Overview
of the Torah Reading
To be read on Shabbat Shemot, 18 Tevet 5785 / Jan. 18
Torah: Exodus 1:1-6:1 Haftorah: Isaiah
27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 (because its opening verse parallels
Ex.1:1)
Shemot is the 1st Reading out of 12 in Exodus and it
contains 6762 letters, in 1763 words, in 124 verses
The Egyptians afflicted the Jews with forced physical
labor, and decreed drowning all Jewish newborn males. Moshe was born.
His mother hid him in a basket in the Nile, where he was discovered
and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. One day, when already adult, Moshe
killed and buried an Egyptian supervisor who beat a Jew. The next day,
realizing his deed was public knowledge, Moshe fled to Midian where
he married one of Yisro's daughters, Tzipporah, and they had a son,
Gershom. The Jews cried to G-d because of the slavery. G-d's angel appeared
to Moshe in the form of a burning bush. G-d told Moshe that he would
redeem the Jews, and that Moshe should relay this to Pharaoh and to
the Jews, even though Pharaoh would not agree to let the Jews go. Moshe
begged G-d to appoint a messenger besides himself. G-d decided that
Aharon, Moshe's brother, should be Moshe's spokesman. Moshe began his
return journey to Egypt with his wife and sons. Tzipporah circumcised
their second son, Eliezer, when stopping at an inn. In Egypt, the Jewish
elders listened to Moshe, saw the signs, and believed in G-d's promise
to free them. But after approaching Pharaoh, Moshe and Aharon were rebuked
and thrown out of the palace. Pharaoh instructed to harden the Jews'
labor. The foremen blamed Moshe for the Jews' misfortune. Moshe told
G-d that the situation had worsened. G-d answered that in the end, Pharaoh
would force the Jews to leave his land.
An
essay from Rabbi
Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
That in the Torah the Jews are called G-d's chosen people is always
problematic for the beginner to Judaism. One explanation is to ask if
they agree that a first born child has a special relationship with their
parents. The answer is always "Yes". The first child, (in
Hebrew, the b'chor), is the one over whom parents "break
their teeth" and actually learn how to be parents. They are not
necessarily more or less important than their siblings, but their relationship
is different. Often parents expect more from the first born, communicate
with them more easily, even confide in them. Ask any b'chor.
So is the difference between the Jewish people's relationship with G-d,
and that of the non-Jewish nations. Every Jew is G-d's first born, His
chosen people from among the nations.
The first place where the Jewish people are actually referred to as
G-d's b'chor is in this week's Torah portion, Shemot, in the
verse, "My child, b'chori, Yisrael" (Shemot/Exodus
4:22). We see here two different qualities that G-d is noting, both
important. First, "my child" - that each Jew is a child of
G-d. Second, b'chori, my b'chor, he or she is not just
a child, but a big and important child (according to Rashi, b'chor refers
to a certain bigness or greatness).
The Torah often emphasizes the specialness of the Jew as a "small'
child. The Talmud ties this to the verse from the prophet Hoshea, "The
Jewish people are a youth and I love him" (11:1). It is specifically
because he is a youth, young, that G-d loves him. As the Midrash says
about a king who had many children, but loved his youngest child more
than the rest. Nevertheless, in this verse in our portion, the emphasis
is the special quality of the older child, the b'chor. the first
born.
The difference between a younger child and older child is that the father's
love of the older child is not only because the child is his, but because
of the personal qualities that the child has developed - wisdom, good
manners, attention to honoring parents and the like. This is a love
that is conditional. The more the reason grows, so grows the love (and
vice versa).
On the other hand, a parent's love for a small child has no relation
to the child's qualities. Even if the young child shows respect to his
parents, it does not really demonstrate the child's positive character
traits because it is natural for a small child to dote on his parents.
The love of the parent for the young child is a result of the fact that
this is their child. This type of love is an essential love, and does
not rely on any reasons at all.
G-d loves the Jewish people in both of these ways. And so, whether a
first born or not, each Jew has to work on revealing and developing
both of these loves in our relationship with Him.
When we serve G-d, learn Torah, and fulfill His commandments, whether
between man and G-d and man and man, G-d reveals the level of love that
a father has for his older more mature child. A love that is conditional.
But even if the effort made to serve G-d is not on such a level that
it arouses that level of conditional love, still, G-d loves His people.
Only it is the love of a parent for a small child. (The Jews are G-d's
children and since on the deepest most sublime level are one essence
with Him, G-d always loves them with a love that is higher than any
cause or reason.)
Obviously, the best system is a combination of both. Even though it
is incumbent on all of us to develop our abilities to study Torah and
fulfill the commandments, still we should see ourselves deep down as
a young child in that, regardless of what I do, really I have no particular
positive qualities that arouse G-d's love. I am serving G-d is simply
because as a child, I do what my parents wish, nothing more. This attitude
arouses in G-d His essential love of the Jewish people, the love of
the small child all the time.
At the same time, we have to also be on a level of "my b'chor",
my first born, a term of greatness and implies making an effort. Meaning
that we should exhibit greatness in all the ways we connect to G-d,
whether in Torah study, or commandments, that in their merit we be perceived
as an important child and G-d's love will be a growing love based on
these special and developing qualities.
But also keep in mind that even at this exalted level of b'chori, "My
first born", we want G-d to also shine on us the essential level
of "my child", the indispensable connection of a Jew with
G-d that a Jew and G-d are one existence.
[Adapted from Shulchan Shabbat - Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Likkutei
Sichot("Collected Talks") Volume 21. Page 20]
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here)
For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this
week's Reading, see the archive.
FROM
THE SAGES OF KABBALAH ON KabbalaOnline.org
Specifically,
for an overview of the recommended articles in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary
Kabbalists, and more,
click to Shemot
one sample:
Chasidic Masters
Signs from G-d
By David Sterne, based primarily on Shem miShmuel.
At the burning bush,
G-d informed Moses that he would lead his brethren into freedom. But
Moses expressed doubt that the Jews would heed his directives, G-d then
gave him three signs. The Shem miShmuel says the merit of the forefathers
represented by these three signs gave them the necessary faith to go
out of bondage.
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