Commentary on Parashat Shemot, Exodus 1:1-6:1
A New Pharaoh Rises
The sons of Israel in Egypt were fruitful in births, and the people grew strong. Now a new Pharaoh rose up over Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph. This Pharaoh was worried that the Israelite nation was too mighty. First he levied a tax on them, then he decided to make them slaves.
Next, Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shifra and Puah, to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. But the midwives feared God and told Pharaoh that the Hebrew woman gave birth before they could arrive. God dealt well with the midwives and the Hebrews continued to multiply. The Pharaoh then commanded the people to throw every Hebrew baby boy into the river.
Moses is Born
Now, a Hebrew couple from the house of Levi had a son and kept him hidden for three months. When the mother could hide him no longer, she wove a basket, laid the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the banks of the river. Her sister placed herself at a distance to see what would happen to him.
When the Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe, she saw the basket with the crying child. She took pity on him so that when the baby’s sister asked, “Shall I call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?” she said yes. The sister then fetched her mother. When the child had grown sufficiently, the mother brought him to the Pharaoh’s daughter. She named him Moses because “I drew him from the water.”
Moses Strikes an Egyptian
When Moses was an adult, he could see the burdens of his Hebrew brethren. One day, he saw an Egyptian man beating a Hebrew man. Moses turned this way and that and when he saw that no one was there, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
The next day Moses came upon two Hebrew men fighting. Moses said to the one in the wrong. “Why are you striking down your neighbor?” The man replied, “Who has made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
“So the matter is known,” Moses said in fear.
Pharaoh heard too, and sought to kill Moses. Moses thus fled to the land of Midian. There he watered the sheep for the daughters of the priest of Midian and later married the priest’s daughter, Tzipporah. She bore a son whom he called Gershom, for “I was a stranger in a foreign land.”
In Egypt Pharaoh died, but the sons of Israel remained slaves. God heard the Hebrew slaves’ cry of distress and remembered the covenant God had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Burning Bush
Meanwhile Moses was tending sheep for his father-in-law, Yithro, near the mountain of God at Horeb. An angel of God appeared to him in the heart of a fire from the midst of a thorn bush. He saw and lo! the thorn bush was on fire but was not consumed. Moses looked at this great sight and went to see why the thorn bush did not burn up.
God called to Moses from the middle of the bush, “Moses, Moses.”
“Here I am!” Moses said.
“Do not step here!” said God. “Take off your shoes for the place you are standing on is ground with a holy destiny. I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”
And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look toward God.
God continued, “I have seen the affliction of My people in Egypt and have heard their cries as slaves. Now I have come down to rescue them from the hand of Egypt and bring them to a good and spacious land, a land that can flow with milk and honey. Now, therefore go, I will send you to Pharaoh and to bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” asked Moses.
“I will be with you. If you will bring the people out from Egypt, you will become the servants of God upon this mountain.”
“But,” Moses said, “when I tell this to the sons of Israel, they will ask me ‘What is God’s name?'”
“I shall be that which I wish to be,” replied God. “So say to them, ‘God, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me to you.’ This is My Name for the distant future and this is My memorial for every generation. Go and gather the elders of Israel and tell them. They will hearken to your voice. Then go to Pharaoh and say, ‘God, the God of the Hebrews has met with us and now please let us go on a three day’s journey into the wilderness to offer up a sacrifice to God, our God.’”
God Gives Moses The Signs
“Now,” God continued, “I know that Pharaoh will not let you go, not even by the threat of a mighty hand. Then I will stretch out My hand and strike down Egypt with all My miracles. After that, he will send you away and you shall leave with gold and silver and clothing.”
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A New Pharaoh Rises
The sons of Israel in Egypt were fruitful in births, and the people grew strong. Now a new Pharaoh rose up over Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph. This Pharaoh was worried that the Israelite nation was too mighty. First he levied a tax on them, then he decided to make them slaves.
Next, Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shifra and Puah, to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. But the midwives feared God and told Pharaoh that the Hebrew woman gave birth before they could arrive. God dealt well with the midwives and the Hebrews continued to multiply. The Pharaoh then commanded the people to throw every Hebrew baby boy into the river.
Moses is Born
Now, a Hebrew couple from the house of Levi had a son and kept him hidden for three months. When the mother could hide him no longer, she wove a basket, laid the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the banks of the river. Her sister placed herself at a distance to see what would happen to him.
When the Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe, she saw the basket with the crying child. She took pity on him so that when the baby’s sister asked, “Shall I call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?” she said yes. The sister then fetched her mother. When the child had grown sufficiently, the mother brought him to the Pharaoh’s daughter. She named him Moses because “I drew him from the water.”
Moses Strikes an Egyptian
When Moses was an adult, he could see the burdens of his Hebrew brethren. One day, he saw an Egyptian man beating a Hebrew man. Moses turned this way and that and when he saw that no one was there, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
The next day Moses came upon two Hebrew men fighting. Moses said to the one in the wrong. “Why are you striking down your neighbor?” The man replied, “Who has made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
“So the matter is known,” Moses said in fear.
Pharaoh heard too, and sought to kill Moses. Moses thus fled to the land of Midian. There he watered the sheep for the daughters of the priest of Midian and later married the priest’s daughter, Tzipporah. She bore a son whom he called Gershom, for “I was a stranger in a foreign land.”
In Egypt Pharaoh died, but the sons of Israel remained slaves. God heard the Hebrew slaves’ cry of distress and remembered the covenant God had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Burning Bush
Meanwhile Moses was tending sheep for his father-in-law, Yithro, near the mountain of God at Horeb. An angel of God appeared to him in the heart of a fire from the midst of a thorn bush. He saw and lo! the thorn bush was on fire but was not consumed. Moses looked at this great sight and went to see why the thorn bush did not burn up.
God called to Moses from the middle of the bush, “Moses, Moses.”
“Here I am!” Moses said.
“Do not step here!” said God. “Take off your shoes for the place you are standing on is ground with a holy destiny. I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.”
And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look toward God.
God continued, “I have seen the affliction of My people in Egypt and have heard their cries as slaves. Now I have come down to rescue them from the hand of Egypt and bring them to a good and spacious land, a land that can flow with milk and honey. Now, therefore go, I will send you to Pharaoh and to bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” asked Moses.
“I will be with you. If you will bring the people out from Egypt, you will become the servants of God upon this mountain.”
“But,” Moses said, “when I tell this to the sons of Israel, they will ask me ‘What is God’s name?'”
“I shall be that which I wish to be,” replied God. “So say to them, ‘God, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me to you.’ This is My Name for the distant future and this is My memorial for every generation. Go and gather the elders of Israel and tell them. They will hearken to your voice. Then go to Pharaoh and say, ‘God, the God of the Hebrews has met with us and now please let us go on a three day’s journey into the wilderness to offer up a sacrifice to God, our God.’”
God Gives Moses The Signs
“Now,” God continued, “I know that Pharaoh will not let you go, not even by the threat of a mighty hand. Then I will stretch out My hand and strike down Egypt with all My miracles. After that, he will send you away and you shall leave with gold and silver and clothing.”
https://walteragosto.org
https://youtube.com/user/IsraelYarah
https://treasuresofthetemple.com
https://wisdomintorah.com
https://israelyarah.org
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ciy/id1610097103
Facebook: #YASHAV / #CasadeIsraelYarah
YouTube: #YASHAVCIY/ #IsraelYarah
Instagram: #yashav20
Visita