Parashat Va-era (Exodus 6:2 - 9:35)

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.

We have arrived at Parashat Va-era, Exodus 6:2 - 9:35, and Moses gets his preliminary instructions from God. But "..when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits (had been) crushed by cruel bondage" (Ex 6:9).

Are you shocked that the Israelites didn't believe Moses? If you were one of the slaves, what do you think it would have taken to believe that this guy really was the guy who was going to free you from slavery?
This disbelief is odd because in last week's parasha (Ex 4:31) we were told that the Israelites were convinced when Aaron told them of all of the things that God was going to use Moses to do for them. Why is this different? Why might the Israelites have been changing their minds? How else could you explain the change? Is there a way to explain it so that it is not really a change but something else?
If the Israelites were not necessarily convinced, how do you think Moses was feeling about his chances when he went to Pharaoh?
Moses is told by God, "I am going to put you in the place of God to Pharaoh" (Ex. 7:1). What does this mean to you? How might Moses have explained this to Pharaoh? What do you think Pharaoh might have thought the first time he heard this?
Pretend you are Moses, and try to explain the quote from #4 to yourself or to your brother Aaron or maybe even to Pharaoh.