Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1.1 - 6.1)

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

Okay, so the whole Beresheet (Genesis) business is over. It's time to move on from a single family to a nation, from B'nai Yisrael to Am Yisrael, Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1:1 - 4:23). However, before the people can be set free, the Torah wants us to know a little bit about the life of our new leader, Moshe. Unfortunately, we don't get too many details.

Over 200 years pass between the death of Joseph and the birth of Moshe. That entire time is covered in seven verses (Ex. 1:1 - 7) What do you think happened during that time? What changed in Egyptian society to cause the Israelites to be enslaved? How could we have gone from 70 to 600,000 in just 200 years? Could that amazing rate of fertility been part of the problem? Why or how?
Shiphrah and Puah are real heroes. They were the midwives who kept the Jewish babies alive (Ex 1:15 - 20). Man, that took guts! Do you think you could ever be that brave? For what might you risk your own life? Is bravery something that just happens or does it develop over a lifetime?
Moshe's mom, dad, and Moshe himself are nameless at the beginning of his story (Ex. 2:1 - 3). Why do you think that is? Why is it that the Moshe is given his name by the daughter of Pharaoh and not by his own mom or dad? There is a tradition that his parents DID name him, we just don't read the name in the Torah. Now, why would THAT be the case? Who named you? Why did you get the name that you got?
Moshe is raised in the Egyptian royal household and then kills a man and has to run away. He runs to Midian where he becomes a shepherd. Why a shepherd? How does that foreshadow his future? What other ancient jobs might have been helpful for him in his future?
In Exodus 2:17 Moshe meets Zipporah and her sisters and by Exodus 2:21 he is married to her. Wow! Isn't that a bit fast? How are ancient marriages different from modern marriages? Do you believe in love at first sight? Is it possible that that is the case here or is it about Zipporah's dad just deciding that they were going to get married and that was the end of it? Did she have a choice? Did Moshe have a choice? How is this portrayed in "The Prince of Egypt" or "The Ten Commandments"?