TORAH: Exodus 1:1-6:1
HAFTARAH: Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23
GOSPEL: Matthew 2:1-12
Portion Summary
Shemot (שמות) is both the title for the second book from the scroll of the Torah and the title of the first Torah portion therein. Shemot means “names.” The English-speaking world calls this book Exodus. The Hebrew title for the book comes from the opening phrase of the book: “Now these are the names (shemot) of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob” (Exodus 1:1).
The English name Exodus comes from the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The Greek title for the book is Exodus Aigyptou, which translates as “Departure from Egypt.” The name Exodus is an abbreviated form of that title. Exodus means “departure.” The book of Exodus tells the story of the children of Israel enslaved in Egypt and their miraculous redemption through the hand of Moses, the story of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, the construction of the golden calf and the construction of the Tabernacle.
As we study the first week’s reading from the book of Exodus, we find the children of Israel in slavery. It seems at first that the God of their forefathers has forgotten them. But God has not forgotten His promises. He remembers His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and brings a Redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His name, with love.
Portion Outline:
Torah
Exodus 1:1 | Introduction
Exodus 1:8 | The Israelites Are Oppressed
Exodus 2:1 | Birth and Youth of Moses
Exodus 2:11 | Moses Flees to Midian
Exodus 3:1 | Moses at the Burning Bush
Exodus 3:13 | The Divine Name Revealed
Exodus 4:1 | Moses’ Miraculous Power
Exodus 4:18 | Moses Returns to Egypt
Exodus 5:1 | Bricks without Straw
Exodus 6:1 | Israel’s Deliverance Assured
Prophets
Isaiah 26:1 | Judah’s Song of Victory
Isaiah 27:1 | Israel’s Redemption
Isaiah 28:1 | Judgment on Corrupt Rulers, Priests, and Prophets
Portion Commentary:
Ordinary Life
How could God use me for anything? I’m no one special. I’m just an ordinary person with an ordinary life.
When Moses got up that morning and counted the sheep, he did not say to himself, “I think I’ll take the sheep out on the west side of the wilderness over by the Mountain of God.” Mount Horeb was simply Mount Horeb, an indistinct rock in the wilderness like so many other hills and mountains, completely ordinary looking. There was nothing special about it. Mount Horeb became Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, simply because God chose it, not because it was taller, mightier or holier than any of the surrounding hills and mountains.
In a similar way, Moses became Moses, the Man of God because God called him, encountered him and commissioned him, not because he was more pious, mightier, smarter or more eloquent than other men. God is in the ordinary, and encounters with God happen in ordinary places. But when God is encountered, the ordinary is immediately transformed into the extraordinary. The very ordinary Mount Horeb was transformed into the extraordinary, Mount Sinai because of God’s presence was there. The very ordinary Moses, a simple Hebrew exile from Egypt, a shepherd in the wilderness, was transformed into Moses the Man of God, the greatest prophet of all time because he encountered God. God transformed the ordinary man into something extraordinary.
Most of us do not regard ourselves as extraordinary people. You probably think of yourself as a fairly ordinary person with a fairly mundane life. From God’s perspective, that is perfect. You are the perfect person with whom He can do extraordinary things. He is not looking for prophets; He is looking for normal people who are carrying on under normal circumstances.
When Moses saw the burning bush, he turned aside to investigate. Only then did the Holy One reveal Himself to Moses. Our problem is that we do not take the time to turn aside and investigate. We all intend to grow spiritually. We all imagine that one day, we will take time to study, take time to grow in Torah, to do a mitzvah, to pray regularly. But you can’t take good intentions to the grave. A famous rabbi once said, “Do not say to yourself, ‘When I have more time, I will study Torah. Perhaps you will not have more time'” (m.Avot 2:4) Do not say, when I have more time, I will turn aside, you might not have more time.
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
