by Jason Palmer
Associate Rabbi, Congregation Ohr Chadash, Clearwater, FL

[And] these are the names of the sons of Isra'el who came into Egypt with Ya'akov; each man came with his household: Re'uven, Shim'on, Levi, Y'hudah, Yissakhar, Z'vulun, Binyamin, Dan, Naftali, Gad and Asher. All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya'akov; Yosef was already in Egypt.

With our reading of the parasha for this week, we once again begin our journey through the Book of Exodus. Many have pointed out, while observing the “vav / and” that opens our text, that the Book of Exodus is truly a continuation of the material found in Genesis. Likewise, this text also has a remarkable thematic dependence with the book of Genesis. The book of Bereisheet, which was read during previous weeks, is the record concerning the creation of the people of Israel and the events that culminated with the first exile of Egypt. The book of Shemot provides the Torah’s account of Israel's redemption from the severity of the first exile under a harsh taskmaster in Pharaoh, and the people’s commitment to serve the one benevolent King. Genesis begins with God intimately walking with his people in the Garden; Exodus concludes with the Divine Presence, once again, literally dwelling with his people in the Mishkan. Nachmanides suggests the following: While Bereisheet and Shemot are two separate books within the Torah, Exodus is the sequel to the text of Genesis.

For the last few weeks, we have encountered important events, which culminated with Jacob (Israel) and his descendants settling in Egypt. Following the emotionally moving record within Parashat Vayyigash concerning Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers and his elderly father, the Torah provides a record of the names of those who settled in Egypt. The text, in Genesis 46:8, states: “And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt.” Interestingly, while demonstrating its thematic connection with the content found within the Book of Genesis, Exodus provides its own record of names and launches with the following: “And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt.”

The Rabbis identify the connection between the opening words of Parashat Shemot with the record of names located within Genesis 46 and provide notable interpretive possibilities. The Rashbam, while building upon Exodus 1:7-14, suggests that our Text speaks of HaShem’s faithfulness to Abraham, which was demonstrated through the fertility of the Israelites within Egypt. The Rashbam’s Grandfather emphasized another possibility. Rashi, while building upon the term “name” within Exodus 1:1, postulated that the opening words of Parasha Shemot are a demonstration of HaShem’s great love for Israel: As G-d has named the individual stars of the heavens, He has also named, or taken notice of, each individual person within Israel. Isaiah 40:26 states: “Turn your eyes to the heavens! See who created these? He brings out the army of them in sequence, summoning each by name”.

When we consider the Midrash, the Sages provide an interesting homiletical expansion upon the Text, which is inspired by the individual names found within the second record that opens the portion. In sum, according to the Exodus Rabbah, the opening words of Parashat Shemot speak about the time of the ultimate redemption: the Messianic Age.

“And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt”. These [names] are mentioned here on account of the pending redemption of Israel. Reuben: ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people’ (Exodus 3:7). Simeon: ‘And God heard their groaning (Exodus 2:24)… Asher: ‘All nations will call you happy, for you will be a land of delights says the L-rd of Hosts’ (Mal. 3:12). Joseph: for God will one day again redeem Israel from the wicked dominion as he redeemed them from Egypt, as it says [in Isaiah 11:11] And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set His hand again (“yosif”) the second time to recover the remnant of His people.’”

Let us recall the great messianic significance of Isaiah 11.

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD… Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.

As many have pointed out, the events of the Exodus provided the paradigm for the Days of Messianic redemption: G-d acted in a certain manner in the past and He will act in a similar manner in the future. During the late Second Temple period, the Exodus, which was understood as G-d’s gracious action to recover His enslaved son, was the event that provided the basic definition for the Jewish concept of redemption. Notably, it is within this context that Yeshua demonstrated his Mosaic qualities. Nevertheless, while the time has come for us to reengage with the Book of Shemot, may we read the record of Israel’s redemptive past with an expectant eye toward the approaching messianic future. May HaShem continue to bless His people Israel and may we be encouraged by His faithfulness.