Aliyah Shemot.

SHEMALI - Buckman 1

TORAH-FAX TORAH-FAX TORAH-FAX TORAH-FAX

SHEMALI

SHEMOT GUIDE TO THE PARSHA BY RABBI LEE BUCKMAN

Kohen Aliyah E o!"# $%$-$%$& 'a(e )*+ After Joseph dies the children of Israel remain in E!ypt "here they #ecome $ery numerous. %he present kin! fears the conse&uences of this population e'plosion and ensla$es the Israelites. (And they )the E!yptians* set upon him )($ayasimu ala$(* taskmasters to afflict him )(l+ma+an anoto(* "ith their #urdens. And they #uilt for ,haraoh treasure cities -- ,itom and -a+amses.( )1.11* %he !emara )Sota 11a* notes that the te't should ha$e said that the E!yptians set upon (them( taskmasters to afflict (them ( i.e. the Israelites not (him.( /n this point the school of -a##i Ela0ar #en Shimon states that this (indicates that they #rou!ht a #rick-mold and hun! it around ,haraoh+s neck1 and e$ery Israelite "ho complained that he "as "eak "as told +Are you "eaker than ,haraoh2+ ( In the eyes of this midrash ,haraoh e'emplified the oppressi$e mana!er "ho o$er"orks himself3herself and there#y e'pects e$eryone else to o$er"ork as "ell. /ne can tyranni0e others #y askin! too much of oneself. Le,i Aliyah E o!"# $%$--)%$* 'a(e )*%he mid"i$es diso#ey ,haraoh+s orders to kill the ne"#orn Israelite males. As a result ,haraoh commands all his people to dro"n the ne"#orns in the 4ile. After the parents of one #oy try to hide him for three months they decide to cast him afloat the 4ile in a reed #asket. He is found #y ,haraoh+s dau!hter. She sends for a He#re" "oman to nurse him1 (and the child !re" up and she )the He#re" "oman that nursed him* #rou!ht him to ,haraoh+s dau!hter and he #ecame her son1 and she called his name Moses for she said 5out of the "ater I dre" him.+ ( )6.17* 8erse 11 "hich #e!ins the ne't aliyah mentions a!ain that Moses !re" up. (And it came to pass in those days and Moses !re" up and he "ent out to his #rothers and sa" an E!yptian smitin! a He#re" one of his #rothers.( 9hy is it emphasi0ed in t"o consecuti$e $erses that Moses !re" up2 -a##i -alph Simon a :onser$ati$e -a##i in :hica!o su!!ests that (he !re" up( in the first phrase is an e'pression of physical !ro"th. (It tells us that Moses achie$ed physical stature. %he second phrase )+Moses !re" up+* descri#es !ro"th that is not related to physical si0e. It portrays moral and spiritual components . . . "hich can #e seen #y the fact that Moses identifies "ith the oppressed Israelites o$er the "ealthy E!yptian culture in "hich he "as raised.(

Sheli#hi Aliyah E o!"# )%$$-)%). 'a(e )$$

Aliyah Shemot.SHEMALI - Buckman 6

Moses !oes out to his people and sees their sufferin!. He kills an E!yptian "ho "as #eatin! an Israelite and is forced to flee to Midian. He marries %sipporah has a son named ;ershon and "orks for %sipporah+s father <itro as a shepherd. ,rior to Moses+ escape to Midian "here he met %sipporah the te't tells us that Moses (sa" an E!yptian man( strikin! one of his He#re" #rothers. And he looked this "ay and that "ay and "hen he sa" there "as no man he killed the E!yptian and #uried him in the sand( )6.11-16* 9hy does Moses look (this "ay and that "ay( #efore he strikes the E!yptian2 Most su!!est that he "as checkin! to see that there "ere no "itnesses. %his e'planation is difficult !i$en "hat "e find out in $erse 1=1 namely there e$idently "ere "itnesses. After he inter$enes in a fi!ht #et"een t"o He#re"s the attackin! He#re" responded to Moses (9ho made you a man rulin! and >ud!in! us2 9ill you kill me as you killed the E!yptian2( )$. 1=*. Ho" can $erse 16 state (there "as no man( if there "ere "itnesses around him2 /ne ans"er that is !i$en is that e$en thou!h there "ere "itnesses there "as no man no one "ho acted like a mensch. )%he "ord man in $erse 1= likely means somethin! more than a male indi$idual1 the connotation is (one "ith responsi#ility or leadership.( Like"ise the "ord man in $erse 16 may ha$e the same connotation*. %hey "ere passi$e #ystanders1 and seein! this Moses kne" that it remained for him to inter$ene. ,irkei A$ot teaches the lesson succinctly. (In a place "here no one is actin! like a mensch you #e the mensch.( Re,ii Aliyah E o!"# /%$-/%$. 'a(e )$/ Moses is out shepherdin! and encounters a #urnin! #ush. He is called #y ;od to #e a prophet and leader of the Israelites. Moses protests his callin!. Midrash E'odus -a##ah 6.? states that the #urnin! #ush "as not merely a flashy "ay to attract Moses+ attention #ut rather a sym#ol that con$eyed a po"erful messa!e. 9hat+s the sym#olism2 (It is to teach that no place is de$oid of ;od+s presence not e$en a thorn#ush. Alternately the #ush "as chosen #ecause Moses had thou!ht to himself that the E!yptians mi!ht consume the Israelites. Hence ;od sho"ed him a fire "hich #urnt #ut did not consume sayin! to him (Just as the thorn#ush is #urnin! and is not consumed so the E!yptians "ill not #e a#le to destroy Israel.( Another e'planation. %he Holy /ne said to Moses (@o you not sense that I li$e in distress "hene$er Israel finds itself in distress2 Just look at the place out of "hich I speak to you -- out of a thorn#ush. I fully share in their distress as implied in the "ords +In all their affliction ;od is afflicted.+ )Isaiah AB.C* ( Aristotle+s conception of ;od is of the unmo$ed mo$er. %he Bi#le+s portrayal of ;od ho"e$er is not of a Bein! indifferent to the "orld #ut one "ho is concerned "ith the pli!ht of those "ho suffer.

Cha0i#hi Aliyah E o!"# /%$+-1%$& 'a(e )$+

Aliyah Shemot.SHEMALI - Buckman B

;od ans"ers e$ery one of Moses+s o#>ections. Before Moses accepts the task of li#eratin! the Israelite sla$es he ad$ances fi$e o#>ections. (9ho am I to !o2( )B.11*1 (9hen they say to me 5+9hat is the name of the /ne "ho sent me2+ -- "hat shall I say2( )B.1B*1 (But they "ill not #elie$e me or listen to me( )=.1*1 (I am slo" of speech and ton!ue( )=.17*1 (Send an!els( )?.1B*. Most #i#lical models of successful leadership re$eal that the potential leader is not ea!er to accept the position of leadership. %hey aren+t po"er hun!ry. %he o$er"helmin! responsi#ility of leadership out"ei!hs the appeal of status and po"er. Shi#hi Aliyah E o!"# 1%$--1%/$ 'a(e ))* Moses #e!ins his >ourney #ack to E!ypt. /n his "ay his "ife %sipporah circumcises their son to "ard off dan!er to Moses. /ne common motif in the parsha is that the people "ho consistently sa$e Moses #oth in childhood and adulthood are "omen. In fact the heroes of this section of the Book of E'odus are predominately "omen -- the mid"i$es Shifra and ,uah Moses+ sister Miriam and mother <oche$ed ,haraoh+s dau!hter the Midianite "omen "ho !a$e Moses refu!e after he killed the E!yptian and Moses+ "ife %sipporah. It is no "onder that the -a##is stated (due to the merit of ri!hteous "omen the Israelites "ere redeemed from E!ypt.( She,ii Aliyah E o!"# .%$-+%$ 'a(e ))) 2in3l"!in( 0a45i67 Moses and Aaron+s first confrontation ends in failure. ,haraoh retaliates #y oppressin! the Israelites e$en more harshly. %he people #lame Moses and Aaron for makin! their pli!ht "orse. Moses complains to ;od 9ho reassures him that a more auspicious future lies ahead. A#raham Joshua Heschel in his January 1= 1CAB openin! address at the 4ational :onference on -eli!ion and -ace la#els the confrontation #et"een Moses and ,haraoh (the first conference on reli!ion and race.( Moses+ "ords "ere (%hus says the Eternal the ;od of Israel let My people !o that they may cele#rate a feast to me.( )?.1* But ,haraoh retorted (9ho is the Eternal that I should heed this $oice and let Israel !o2 I do not kno" the Eternal and moreo$er I "ill not let Israel !o.( )?.6* In Heschel+s "ords (the outcome of that summit meetin! has not come to an end. ,haraoh is not ready to capitulate. %he e'odus #e!an #ut is far from ha$in! #een completed. In fact it "as easier for the children of Israel to cross the -ed Sea than for an AfricanAmerican to cross certain uni$ersity campuses . . . Let us dod!e no issues. Let us yield no inch to #i!otry let us make no compromise "ith callousness . . . 9hat is an idol2 Any !od "ho is mine #ut not yours any !od concerned "ith me #ut not "ith you is an idol. Daith in ;od is not simply an afterlife-insurance policy. -acial or reli!ious #i!otry must #e reco!ni0ed for "hat it is -- satanism #lasphemy.(

8"i9 Ki!#

Aliyah Shemot.SHEMALI - Buckman =

%he Eui0 Fids column in our supplement is meant to pro$ide &uestions on the parsha to discuss "ith your children. 9e hope these &uestions "ill help en!a!e them in thinkin! a#out the "eekly %orah readin!. As "e return the %orah to the ark after the %orah ser$ice the -a##i "elcomes responses to these &uestions. %here is a s"eet re"ard for correct ans"ers. 1. 6. B. 9hat does the He#re" name for the Book of E'odus (Shemot ( mean2 9hat "ere the names of the t"o mid"i$es "ho refused to listen to ,haraoh2 9hat "as the name of Moses+ "ife and their son2