and wicked, murdered Isaiah.  Isaiah lived in a time of great political turmoil.  Assyria was the leading power of the day.  He witnessed the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel and the exile of the ten tribes.  He encouraged the Judeans not to make a military alliance with the Egyptians who were the enemies of the Assyrians.  Rather, he urged the Judeans to trust in the Lord for their deliverance.  Isaiah lived in a time of affluence and economic inequality.  He chastised the people for failing to care for the disadvantaged.  God would punish them for this as well as their other moral shortcomings.  The Isaiah of the Exile or the Second Isaiah is thought to have lived during the sixth century B.C.E. during the period of the Babylonian Captivity.  His message was one of comfort, hope and a vision of universal peace.  The book of Isaiah describes a unique relationship between God and the children of Israel.  They are to carry His message to the people of the world.  By following the teachings of Torah, they will show the world what God means by holiness.  At the same time, Isaiah provides a picture of God as the God of all mankind.  Isaiah transforms Him from the deity of the Israelites to the Supreme Being for all the people of the world. Isaiah provides us with the Messianic Vision i.e., the Coming of the Moshiach.  And last but not least, Isaiah is the prophet of world peace.

It is the words of Isaiah that we read in the prayer book each week, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation.  Neither shall men learn war anymore.”  The teachings of Isaiah, regardless of how many of them you think there are, are rich and textured.  The book of Isaiah provides us with more Haftarot than any other prophet so we will have ample opportunity to explore his teachings as the year goes by.

Theme-Link:  The link between the sedrah and the haftarah is little bit less obvious than that which we have seen in recent weeks.  Isaiah describes a time when the Jews are suffering at the hands of the Assyrian Empire.  And just as God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptian Empire in Moshe’s time, so he will deliver them from the Assyrians.  The Torah portion begins by invoking the names of Jacob and Israel, whose descendants will see the ultimate triumph of God in the Exodus and at Sinai.  The haftarah begins by invoking by invoking the names of Jacob and Israel.  Jacob is seen as the root of the ultimate triumph of the will of God, which will come through the redemption of the Jewish people.  Both text start out using the Hebrew word “ha-ba-im” which is a form of the word “to come.”  In the Torah portion the word is used to describing the coming of the Israelites into Egypt.  In the haftarah it is used in the sense of “the days to come” i.e., the future when the children of Jacob will ultimately be redeemed.  There are really two very powerful sections of the haftarah.  The first is the section where he condemns the drunken behavior of Ephraim.  (Ephraim stands for the Northern Kingdom.)  The prophet is speaking out against more than just over-imbibing.  He is speaking out against gluttony and condemning a society that tolerated great disparity between the ruling class and the general population.  His criticism of the Southern Kingdom is aimed more at their general level of ignorance of the commandments.  They do not understand.  They have to be spoken to slowly, in simple language (28:10-11).  Their inability to comprehend will lead to their downfall. Traditionally, the prophetic reading is not to end on a negative note.  So those who created this tradition skipped to the next chapter of Isaiah to insure that the text would end on a message of comfort and consolation.

Jeremiah

The Man and the Message:  (This will be brief because we have already covered one haftarah.  We will have chance to study Jeremiah in couple of weeks with the Sedrah of Bo.)  Jeremiah lived a century after Isaiah.  He lived during the 7^th and 6^th centuries B.C.E.  He was active during the time of the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C.E. and died shortly thereafter.  Jeremiah warned the King that his policies were folly.  He also warned the King that the immoral practices especially the mistreatment of the poor by the wealthy would lead to the country’s destruction.  Needless to say, this made him quite unpopular.  His writings were destroyed and he was imprisoned.  This brief narrative should give you some idea of the unhappy lot of this saddest of prophets.

Theme-Link:  The sedrah describes Moshe assuming the mantle of leader of the Israelites.  The haftarah comes from the opening chapters of the book of Jeremiah.  Like Moshe, Jeremiah is a reluctant leader.  God tells Jeremiah that He had selected him for the job while he was still in the womb.  Jeremiah tells God he does not want the job, resorting to Moshe’s excuse about not knowing how to speak (1:6).  Only in Jeremiah’s case, he uses his young age and not a speech impediment as an excuse.  But God will have none of his excuses.  He reassures him in the same way He did Moshe saying, “Have no fear…for I am with you” (1:8).  Jeremiah accepted the challenge and like Moshe he would be a prophet for forty years.  But from the start, God lets him know that his mission will not be like Moshe’s.  He must deliver “bad news” to the people and if he fails to do so he will suffer accordingly.  “Do not break down before them, lest I break you before them.”

Personally, I find an interesting message in the fact that we are looking at readings from both Isaiah and Jeremiah in the same week.  Isaiah is such a popular prophet.  He has all of those great quotes.  “Holy, holy, holy, The Lord of hosts.  The whole earth is full of His Glory.”  “Nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they know war anymore.”  “The wolf will lie down with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the kid…and a little boy will lead them.”  He has all that good stuff about the Messiah.  And then the Second Isaiah provides all of the Haftarot of Consolation that we read after Tisha B’Av.  Even when he is criticizing the people he is doing it in such a magnificent way.  And the original Isaiah was a bit of an insider.  According to the Talmud his father was the uncle of King Uzziah and Isaiah lived in Jerusalem.  Compare this with Jeremiah whom several have described as the quintessential outsider.  He came from a small town called Anatoth in the land of the lowly tribe of Benjamin.  The priestly family he belonged to had somehow become disassociated with those officiating at the Temple in Jerusalem.  He would be denied a family - no wife, no children, nobody with whom to share his burden.  He preached a message nobody wanted to hear.  His writings were burned before his eyes.  And he suffered the ultimate curse - he got to see the reality of the destruction he had predicted and had fought so long and hard to prevent.  He must have felt like an utter failure.  How would he react if he knew that his descendants revere the words of the “ultimate outsider,” reading them year in and year out?  Would he smile or grumble?  Or would he hope that we would learn from his experience?  The Jews cannot hide from the role God has given us.  And while sometimes it may cause us great difficulty, in the end it is the only thing that is eternal and worthwhile.  (For more on this see the writings of Elie Wiesel, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin and Rabbi Abraham Heschel.  With your indulgence, we will return to this topic again.)

Copyright, January 2026; Mitchell A. Levin