Shemot
Exodus 1:1 – 6:1
A new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph enslaves the Israelites and orders the drowning of all newborn Hebrew boys. Moses is born, hidden in a basket on the Nile, and raised in Pharaoh's palace. After killing an Egyptian taskmaster and fleeing to Midian, Moses encounters God at the burning bush and receives his mission to deliver Israel from bondage. He returns to Egypt with Aaron and demands that Pharaoh let the people go, but Pharaoh responds by increasing their burden.
Key figures
- Moses (Moshe) — Born in slavery, raised in Pharaoh's house, called by God at the burning bush to lead Israel out of Egypt
- Aaron (Aharon) — Moses's elder brother, appointed as his spokesman before Pharaoh
- Pharaoh — King of Egypt who enslaves Israel, refuses to let the people go
- Jochebed (Yocheved) — Moses's mother, hides him for three months and places him in a basket on the Nile
- Miriam — Moses's sister, watches over the basket and arranges for Jochebed to nurse him
- Pharaoh's daughter (Batya) — Draws Moses from the water and raises him as her own
- Zipporah (Tzipporah) — Daughter of Jethro, becomes Moses's wife in Midian
Famous verses
- 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said: "Because I drew him out of the water."
- 3:5 And He said: "Draw not nigh here; put off your sandals from off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground."
- 3:14 And God said to Moses: "EHYEH ASHER EHYEH — I Will Be Who I Will Be"; and He said: "Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: EHYEH has sent me to you."
Haftarah: {'ref': 'Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23', 'connection': "Isaiah prophesies Israel's future flourishing after suffering, echoing the parasha's theme of a people oppressed yet destined for redemption."}
Total gematria 444,976 is divisible by 7, the number of completion.