This Shabbat we study the Parshah Shemot, meaning “Names” (Exodus 1:1- 6:1). Threatened by the growing number of Hebrews in Egypt, Pharaoh enslaves them and orders their male babies to be thrown into the Nile river. However, the baby son of Yocheved and Amram is placed in a basket on the river, while the baby’s sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharoah’s daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son and names him Moses. As a young “prince of Egypt” Moses leaves the palace and discovers the hardship of his brethren. He sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and kills the Egyptian but is forced to flee to Midian after two Jews that he admonished for fighting turned him into the authorities. In Midian, he marries Tzipporah, daughter of Jethro, and becomes a shepherd of Jethro’s flocks. G-d appears to Moses in a burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai, and instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand: “Let My people go, so that they may serve Me.” Moses’ brother, Aaron, is appointed to serve as his spokesman. In Egypt, Moses and Aaron assemble the elders of Israel to tell them that the time of their redemption has come. The people believe; but Pharaoh refuses to let them go, and even intensifies the suffering of Israel.

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This week’s haftorah parallels the week’s Torah reading on many levels. One of the parallels is the message of redemption conveyed by Isaiah—“and you shall be gathered one by one, O children of Israel”—that is reminiscent of the message of redemption that G-d spoke to Moses at the burning bush, a message that Moses then communicated to Pharaoh.

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The haftorah vacillates between Isaiah’s prophecies concerning the future redemption, and his admonitions concerning the Jews’ drunken and G-dless behavior. Isaiah starts on a positive note: “In the coming days, Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom, filling the face of the earth . . .” He mentions G-d’s mercy for His nation, and the measure-for-measure punishment He meted out upon the Egyptians who persecuted them. And regarding the future redemption: “You shall be gathered one by one, O children of Israel. And it will come to pass on that day that a great shofar will be sounded, and those lost in the land of Assyria and those exiled in the land of Egypt will come, and they will prostrate themselves before the L-rd on the holy mount in Jerusalem."

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The prophet then proceeds to berate the drunkenness of the Ten Tribes, warning them of the punishment that awaits them. “With the feet they shall be trampled, the crown of the pride of the drunkards of Ephraim . . .”

The haftorah ends on a positive note: “Now Jacob will no longer be ashamed, and now his face will not pale. For when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, who shall sanctify My name . . . and the G-d of Israel they will revere."

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Chabad.org

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They say the most profound darkness comes just before the dawn. The harshest oppression of our forefathers in Egypt came just before their liberation. That was a coarse darkness of slavery of the body. Today it is a darkness of the soul, a deep slumber of the spirit of humankind. There are sparks of light, glimmerings of a sun that never shone before—but the darkness of night overwhelms all. Yet the darkness of night comes only to set the stage for a new dawn.

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Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

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The Israelites were unable to endure the harsh galut (exile) of Egypt and cried out unto G-d to redeem them from it. Indeed, G-d heard their cry and sent Moses to save them. Likewise with our present galut: When we cry out, “Take us out of the galut and bring about the redemption,” the Almighty will surely hear our cry and redeem us. Moreover, our mere being in a state of readiness to call upon G-d is already enough for Him to respond, as it is written, “Before they call, I shall answer, and while they yet speak I shall hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

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Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet

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As each of my pregnancies progressed, my husband and I discussed potential names for our soon-to-be newborn baby. We pored over lists, girls’ and boys’ names, as well as names of deceased relatives. Despite our many hours of deliberation, we didn’t name any of our children after the names we had initially chosen. As each child was finally born, we looked deeply into the newborn’s eyes and just knew what the name should be.

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Parents have a form of divine prophecy when they name their children. A name is intrinsically connected to the essence of the individual’s soul and is the channel through which his spiritual life force flows. That’s why to arouse someone from a deep sleep or even a faint, call them by their name. To get their full attention or affection, address them by their name.

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A generation ago, the Nazis dehumanized our people by discarding our names and treating us as numbers. By robbing us of our names, they tried to rob us of our humanity. Names are a big part of this week’s Torah portion which is called Shemot, “Names,” and is also the title for the entire book of Exodus. The portion starts with G-d calling names: And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt . . . (Exodus: 1:1-2)

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G-d counted the tribes again now, to express His love for them, by calling each one by their individual name. (Rashi)

The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 1:28) learns from this that the Jews in Egypt did not change their Jewish names.

Even though they assimilated into Egyptian culture, the Jews held strong to their names, language and clothing. This would become their weapon in their spiritual battle to preserve their unique identity as the Jewish people.

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When Batya, Pharaoh’s daughter, goes to bathe in the Nile, she notices a basket floating and realizes that the baby inside must be one of the Hebrew slaves. Batya’s name means, “daughter of G-d.” Though she was the daughter of Pharaoh who terrorized, enslaved and murdered the Jews, Batya acted as the daughter of G-d by risking her life to save Moses.

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Batya names this Hebrew baby, Moses. Although Moses had seven different names, the name that the Torah calls him and the name by which G-d addresses him is the name given to him by Batya, due her selfless act. Perhaps that’s the message of this portion and the entire book of Shemot.

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To experience our own personal exodus, we need to view every person as an individual with his or her own exclusive set of struggles and challenges. To preserve our humanity and to see another’s humanity, we must see them as a name—as an individual with a unique story and a unique destiny.

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What’s your Hebrew name? How does it connect to your mission and individuality?

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Chana Weisberg

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