וְ֠אַתָּ֠ה אַל־תִּירָ֞א עַבְדִּ֤י יַֽעֲקֹב֙ וְאַל־תֵּחַ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כִּ֠י הִנְנִ֤י מוֹשִֽׁעֲךָ֙ מֵרָח֔וֹק וְאֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֖ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ שִׁבְיָ֑ם וְשָׁ֧ב יַעֲק֛וֹב וְשָׁקַ֥ט וְשַׁאֲנַ֖ן וְאֵ֥ין מַחֲרִֽיד׃ But you, have no fear, My servant Jacob, Be not dismayed, O Israel! I will deliver you from far away, your folk from their land of captivity; Jacob again shall have calm and quiet, with noneContinue reading “Shabbat Bo: Do Something”
Tag Archives: Pharaoh
Shabbat VaEra: A Time of Transition
שִׁ֗יר לַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת אֶשָּׂ֣א עֵ֭ינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִ֑ים מֵ֝אַ֗יִן יָבֹ֥א עֶזְרִֽי׃ עֶ֭זְרִי מֵעִ֣ם יְהֹוָ֑ה עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃ A song of ascents. I shall lift my eyes to the mountains. Whence shall my help come? My help is from HaShem, maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121. 1-2) Our parashat hashavua picks up the developing story of Moshe demandingContinue reading “Shabbat VaEra: A Time of Transition”
Shabbat Shemot: Confronting Pharaoh
The Presidential Inauguration of 2025 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ בְּמִדְיָ֔ן לֵ֖ךְ שֻׁ֣ב מִצְרָ֑יִם כִּי־מֵ֙תוּ֙ כׇּל־הָ֣אֲנָשִׁ֔ים הַֽמְבַקְשִׁ֖ים אֶת־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ יהוה said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who sought to kill you are dead.” (Ex. 4.19) You are not expected to endanger yourself or your community. You are however expected to do whatContinue reading “Shabbat Shemot: Confronting Pharaoh”
Shabbat Va’Era: Reveal Yourself
In last week’s parashat hashavua we witnessed a rapid transition in which the people of Israel went from a good life in Exile to a persecuted, miserable slavery. At the end of the parashah Moshe, after his first attempt to organize the people of Israel, is discouraged. וַיָּשָׁב מֹשֶׁה אֶל י-ה, וַיֹּאמַר: אד-נָי, לָמָה הֲרֵעֹתָהContinue reading “Shabbat Va’Era: Reveal Yourself”
Shabbat Miketz: Life Comes At You Fast
This week’s parashah is Miketz, which literally translates as “at the end”. In the Torah’s context, it refers to the end of two years’ time during which Joseph languishes, forgotten, in an Egyptian dungeon. The word ketz, “end”, is short and sharp. It echoes another key word of the parashah, vayikatz, which refers to the way in which Pharaoh startles awake after aContinue reading “Shabbat Miketz: Life Comes At You Fast”
Shabbat BeShalakh: What Does It Take To Let Go?
In this weeks’s parashah, called BeShalakh, we read of our people’s experience leaving Egypt. It includes hard labor, a frightening and uncertain exit through water, and great relief upon emergence into a new world. It is the birth-myth of the People Israel. (I use “myth” in the sense of a grand and ancient story thatContinue reading “Shabbat BeShalakh: What Does It Take To Let Go?”
Shabbat Shemot: A World Full of Suffering
We begin reading the Book of Exodus (Shemot, “Names”, in Hebrew) in the Torah this week; in the opening scenes, our ancestors find ourselves in a developing nightmare – and, unlike the dreams of Genesis, we can’t just wake up from it. At first, all seemed well in our new homes in Egypt. But within theContinue reading “Shabbat Shemot: A World Full of Suffering”
Shabbat Miketz: Enough Already, Let’s Wake Up
This parashat hashavua (parashah of the week) is called Miketz, “at the end”. The word refers to a period of time, as the Torah specifies: “It was at the end of two years….” It describes the Egyptian Pharaoh in the grip of dreams that start out innocuously enough, but then turn into terrifying nightmares: happy, fat cows grazing on the lushContinue reading “Shabbat Miketz: Enough Already, Let’s Wake Up”
Shabbat VaEra 5774: Don’t Look Away
We take up our story in the parashah called VaEra at chapter 7, verse 14: Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go. Moshe and Aharon had come to bring him a message, and he turned away from it. A close examination of the events so far indicate no reason why Pharaoh should be impressed: Moshe and AharonContinue reading “Shabbat VaEra 5774: Don’t Look Away”
Torah for the 21st Century by Rabbi Ariel Stone 