Parashat Shemot (Ex 1:1 – 6:1)

December 25, 2021

Though it is translated as “Exodus” (and it does begin the story of the Exodus of the children of Israel), the title of our Parasha gives us a hint of the main theme that runs through it. This theme is best expressed through Ex 2:25:

וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֵּ֖דַע אֱלֹהִֽים

 And G-d saw the children of Israel and He knew

1. It is no surprise then, that last week’s Parasha repeats twice Joseph’s admonition that Elohim would surely remember them “פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד” (future tense) to return them to the Land of Canaan and again in this week’s Parasha, G-d instructs Moses to tell the Children of Israel that “פָּקֹ֤ד פָּקַ֨דְתִּי֙” (past tense) He has surely remembered them to bring them back to Canaan. As Rashi points out, the names of the tribal ancestors are likened to the Stars which G-d brings in and brings out by number and enumerates them when they are gathered in. This shows that they are precious to Him… Our G-d loves us!!!

2. And what does He remember specifically as well? Shemot 2:24 tells us: 

“וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־נַֽאֲקָתָ֑ם וַיִּזְכֹּ֤ר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־בְּרִית֔וֹ אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֶת־יִצְחָ֥ק וְאֶת־יַֽעֲקֹֽב”

G-d heard their groaning and G-d remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob 

Because HaShem is a faithful G-d, He keeps His word, covenanted with Avraham in Gen 15:13-17 and passed on to our forefathers. It is clear from the text that He did not need to be reminded but was acting with much care, waiting for the right time to put his plan in action. So though some might say the book of Shemot is simply the story of how Moses brought us out of Egypt, the singular theme that runs through it from beginning to end is Hashem’s relentless determination to fulfill this covenant.

3. To this end, then, He intervenes in history to administrate its advancement. Imagine, He already caused a severe famine in the known world of that day, to bring Jacob and his sons to Egypt, disrupting the politics of the most powerful empire of that time and affecting all the surrounding nations. Could the world have known then of His plan? Not unless they were caused to see as Abraham was!. And now, in our parasha, we are told He will bring them out again with powerful signs and wonders that will demonstrate that He indeed is the G-d of Israel. This is our wonderful history and it cannot be erased…!

4. Back to our verse 25 from Chapter 2: “And G-d saw the children of Israel and He knew.”  Keeping in mind that the Hebrew word “to know” is not just referring to an accumulation of mental information, but rather to a creator involved with His creation, like “Adam (who) knew Eve and she bore him a son” (Gen 4:1), an experiential knowledge expressed in an intimate living relationship, we ask the question: what did HaShem see and what did He know? I propose this list (by no means exhaustive) that can be derived from the text, context and known history:

1. He saw the oppression of the Egyptians 
2. He saw their groaning and their suffering
3. He saw they would need convincing that He would indeed redeem them from slavery as their suffering took its toll on their mindset
4. He saw, as Gen 15:16, already told us that the “iniquity of the Amorite” was full 
5. He saw a world plunged in darkness and in need of light 
6. He knew therefore, it was time to redeem the Children of Israel so they could become a people free to walk in His ways
7. He knew it was time to bring fulfillment to the “The Everlasting Covenant” of Gen 15: bringing His people out of Egypt, giving them the Land He swore to our patriarchs, to live there according to His Torah, to be a light to the nations so they could in turn be blessed….

The rest of our parasha and the book of Shemot is an account of HaShem’s mighty deeds and instructions, using the men and women of that day, Moshe, Aaron, Myriam, Joshua and many more… to bring it about.

5. So how is this relevant to us today roughly 4000 years since the days of Avraham, when this covenant was originally cut? We know Hashem faithfully brought us into the Land of Canaan, that we did possess it for a while, but as is written in Devarim 31:20: “When I bring them to the land which I have sworn to their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat and be satisfied, and live on the fat. Then, they will turn to other deities and serve them, provoking Me and violating My covenant.”  And 2000 years after the last diaspora, a consequence of our disobedience, though partially back in the Land, we find ourselves still mostly hated by the nations, surrounded by enemies on all sides who want to wipe us off the map. The question I can’t help asking then, is: “Does Hashem still see and does He still know? Does His covenant still stand? The answer begins to be revealed as He declares His name יהוה, in chapter 3:14 

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־משֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם

Indeed He is, He was and He will be the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, faithful to His Everlasting Covenant, though He disciplines us as a Father does the children whom He loves. Therefore our prophets tell us, and I will only quote one, for the sake of time: Jer 23:7-8

לָכֵ֛ן הִנֵּֽה־יָמִ֥ים בָּאִ֖ים נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֑ה וְלֹא־יֹ֚אמְרוּ עוֹד֙ חַי־יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר הֶעֱלָ֛ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם

כִּ֣י אִם־חַי־יְהֹוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֶעֱלָה֩ וַֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵבִ֜יא אֶת־זֶ֨רַע בֵּ֚ית יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ צָפ֔וֹנָה וּמִכֹּל֙ הָֽאֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִדַּחְתִּ֖ים שָׁ֑ם וְיָֽשְׁב֖וּ עַל־אַדְמָתָֽם:

Therefore, behold days are coming, says Adonai when they shall no longer say,

“As Adonai lives, Who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,”

But, “As Adonai lives, Who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel 

from the northland and from all the lands where I have driven them, and they shall dwell in their land.”

6. My final point, then, is that surely HaShem will “פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד”, visit us today as He did in Moses’ day. And in the light of the scripture I just read, if after 400 years, He rescued Israel from the bondage of Egypt with, “an outstretched arm and great judgments” (Shemot 6:6), revealing Himself to the powers of that day “by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and by great terrors” (Devarim 4:34), how much more dramatic will His deliverance of Israel from the nations be, 4000 years later? Israel is again at the forefront of today’s news, scrutinized, criticized, demonized, relentlessly blamed for most evils of our era, often acting out in unbelief as they did ages ago and yet our faithful G-d still rescues us. As rumors, then, of a nuclear world war are brewing,  are we being brought to be sacrificed on the world’s “political altar” in exchange for a hope of peace in what I would call an “Akeidah Moment”?.. If so, we can be greatly comforted by Abraham and Isaac’s statement to the young men at the foot of the mountain as they began their ascent to that altar on Mt Moriah. “We will return” they declared, and indeed they did return alive and well and named the place “HaShem Yireh” which is reminiscent of our opening verse again:

וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֵּ֖דַע אֱלֹהִֽים

Surely HaShem’s covenant, which He swore by Himself to bring about when Avraham did not withhold His son from Him, still stands and we can rest assured that He still sees and He still knows!

SHABBAT SHALOM!

וְהֽוֹצֵאתִ֚י אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים וְקִבַּצְתִּ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִן־הָֽ֣אֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְפֽוֹצוֹתֶ֖ם בָּ֑ם בְּיָ֚ד חֲזָקָה֙ וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבְחֵמָ֖ה שְׁפוּכָֽה:

הֵֽבֵאתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֶל־מִדְבַּ֖ר הָֽעַמִּ֑ים וְנִשְׁפַּטְתִּ֚י אִתְּכֶם֙ שָׁ֔ם פָּנִ֖ים אֶל־פָּנִֽים

כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֚ר נִשְׁפַּ֙טְתִּי֙ אֶת־אֲב֣וֹתֵיכֶ֔ם בְּמִדְבַּ֖ר אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם כֵּן אִשָּׁפֵ֣ט אִתְּכֶ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י יֱהֹוִֽה

וְהַֽעֲבַרְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑בֶט וְהֵֽבֵאתִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם בְּמָסֹ֥רֶת הַבְּרִֽית:

 כִּ֣י בְהַר־קָדְשִׁ֞י בְּהַ֣ר | מְר֣וֹם יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה שָׁ֣ם יַֽעַבְדֻ֜נִי כָּל־בֵּ֧ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל כֻּלֹּ֖ה בָּאָ֑רֶץ שָׁ֣ם אֶרְצֵ֔ם וְשָׁ֞ם אֶדְר֣וֹשׁ אֶת־תְּרוּמֹֽתֵיכֶ֗ם וְאֶת־רֵאשִׁ֛ית מַשְׂאֽוֹתֵיכֶ֖ם בְּכָל־קָדְשֵׁיכֶֽם..

בְּרֵ֣יחַ נִיחֹחַ֘ אֶרְצֶ֣ה אֶתְכֶם֒ בְּהֽוֹצִיאִ֚י אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים וְקִבַּצְתִּ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִן־הָֽ֣אֲרָצ֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְפֹֽצֹתֶ֖ם בָּ֑ם וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּ֥י בָכֶ֖ם לְעֵינֵ֥י הַגּוֹיִֽם:

וִֽידַעְתֶּם֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה בַּֽהֲבִיאִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֶל־אַדְמַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֚ר נָשָׂ֙אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֥ת אוֹתָ֖הּ לַֽאֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶֽם:

And I shall take you out of the peoples, and I shall gather you from the lands in which you were scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with poured out fury.And I shall bring you to the wilderness of the peoples, and I shall contend with you there face to face.

As I contended with your forefathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I contend with you, says the Lord God. I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;..

..But on My holy mount, on the mountain of the height of Israel, says the Lord God, there all the house of Israel,

 all of them will serve Me in the land; there I will accept them, and there I will require your heave offerings and the first of your food with all your hallowed things. With a pleasing savor I shall accept you when I take you out of the nations, and I shall gather you from the lands in which you were scattered, and I shall be hallowed through you before the eyes of the nations. Eze 20:34-37 & 40-42