A Journey Through Torah
An Introduction to GOD’s Life Instructions for HIS Children
Volume Two: Shemot/Exodus
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part Two: Shemot – The Book of Exodus
Introduction
How is Exodus Structured
Part I – Parashah Sh’mot (The Names) Exodus 1:1 to 6:1
Part II – The Plagues Parashah Va’eira – (and I appeared) Exodus 6:2 to 9:35
Parashah Bo – (Enter) Exodus 10:1 to 13:16
Part III – ON THE ROAD TO SINAI – Chapters 13 to 28
Parashah B’shallach (After he had let go) Exodus 13:17 to 17:16
Part IV – The Covenant
Parashah Yitro (Jethro) – Exodus 18:1 to 20:26
Part V – At Sinai
Parashah Mishpatim (The Judgments) Exodus 21:1 – 24:18
Parashah Tetzaveh (You Command) Exodus 27:20 to 30:10
Parashah Ki Tissa (When You Take) Exodus 30:11 to 34:35
Parashah Vayak’hel (He assembled) Exodus 35:1–38:20
Conclusion
A Journey Through Torah
Volume Two
Sefer Shemot/The Book of Exodus
Acknowledgment
As always, Glenn and Michael are grateful for the leadership and guidance of our Beloved Yahveh, our Lord God. May His Name be praised above all others. Then, we wish to acknowledge the many others who contributed to the creation of this book, through their considered and thoughtful critiques. We are indebted to you.
We also acknowledge you, our readers, for whom this book has been produced. Without your interest, we would never have prepared what you will find within these pages.
May God, the Beloved Master of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob, bless you richly.
Sefer Shemot – The Book of Exodus
Introduction
You have just finished reading and, I hope, learning from the first Book of Torah, B’resheit, In the Beginning, Genesis. The second Book, Shemot, the Names, the Book of Exodus, takes the stories of B’resheit and builds upon them. Are you curious as to the name of the Book? Shemot is the Hebrew word for names. Now why would this Book be titled ‘Names’? As I mentioned earlier, the title of each Book of Torah comes from the first few words of the text. The first few words of the Book are: These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob. (Exodus 1:1 HCSB) You see how the second Book of Torah is tied to the first? This is Hashem’s[1] way of ensuring we are aware of the transition from Part One of the story to Part Two.
What is Exodus About?
Sefer Shemot, the Book of Exodus, tells the story of the 40-year wanderings of the Israelites, and their mixed nation partners, through the wilderness, mainly on the east side of the Yarden (Jordan) River, following their rescue by Yahveh[2], through His agents, Moshe and Aharon. However, this story goes deeper than just a narrative of a journey; it speaks also to the difficulties in transition from a people settled, yet in servitude, to a people facing the trials and tribulations of a nomadic life, yet free. How did they react, when faced with these trials? What are their mindsets, when the tribulations appeared to be greater than they can bear? As we will discover, the Sefer Shemot also explores perspective and the consequences of both positive and negative perspectives of Yahveh’s grace and love. At the same time, we are introduced to Yahveh’s plans for the children of Avraham, which fit within His covenant with the Patriarch of Israel.
How is Exodus Structured?
There are two levels of structure we have employed in the writing of Volume Two; the first level is through the Parashot or the weekly readings. Sefer Shemot or the Book of Exodus is divided into eleven parashot:
Part I – Parashah Sh’mot (The Names) Exodus 1:1 to 6:1
Part II – The Plagues Parashah Va’eira – (and I appeared) Exodus 6:2 to 9:35
Parashah Bo – (Enter) Exodus 10:1 to 13:16
Part III – ON THE ROAD TO SINAI – Chapters 13 to 28
Parashah B’shallach (After he had let go) Exodus 13:17 to 17:16
Part IV – The Covenant
Parashah Yitro (Jethro) – Exodus 18:1 to 20:26
Part V – At Sinai
Parashah Mishpatim (The Judgments) Exodus 21:1 – 24:18
Parashah 19: T’rumah (Contribution) Exodus 25:1 to 27:19
Parashah Tetzaveh (You Command) Exodus 27:20 to 30:10
Parashah Ki Tissa (When You Take) Exodus 30:11 to 34:35
Parashah Vayak’hel (He assembled) Exodus 35:1–38:20
As well as Sefer Shemot being divided into Parashot, there are also five discrete sections to the Book of Exodus:
Part I takes us through Chapters 1 to 6: Israel’s Enslavement in Egypt and Yahveh’s response.
Part II involves Chapters 7 through 12: The Exodus from Egypt
Part III may be found in Chapters 13 to 18: Struggles in the Wilderness
Part IV involves Chapters 19 to 24: The Covenant
Part V takes us through Chapters 25 to 40: The Forty-Year Journey to the Promised Land
Well, let’s begin our examination of Sefer Sh’mot, the Book of Exodus. Genesis finished with Ya’akov and his family joining Yosef in Egypt. This story is now continued as we learn how Israel became enslaved by the pharaohs of Egypt, in order to address the needs of the country to contain not only its food but also the increasing treasury from its conquests of other empires and nations throughout the Middle East.
[1] ‘Hashem’ is the Hebrew word for The Name. Jewish people are reluctant to pronounce YHVH, in case it is mispronounced, since there are no vowels attached. Most English translations use either the word ‘Lord’ or ‘Adonai’, Hebrew for Lord, another Hebrew word for YHVH.
[2] ‘Yahveh’ is a vocalization of the unpronounceable name of God – יהוה, YHVH. There are many words used for our Creator and Sovereign. All of them are known as circumlocutions or words which circle the real and unknown pronunciation.
A Journey Through Torah
Volume Two
Sefer Shemot/The Book of Exodus
The Book of Exodus
Acknowledgment
As always, Glenn and Michael are grateful for the leadership and guidance of our Beloved Yahveh, our Lord God. May His Name be praise above all others. Then, we wish to acknowledge the many others who contributed to the creation of this book, through their considered and thoughtful critiques. We are indebted to you.
We also acknowledge you, our readers, for whom this book has been produced. Without your interest, we would never have prepared what you will find within these pages.
As well, we wish to acknowledge that all Scripture has been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, which seems to be the closest we found to the Hebrew Text. We are indebted.
Thanks also to Getty Images, which has allowed us to use a few of their images.
May God, the Beloved Master of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob, bless you richly.
Sefer Shemot/The Book of Exodus
Part I
Chapters 1 to 6
Israel settles in Goshen and grows prosperous and comfortable in their new home. A new Pharaoh ascends the throne of Egypt, one who does not know what Yosef did for his people. Israel is placed in bondage. Moshe, an Israelite and former prince of Egypt arises, reluctantly, to lead Hashem’s people out of Egypt. Moshe and Aharon approach Pharaoh. Pharaoh increases Israel’s burden.
Sefer Shemot/ The Book of Exodus
Parashah Sh’mot (The Names) Exodus 1:1 to 6:1
Sefer Shemot The Book of Exodus – Part I
Parshah Sh’mot-The Names
Exodus 1:1 to 6:1
To me, it is important to know Hashem[3] blessed Egypt, because the pharaohs and the people followed the advice Hashem gave Yosef, Joseph, when the land was faced with severe famine. From that time, until the time Hashem punished her for her leaders’ intransigence begins, Egypt flourished and became a very powerful force in the region. However, it would not have become as wealthy as it did without the support of Hashem and His people, Israel. There is a very revealing line in Chapter One, which allows us to understand the events which led to Israel’s enslavement.
Exodus 1:6,7 (HCSB) tells us, Then Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died. 7 But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them. In Genesis we were told Israel and his family of 70 souls settled in Goshen. Here they flourished until they occupied all the land allotted to them. Archeological records share with us, there were many kingdoms, led by the rulers of Egypt, most of which did not maintain records of the peoples of other nations. Corresponding to the period of time Israel was in the land of Goshen, Egypt was ruled by the Hyksos, a Semitic, Asian people, thought to have originated in the current location of Jordan and Syria. These people were driven out of Egypt by the armies of Ahmose I. With the conquering of Egypt by the rulers of the Lower Kingdom, the memory of Yosef and the miracles Hashem created through him also faded. We are told a new pharaoh (perhaps ThutMoshe III) took the throne, approximately 250 years after Yosef died. By now the memory had faded and the sheer number of Israelites in Egypt became alarming to both the king and his court. He shared with his advisers, Let us deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and if war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country. (Exodus 1:10 HCSB)
There is an old proverb, the origins of which are lost in antiquity, concerning ‘boiling a frog’. The proverb goes – if you place a frog in a boiling pot of water, it will jump out immediately; however, if you place it into a cold pot of water and very gradually increase the temperature, it will stay where it is until it dies. Is this true? The veracity of the urban legend is irrelevant, since it is used as an analogy. The teaching tells us to be aware of very gradual erosions of our life conditions through the actions of others. If we are not aware, eventually we will find ourselves in very difficult situations, which, at the time of realization, may be difficult to change.
Ancient Hebrew legend tells us after many years in Egypt, the Israelites became very prosperous and numerous; as a result, the heart of pharaoh became hardened against Israel. However, he knew if he forced the people into slavery they would rebel. Perhaps he knew of the ‘boil the frog’ legend. The Hebrew legend goes on to tell us pharaoh knew the Israelites were generous people and he asked their leaders if they would help Egypt by working on the building of cities, roads aqueducts, etc., for compensation. Of course, the Israelites agreed. After a while, pharaoh came back to their leaders and said they were running out of provisions to compensate them for their help in building and could Egypt owe them, until the building had been completed. After some time, both sides ‘forgot’ about the deal and the Israelites were firmly within the pharaoh’s grasp.
However, slavery did not stop the growth and expansion of Israel. It seemed the greater the impositions on Israel, the more they were blessed. Pharaoh grew more concerned. In response he ordered the slaughter of all the male children born to Israelite women. First, he went to the Israelite midwives. Listen to how they reacted to the command to kill all male children, recorded in Exodus 1:19 (HCSB). The midwives told pharaoh’s officers, The midwives said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife can get to them. It is important to note the midwives of ancient Israel were involved as advisors in every aspect of the cycle of birth, from conception to birth. Obviously, they chose not to carry-out pharaoh’s orders. Clearly the midwives had more fear (awe) and more love of Hashem than they did of pharaoh. As a result, they were blessed. At that point pharaoh told his people to look for male children born to Israelites and throw them into the Nile River. This was a very successful strategy for pharaoh, since a great many male children born to Hebrew women were killed.
However, one male child was spared — Moshe. After three months, his mother, Yocheved, meaning Glory of Yahveh, placed her child into a reed basket and floated it on one of the nearby tributaries of the Nile River.
Miryam, meaning Life was bitter, Yocheved’s eldest daughter and Moshe’s sister, followed the basket as it floated downstream, towards the palace of pharaoh. The princess, Bithiah, or Batyah in Hebrew, whose both names mean ‘daughter of God’, was bathing in a tributary of the Nile, when one of her servants discovered the basket held captive by the reeds. As Batyah opened the basket and discovered a circumcised male child, she instantly knew he was Hebrew. Myriam came forward and offered to find a wet-nurse for the child. This part of the story may be found in Exodus 2. Now, let’s take a step back and look at this picture more carefully.
Pharaoh had the desire to kill all the Hebrew male children, recently born. Certainly, his daughter, Batyah, knew about this plan; why, then, did she have such an open heart for the child she discovered amongst the reeds? There is a midrash or rabbinic teaching focused on the daughter of pharaoh. During this time of the year, estimated to be about 1390 BCE, there was a terrible heatwave. Many thousands of Egyptians had perished from the heat, but the Israelites appeared to be spared. Batyah[4] also contracted leprosy and had come to the river to bathe and, hopefully, sooth the condition of her skin. When she opened the basket, which her servants had brought to her, and touched the child, she was cured. This miracle softened her heart and she took the child as her own and named him Munius, which means ‘drawn from or pulled out’, the same meaning as the Hebrew equivalent Moshe.
Following this, it appears Batyah was exiled by her father, when he discovered she had taken the Hebrew child as her own. The optics for pharaoh were not very good, as we can understand. Legend continues with Batyah moving from her palatial residence to less comfortable surroundings, complete with a monthly stipend to provide for her comfort. It was here, the Midrash or teaching, continues, she met and married Caleb, the son of Yephunneh, a Kenizzite, a member of the Cana’anites, many of whom were also slaves in Egypt. If this legend is true, Hashem’s wisdom knows no bounds.
Now, let’s return to the Exodus story. Once Moshe was weaned, he returned to live with Batyah; however, he also had an opportunity to interact with his Israelite kinsmen. He was raised in both Egyptian and Israelite cultures, adopting a form of syncretism[5] in his spirituality.
On one of his sojourns into the world of slaves, Moshe witnessed an Israelite slave being beaten by an Egyptian overseer. Becoming angry, and assuming he wasn’t being watched, Moshe struck and killed the overseer. He then buried the body in a shallow grave.
However, Moshe’s crime was observed and, the next day when he went out again amongst his people, he came upon two Israelites in a heated argument. Witnessing this he said, “Why are you attacking your neighbor?” to which the aggressor responded, “Who made you a leader and judge over us?” the man replied. “Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14 HCSB) If the Hebrew slaves knew, there was a good chance pharaoh’s guards knew; indeed pharaoh did know of the murder — Moshe’s life was in danger!
Moshe fled Egypt and went into the wilderness, across the Red Sea and into Midian. There he came across the camp of Yitro, the High Priest of Midian and the father of Zipporah, whose name means ‘she knows’. These people were idolaters and worshipped many gods, chief among them, ba’al.
The meeting of Moshe and Zipporah was no accident – do you remember how Eliezer, Avraham’s servant, received Isaac’ wife, Rivka, Rebecca, as recorded in Genesis 24? As Moshe approached the camp, he noticed Yitro’s daughters attempting to water the sheep; however, a gang of men from Midian would not allow them near the water troughs. Moshe intervened and drove off the bullies, allowing the sheep to draw near the water. As reward for this heroic deed, Yitro gave his eldest daughter, Zipporah, to Moshe as his wife. During their time together, they had two children, sons – Gershom (a sojourner there) and Eliezer (my God is help). This part of the story of Moshe may be found in Exodus, Chapter 2.
Moshe stayed forty years with Yitro. What a valuable period of time for Moshe, although he wouldn’t realize this for many years afterwards. He had come from Egypt, as an Egyptian, being raised in an Egyptian home, worshipping both Egyptian and Hebrew deity. His actions with the overseer was a clear indication of his compulsive, impulsive behaviour and his arrogance. Being a shepherd was a most humbling experience for this once Egyptian prince. He went from being part of the aristocracy of Egypt to the lowest rung of Middle Eastern society – a Midian shepherd. To call this a humbling experience would be an understatement.
In his 80s, as he was leading his sheep to pasture at the base of Mount Horev, Moshe saw a sight which transfixed him. Further up the side of the mountain, he could see a bush with flames surrounding it; what caught his attention was the fact the bush was not being consumed. As Moshe drew near to the burning bush, which was not burning, a voice called loudly, “Do not come closer,” He said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then He continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of My people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the territory of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The Israelites’ cry for help has come to Me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:5-10 HCSB) This was the same place where Hashem dictated Torah[6] to Moshe and the children of Israel, as we will learn shortly.
Hashem commanded Moshe to be His messenger both to the Israelites in captivity in Egypt and to the new pharaoh, who took the throne upon his father’s death. This caused Moshe some concern and he responded to Hashem: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 HCSB) Even following Hashem’s confirmation of support for Moshe, he continued to explain why he was the wrong person for the role. Listen to his rationale: “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” (Exodus 4:1 HCSB) There is not one shred of arrogance within this man; he has been completely humbled by his experience within the wilderness of Midian.
It appears Moshe needs more than Hashem’s Word, if he will be equipped to fulfill the task set before him. In verses 2 to 5 of Chapter 4, we read of the miracle Hashem created with Moshe’s staff – turning it into a snake and then back to his staff. In a second display of His power, which would be given to Moshe, Hashem causes his hand to take on the appearance of tzarar’at, or skin white-scale disease, and then turned it back to normal. Hashem gives Moshe the assurance he will receive this power, when he faces pharaoh.
These miracles were meant to reassure Moshe but again this now humbled man presents another hindrance to his working for Hashem: “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant[c]—because I am slow and hesitant in speech.” (Exodus 4:10 HCSB) How did Hashem respond to Moshe at this point? He could have shown him anger and frustration but, instead, he showed compassion and told him: “Now go! I will helpyou speak, and I will teach you what to say.” (Exodus 4:12 HCSB) However, Moshe is not ready to concede, and he presents yet another obstacle. Listen to his final word: “Please, Lord, send someone else.” (Exodus 4:13 HCSB) Now Hashem did become angry, as we are told, but didn’t abandon Moshe. Here we find some important messages to us, as we go about doing Hashem’s tasks set for us. First, we know from His interactions with Moshe, when He gives us a task to complete, He will equip us. He will give us the words to say and the actions to take, when they are to be said and done. Second, our response is to step out in trust. Again, with the trust! There cannot be a more meaningful response to Hashem’s Word than trust – moving out with the full certainty He will be there for us. This trust in God is called emunah, and it means ‘stepping forward in trust of the unknown’.
Hashem knows when we need a temporary crutch to help us along our way, as we serve Him. In Moshe’s case, the crutch was his brother Aharon, meaning Lofty or exalted. Let’s look at how Hashem orchestrated Aharon’s involvement, as we read Exodus 4:14-16 (HCSB) – Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and He said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him.” I find this interaction intriguing; here we have a former prince of Egypt being humbled, through his 40 years in the Midian wilderness, almost to the point of loss of identity. It appears Moshe was so traumatized; he did not trust Hashem to be able to do what He said He would do. And, yet, Hashem knew how this would turn out. Not only did He understand Moshe’s current state of mind, He knew what his servant would become. The relationship He laid out for Moshe reveals for us the esteem with which the Creator regarded His servant – in effect; “He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him.” What an incredible relationship this was to become. Eventually, as we will see, Moshe gains back his confidence and Aharon takes on a different role. But let’s get back to the story.
Moshe returns to Yitro, his father-in-law, gathers his family, including whatever flock he has been given, and sets out for Egypt. On the way, Hashem gives Moshe an outline of His plan. We read this in Exodus 4:21-23 (HCSB) – “The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go. Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son. I told you: Let My son go so that he may worship Me, but you refused to let him go. Now I will kill your firstborn son!” What a position in which Hashem has placed Moshe: he is to present the miracles given to him to perform and, yet, pharaoh will still turn against Israel. Many readers of Torah assume the hardening of pharaoh’s heart against Israel was all Yahveh’s doing; however, as students of the Hebrew Scriptures understand, Hashem doesn’t cause anyone’s heart to harden. This is an issue of free will. If an unbeliever decides to harden his heart against others, and over time indicates this disposition, Yahveh will cement this position, as He did with pharaoh.
Do believers stepping forward in service meet those who respond with hardness and rejection? When we teach the Word of Hashem to unbelievers, won’t we be ridiculed, shunned and, in some cases, attacked physically and verbally? If an unbeliever decides to harden his heart against others, and over time indicates this disposition, Yahveh will cement this position.
If an unbeliever decides to harden his heart against others, and over time indicates this disposition, Yahveh will cement this position.
In Chapter 4, we are presented with what seems a non-sequitur, an event which does not seem to fit within the narrative of Exodus. Let’s read the encounter: On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death. So, Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, and threw it at Moses’ feet. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” (Exodus 4: 24,25 HCSB) Here we find a curious event. Did Moshe know about circumcision? Certainly, his father Amram, meaning an exalted people, had his son circumcised on the 8th day, as per Yahveh’s command. When Hashem told Moshe to go, Moshe assumed He meant NOW. He knew that, following the circumcision, Eliezer would not be able to travel for three days, further delaying carrying out Hashem’s commandment to leave. Which commandment ought Moshe to follow? He decided the most recent commandment from Hashem carried the greatest imperative, thus, he did not circumcise his eight-day old son, Eliezer. Now we come to the speculation — when his party reached an oasis, with lodgings, the first thing Moshe did was to arrange for accommodations, rather than take the opportunity to circumcise Eliezer. At this point, Moshe was confronted by an angel from Hashem, who was about to take his life for violating Hashem’s command to circumcise his son. Did Yahveh hold Moshe in such high regard, that He demanded more of him and levied an illness upon Moshe for being late?
Rather than see this occur, Zipporah, Moshe’s wife, grabbed a flint knife and circumcised Eliezer, throwing the foreskin at Moshe’s ‘feet’, most certainly his genitals. Why did she do this? Although Torah does not explain this, is there a spiritual connection, here? Eliezer’s severed foreskin is filled with the blood of circumcision; by touching Moshe’s ‘feet’ with the foreskin, there is recognition the shed blood of a lamb (Eliezer’s circumcision blood) would prevent the death of those whose doorposts were marked with blood, in this case, Moshe’s feet. It is hard not to notice the prophetic nature of this action.
Although it is not mentioned here, ancient scribes believe Aharon convinced Moshe to send Zipporah and their sons back to her father’s home; the rationale being there was much strife in Egypt at that time and Moshe’s family should not be subjected to that. Once in Egypt, the brothers met with the elders of Israel. It was Aharon who spoke to both the elders and the people. As a result of the signs which Moshe presented to the people, they came to believe Hashem really did hear their cries for help and really did have their best interests at heart. The belief they felt was not the belief of facts, which is normally found in the head, but the belief of deep-seated principle, which is found in the ‘heart’. Israel was convicted by the signs Hashem gave Moshe and, as such, the people turned to Him for their security. We read of this in verse 31 (HCSB): The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
In verses 1 to 5 of Exodus 5, we learn Moshe and Aharon went to see pharaoh. It would be quite natural for the 24 elders of Israel to join them in this venture; however, as some ancient sages have suggested, as they approached the palace, they began to become fearful and fled the scene. Eventually, all the elders left, leaving only Moshe and Aharon to face pharaoh and his court. Due to their lack of faith in Hashem’s protection, the sages infer, these elders were prohibited from worshipping Hashem on mountain Sinai but from a distance, while Moshe alone went further, into the Presence.
The first confrontation of Moshe, Aharon and pharaoh focused on the Israelites being able to leave Egypt for a three-day journey into the wilderness, to worship Hashem and to offer worshipful sacrifices for Him. Of course, pharaoh refused. This is where Moshe and Aharon brought forth Hashem’s minor miracles – the turning of Aharon’s staff into a snake. Why a snake? In ancient Egyptian mythology, the serpent was considered a wise and magical creature. In the Egyptian pantheon of deity, the snake is represented by wadjet; the goddess of lower Egypt would have been situated, as a medallion, on pharaoh’s crown. Thus, using the symbol of pharaoh’s power was an appropriate introduction to Yahveh’s Power. It seems the necromancers of pharaoh’s court were magicians, also, as they too turned their staffs into venomous snakes. However, Hashem’s snake ate all the snakes conjured by the Egyptian magicians, proving Hashem was more powerful by swallowing the power contained in their rods. Unconvinced, pharaoh refused Moshe’s request and the Israelites left to consult with Hashem.
In the meantime, as we read in Chapter 5, pharaoh placed even more burdens on Israel, by ordering them to find their own straw with which to make bricks and, yet, Why would Hashem challenge the Egyptians belief in their pantheon of gods?
Why would Hashem challenge the Egyptians belief in their pantheon of gods?
requiring them to meet the existing quota of production. Listen to his rationale for this action: “Don’t continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves. But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers—that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words.” (Exodus 5:7-9 HCSB)
Coming before Hashem, following their first encounter with pharaoh, Moshe and Aharon were told of the first of the ten plagues which Egyptians would endure – turning the waters of the Nile River and its tributaries into blood.
[1] ‘Hashem’ is the Hebrew word for The Name. Jewish people are reluctant to pronounce YHVH, in case it is mispronounced, since there are no vowels attached. Most English translations use either the word ‘Lord’ or ‘Adonai’, Hebrew for Lord, another Hebrew word for YHVH.
[2] ‘Yahveh’ is a vocalization of the unpronounceable name of God – יהוה, YHVH. There are many words used for our Creator and Sovereign. All of them are known as circumlocutions or words which circle the real and unknown pronunciation.
[3] The Jewish people have created a number of names for God, allowing them not to pronounce the ‘ineffable’ Name, given by Yahveh, God, to Moshe at the burning bush. We use the Name ‘Hashem’ out of respect for Jewish readers.
[4] The daughters of a pharaoh did not have a high status in the court, as there were many female children from the pharaoh’s concubines.
[5] Worshipping deity from two different faiths is called syncretism. This is idolatry, as it diminishes the value of worshipping God. Israel was constantly engaged in syncretism throughout its history, following settlement in the Promised Land and was exiled in part because of this practice.
[6] As you may remember from Volume 1, Torah refers to the Life Instructions Yahveh gave to His people, through Moshe. Torah is commonly referred to as the Five Books of Moshe (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. However, believers know Torah as all the books of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.