B"H
Thursday, Tevet 16, 5785 / January 16, 2025
This Shabbat we will begin reading the Second Book of the Torah – S’hmot (commonly called Exodus).
However, the correct translation for the Hebrew name for this book, S’hmot,is names. The second book of the Torah begins with, “These are the names (S’hmot) of the Children of Israel who came into Egypt..” The Torah mentions all the names of Yaakov’s children who came to Egypt to together with him and Yosef, who was in Egypt from before.
The Midrash has a deeper explanation why this book of the Torah which speaks about the enslavement and future Exodus from Egypt is called S’hmot-names. It is because one of the merits the Jewish people had which brought about the Exodus was the fact that throughout their 210 years in Egypt, they never changed their Hebrew names for Egyptian ones.
Through keeping their Hebrew names, Yaakov's descendants kept their Jewish identity, even during the years of hard labor and suffering.It teaches us how important it is to identify by our Hebrew names.
Parshat S’hmot begins with the story of the enslavement of the Jewish people by the Egyptians. Pharaoh decrees that every Jewish newborn boy be drowned in the Nile River. We read the story of Moshe’s birth and how he was saved from the river by Pharaoh’s daughter. Moshe grows up and when he sees an Egyptian officer beating a Jewish man, he killed the Egyptian. The next day he saw two Jewish men arguing. When one raised his hand to hit the other, Moshe reprimands him, “Why would you hit your friend?”
The man replied, “Who made you a man, a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me as you have killed the Egyptian?”
The Torah continues, “Moshe became frightened.”Pharaoh heard about the incident, and he attempts to kill Moshe, but Moshe managed to flee to the Land of Midyan and stops at a well. At the well he met his future wife, Tziporah, the daughter of Yitro.
Q. The Torah tells us that first, “Moshe became frightened” and then Pharaoh heard what Moshe did and wanted to kill him. It makes more sense that Moshe became frightened after Pharaoh found out and wanted to kill him.
A. There is a saying in Yiddish, “Tracht gut vet zein gut.” Translated it means, “Think positive and things will (turn out to) be positive.” The Torah teaches us here that it was an error on Moshe’s part to be afraid. The fact that Moshe was afraid shows that he thought negatively, and this brought about that Pharaoh wanted to kill him. The moral lesson is that when we are in a difficult situation we should do what it takes to get out of it, but we have to think positively and trust in G-d. Positive thoughts bring positive results!
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
UNITED WE STAND WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CAPTIVITY. MAY THEY ALL BE RELEASED NOW