Parashah Shemot: Ex 1:1-6:1
Haftorah: Isa 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23
Suggested HaBerith HaChadashah reading: Acts 7:17-35; 1 Cor 14:18-25
Exo 1:1-22 And these are the names of the children of Yisra’ĕl who came to Mitsrayim with Yaʽaqoḇ, each one with his household:
2 Re’uḇĕn, Shimʽon, Lĕwi, and Yehuḏah;
3 Yissasḵar, Zeḇulun, and Binyamin;
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gaḏ and Ashĕr.
5 And all those who were descendants of Yaʽaqoḇ were seventy beings, as Yosĕph was already in Mitsrayim.
6 And Yosĕph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 And the children of Yisra’ĕl bore fruit and increased very much, multiplied and became very strong, and the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new sovereign arose over Mitsrayim, who did not know Yosĕph,
9 and he said to his people, “See, the people of the children of Yisra’ĕl are more and stronger than we,
10 come, let us act wisely towards them, lest they increase, and it shall be when fighting befalls us, that they shall join our enemies and fight against us, and shall go up out of the land.”
11 So they set slave-masters over them to afflict them with their burdens, and they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raʽamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they increased and grew, and they were in dread of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
13 And the Mitsrites made the children of Yisra’ĕl serve with harshness,
14 and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all kinds of work in the field, all their work which they made them do was with harshness.
15 Then the sovereign of Mitsrayim spoke to the Heḇrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puʽah,
16 and he said, “When you deliver the Heḇrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death, but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
17 But the midwives feared Elohim, and did not do as the sovereign of Mitsrayim commanded them, and kept the male children alive.
Second
18 So the sovereign of Mitsrayim called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and kept the male children alive?”
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Heḇrew women are not like the Mitsrite women. For they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
20 So Elohim was good to the midwives, and the people increased and became very numerous.
21 And it came to be, because the midwives feared Elohim, that He provided households for them.
22 And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Throw every son who is born into the river, and keep alive every daughter.”
Exo 2:1-25 And a man of the house of Lĕwi went and married a daughter of Lĕwi.
2 And the woman conceived and bore a son. And she saw that he was a lovely child, and she hid him three months.
3 And when she could hide him no longer, she took an ark of wicker for him, and coated it with tar and pitch, and put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the edge of the river.
4 And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and her young women were walking by the river-side. And when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her female servant to get it,
6 and opened it and saw the child, and see, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the children of the Heḇrews.”
7 And his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Heḇrew women to nurse the child for you?”
8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” And the girl went and called the child’s mother.
9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, then I shall pay your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Mosheh, saying, “Because I have drawn him out of the water.”
Thirth
11 And in those days it came to be, when Mosheh was grown, that he went out to his brothers and looked at their burdens. And he saw a Mitsrite beating a Heḇrew, one of his brothers.
12 So he turned this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he smote the Mitsrite and hid him in the sand.
13 And he went out the second day and saw two Heḇrew men fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why do you smite your neighbour?”
14 And he said, “Who made you a head and a judge over us? Do you intend to slay me as you slew the Mitsrite?” And Mosheh feared and said, “Truly, the matter is known!”
15 And Pharaoh heard of this matter, and he sought to kill Mosheh. But Mosheh fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Miḏyan. And he sat down by a well.
16 And the priest of Miḏyan had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock,
17 but the shepherds came and drove them away. Then Mosheh stood up and came to their rescue, and watered their flock.
18 And they came to Reʽuw’ĕl their father, and he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”
19 And they said, “A Mitsrite rescued us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”
20 And he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him and let him eat bread.”
21 And Mosheh agreed to dwell with the man, and he gave Tsipporah his daughter to Mosheh.
22 And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gĕreshom, for he said, “I have become a sojourner in a foreign land.”
23 And it came to be after these many days that the sovereign of Mitsrayim died. And the children of Yisra’ĕl groaned because of the slavery, and they cried out. And their cry came up to Elohim because of the slavery.
24 And Elohim heard their groaning, and Elohim remembered His covenant with Aḇraham, with Yitsḥaq, and with Yaʽaqoḇ.
25 And Elohim looked on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and Elohim knew!
Fourth
Exo 3:1-22 And Mosheh was shepherding the flock of Yithro his father-in-law, the priest of Miḏyan. And he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to Ḥorĕḇ, the mountain of Elohim.
2 And the Messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. And he looked and saw the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3 And Mosheh said, “Let me turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 And יהוה saw that he turned aside to see, and Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Mosheh! Mosheh!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 And He said, “Do not come near here. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is set-apart ground.”
6 And He said, “I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ.” And Mosheh hid his face, for he was afraid to look at Elohim.
7 And יהוה said, “I have indeed seen the oppression of My people who are in Mitsrayim, and have heard their cry because of their slave-drivers, for I know their sorrows.
8 “And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Mitsrites, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Kenaʽanites and the Ḥittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites and the Yeḇusites.
9 “And now, see, the cry of the children of Yisra’ĕl has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Mitsrites oppress them.
10 “And now, come, I am sending you to Pharaoh, to bring My people, the children of Yisra’ĕl, out of Mitsrayim.”
11 And Mosheh said to Elohim, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Yisra’ĕl out of Mitsrayim?”
12 And He said, “Because I am with you. And this is to you the sign that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Mitsrayim, you are to serve Elohim on this mountain.”
13 And Mosheh said to Elohim, “See, when I come to the children of Yisra’ĕl and say to them, ‘The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His Name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And Elohim said to Mosheh, “I am that which I am.”1 And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” Footnote: 1The Heḇrew text reads: ’eyeh ’asher ’eyeh, the word ’eyeh being derived from hayah which means to be, to exist, but the Aramaic text here in v. 14 reads: ayah ashar ayah. This is not His Name, but it is an explanation that leads up to the revelation of His Name in v. 15, namely: יהוה.
15 And Elohim said further to Mosheh, “Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘יהוה Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.’
Fifth
16 “Go, and you shall gather the elders of Yisra’ĕl together, and say to them, ‘יהוה Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, of Yitsḥaq, and of Yaʽaqoḇ, appeared to me, saying, “I have indeed visited you and seen what is done to you in Mitsrayim;
17 and I say: I am bringing you up out of the affliction of Mitsrayim to the land of the Kenaʽanite and the Ḥittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Ḥiwwite and the Yeḇusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’
18 “And they shall listen to your voice. And you shall come, you and the elders of Yisra’ĕl, to the sovereign of Mitsrayim, and you shall say to him, ‘יהוה Elohim of the Heḇrews has met with us. And now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness to slaughter to יהוה our Elohim.’
19 “But I know that the sovereign of Mitsrayim is not going to let you go, not even by a strong hand.
20 “And I shall stretch out My hand and smite Mitsrayim with all My wonders which I shall do in its midst. And after that he shall let you go.
21 “And I shall give this people favour in the eyes of the Mitsrites. And it shall be, that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
22 “But every woman shall ask from her neighbour and from the stranger in her house, objects of silver, and objects of gold, and garments. And you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters, and shall plunder the Mitsrites.”
Exo 4:1-31 And Mosheh answered and said, “And if they do not believe me, nor listen to my voice, and say, ‘יהוה has not appeared to you?’ ”
2 And יהוה said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.”
3 And He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent. And Mosheh fled from it.
4 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” – so he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand –
5 so that they believe that יהוה Elohim of their fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ, has appeared to you.”
6 And יהוה said to him again, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, and see, his hand was leprous, like snow.
7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and see, it was restored like his other flesh.
8 “And it shall be, if they do not believe you, nor listen to the voice of the first sign, they shall believe the voice of the latter sign.
9 “And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river shall become blood on the dry land.”
10 And Mosheh said to יהוה, “O יהוה, I am not a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
11 And יהוה said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, יהוה?
12 “And now, go, and I shall be with your mouth and teach you what to say.”
13 But he said, “O יהוה, please send by the hand of him whom You would send.”
14 And the displeasure of יהוה burned against Mosheh, and He said, “Is not Aharon the Lĕwite your brother? I know that he speaks well. And see, he is also coming out to meet you. And when he sees you, he shall be glad in his heart.
15 “And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I am with your mouth and with his mouth, and I shall teach you what to do.
16 “And he shall speak for you to the people. And it shall be that he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be an elohim1 for him. Footnote: 1Or mighty one, which is proof that elohim is but a title, indicating order or authority – it is not a proper name.
17 “And take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Sixth
18 Then Mosheh went and returned to Yithro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Mitsrayim to see whether they are still alive.” And Yithro said to Mosheh, “Go in peace.”
19 And יהוה said to Mosheh in Miḏyan, “Go, return to Mitsrayim, for all the men are dead who sought your life.”
20 So Mosheh took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Mitsrayim. And Mosheh took the rod of Elohim in his hand.
21 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “As you go back to Mitsrayim, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I am going to harden his heart, so that he does not let the people go.
22 “And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Yisra’ĕl is My son, My first-born,
23 so I say to you, let My son go to serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, see, I am killing your son, your first-born.” ’ ”
24 And it came to be on the way, in the lodging place, that יהוה met him and sought to kill him.
25 And Tsipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Mosheh’s feet, and said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me!”
26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
27 And יהוה said to Aharon, “Go to meet Mosheh in the wilderness.” And he went and met him on the mountain of Elohim, and kissed him.
28 Mosheh then told Aharon all the words of יהוה who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
29 And Mosheh went with Aharon and gathered together all the elders of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
30 And Aharon spoke all the words which יהוה had spoken to Mosheh. Then he did the signs before the eyes of the people.
31 And the people believed. And they heard that יהוה had visited the children of Yisra’ĕl and that He had looked on their affliction, and they bowed their heads and did obeisance.
Seventh
Exo 5:1-23 And afterwards Mosheh and Aharon went in and said to Pharaoh, “Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Let My people go, so that they keep a festival to Me in the wilderness.’ ”
2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is יהוה, that I should obey His voice to let Yisra’ĕl go? I do not know יהוה, nor am I going to let Yisra’ĕl go.”
3 And they said, “The Elohim of the Heḇrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness and slaughter to יהוה our Elohim, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
4 But the sovereign of Mitsrayim said to them, “Mosheh and Aharon, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens.”
5 And Pharaoh said, “See, the people of the land are many now, and you make them cease from their burdens!”
6 And the same day Pharaoh commanded the slave-drivers of the people and their foremen, saying,
7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make bricks as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 “And lay on them the required amount of bricks which they made before, do not diminish it. For they are idle, that is why they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and slaughter to our Elohim.’
9 “Let more work be laid on the men, so that they labour in it, and not pay attention to words of falsehood.”
10 And the slave-drivers of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus said Pharaoh, ‘I do not give you straw.
11 ‘Go, take straw for yourselves, wherever you find it, for your work shall not be diminished.’ ”
12 And the people were scattered in all the land of Mitsrayim – to gather stubble for straw.
13 And the slave-drivers were hurrying them on, saying, “Complete your work, your daily amount, as when there was straw.”
14 Also the foremen of the children of Yisra’ĕl, whom Pharaoh’s slave-drivers had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not completed your task in making bricks both yesterday and today, as before?”
15 And the foremen of the children of Yisra’ĕl came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you treat your servants this way?
16 “There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And see, your servants are beaten, but your own people are at fault.”
17 But he said, “You are idle! You are idle! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and slaughter to יהוה.’
18 “So now go, work. And straw is not given to you, but deliver the amount of bricks.”
19 And the foremen of the children of Yisra’ĕl saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You are not to diminish your daily amount of bricks.”
20 And when they came out from Pharaoh, they met Mosheh and Aharon who stood there to meet them.
21 And they said to them, “Let יהוה look on you and judge, because you have made us loathsome in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to give a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Maftier
22 And Mosheh returned to יהוה and said, “יהוה, why have You done evil to this people? Why did You send me?
23 “For ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, he has done evil to this people. And You have not delivered Your people at all.”
Exo 6:1 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Now see what I do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he is going to let them go, and with a strong hand he is going to drive them out of his land.”
Haftorah: Isa 27:6-28:13; 29:22-23
Isa 27:6-13 Those who come He causes to take root in Yaʽaqoḇ, Yisra’ĕl shall blossom and bud. And they shall fill the face of the world with fruit.
7 Has He smitten him as He smote those who were smiting him? Or were they slain as those they had slaughtered?
8 In measure, by sending her away, You contended with her. He shall take away by His rough wind in the day of the east wind.
9 Therefore by this the crookedness of Yaʽaqoḇ is covered. And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altar like chalkstones that are beaten to dust – Ashĕrim and sun-pillars rise no more.
10 For the city of defence is lonely, a home forsaken and left like a wilderness – there the calf feeds, and there it lies down, and shall consume its branches.
11 When its twigs are dry, they are broken off, women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding, therefore He who made them has no compassion on them, and He who formed them shows them no favour.
12 And in that day it shall be that יהוה threshes, from the channel of the River to the wadi of Mitsrayim. And you shall be gathered one by one1, O children of Yisra’ĕl. Footnote: 1Jer. 3:14-15.
13 And in that day it shall be that a great horn is blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Ashshur and the outcasts in the land of Mitsrayim shall come, and shall worship יהוה on the set-apart mountain, in Yerushalayim.
Isa 28:1-13 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephrayim, and to the fading flower of its splendid comeliness that is on the head of the fertile valley, to those who are overcome with wine!
2 See, יהוה has one who is mighty and strong, like a downpour of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, who casts down to the earth with the hand.
3 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephrayim, is trampled under foot;
4 and the fading flower of its splendid comeliness that is on the head of the fertile valley, like the first fruit before the summer, which, when one sees it, he eats it up while it is still in his hand.
5 In that day יהוה of hosts is for a crown of splendour and a head-dress of comeliness to the remnant of His people,
6 and a spirit of right-ruling to him who sits in right-ruling, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7 And these too have gone astray through wine, and through strong drink wandered about. Priest and prophet have gone astray through strong drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they wander about through strong drink, they go astray in vision, they stumble in right-ruling.
8 For all tables shall be covered with vomit, no place without filth.
9 Whom would He teach knowledge? And whom would He make to understand the message? Those weaned from milk, those taken from the breasts!
10 For it is: command upon command, command upon command, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.
11 For with a jabbering lip and a foreign tongue He speaks to this people,
12 to whom He said, “This is the rest, give rest to the weary,” and, “This is the refreshing.” But they would not hear.
13 But the Word of יהוה was to them, “Command upon command, command upon command, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,” so that they go and shall stumble backward, and be broken and snared and taken captive.
Isa 29:22-23 Therefore thus said יהוה, who ransomed Aḇraham, concerning the house of Yaʽaqoḇ, “Yaʽaqoḇ is no longer put to shame, no longer does his face grow pale.
23 “For when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they shall set apart My Name, and set apart the Set-apart One of Yaʽaqoḇ, and fear the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl.
Suggested HaBerith HaChadashah reading: Acts 7:17-35; 1 Cor 14:18-25
Act 7:17-35 “But as the time of the promise drew near which Elohim had sworn to Aḇraham, the people increased and multiplied in Mitsrayim
18 until another sovereign arose who did not know Yosĕph.
19 “Having dealt treacherously with our race, this one mistreated our fathers, making them expose their babies, so that they should not live.
20 “At that time Mosheh was born, and he was well-pleasing to Elohim. And he was reared three months in the house of his father.
21 “But when he was exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and reared him as her own son.
22 “And Mosheh was instructed in all the wisdom of the Mitsrites, and was mighty in words and works.
23 “And when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Yisra’ĕl.
24 “And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended and revenged him who was oppressed, smiting the Mitsrite.
25 “And he thought that his brothers would have understood that Elohim would give deliverance to them by his hand, but they did not understand.
26 “And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and urged them to peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why do you wrong one another?’
27 “But he who was wronging his neighbour pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
28 ‘Do you wish to kill me as you killed the Mitsrite yesterday?’
29 “And at this saying, Mosheh fled and became a sojourner in the land of Miḏyan, where he fathered two sons.
30 “And after forty years were completed, a Messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
31 “And Mosheh, seeing it, marvelled at the sight, and coming near to look, the voice of יהוה came to him,
32 saying, ‘I am the Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇraham and the Elohim of Yitsḥaq and the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ.’ And Mosheh trembled and did not have the courage to look.
33 ‘But יהוה said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is set-apart ground.
34 “I have certainly seen the evil treatment of my people who are in Mitsrayim, and I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, let Me send you to Mitsrayim.” ’
35 “This Mosheh whom they had refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ – this one Elohim sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Messenger who appeared to him in the bush.
1Co 14:18-25 I thank my Elohim I speak with tongues more than you all,
19 but in an assembly I wish to speak five words with my understanding that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking, but in evil be babes, and in your thinking be perfect.
21 In the Torah it has been written, “With men of other tongues and other lips I shall speak to this people. And even so, they shall not hear Me, says יהוה.”
22 So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers, and prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.
23 If then all the assembly comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are unlearned or unbelievers, shall they not say that you are mad?
24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an unlearned one comes in, he is reproved by all, he is discerned by all.
25 And so the secrets of his heart are revealed. And so, falling down on his face, he shall worship Elohim, declaring that Elohim is truly among you.
Shemot Aliya Summary
General Overview: This week's Torah reading, Shemot, begins the Book of Exodus. Pharaoh issues harsh decrees against the Israelites, beginning decades of Jewish suffering and slavery. Moses is born and raised in the Egyptian royal palace. After killing an Egyptian, Moses escapes to Midian and marries. G‑d appears to him in a burning bush and demands that he return to Egypt to redeem the Israelites. Moses returns to Egypt with the intention of freeing the Jewish people.
First Aliyah: Jacob's sons all died. Jacob's descendents in Egypt, however, were "fruitful and swarmed and increased and became very very strong." A new Pharaoh arose, and he resolved to find a solution to the "Israelite problem." He proposed to afflict the Israelites and impose slave labor upon them, thus preventing them from multiplying. He implemented the plan, and the Israelites were forced to construct storage cities for Pharaoh. "But as much as they would afflict them, so did they multiply and so did they gain strength." Pharaoh then summoned the Hebrew midwives and instructed them to kill all the Hebrew sons that they delivered. The righteous midwives feared G‑d, however, and defied Pharaohs order.
Second Aliyah: Pharaoh called the midwives to task for not following orders. They answered that the Hebrew women were skilled in midwifery and delivered their babies before they even arrived. G‑d rewarded the midwives for their bravery. Pharaoh then commanded the Egyptians to cast all newborn male Israelites into the Nile. Moses was born. His mother, who feared for her baby's life, put him into a waterproofed basket and set him afloat in the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe, and took the child as her own. Moses' sister Miriam, who observed the entire episode, offered to bring a Hebrew nursemaid for the child, and when Pharaoh's daughter agreed to the suggestion, Miriam called the child's mother. Moses' mother nursed the child and after he was weaned brought him back to Pharaoh's daughter.
Third Aliyah: Moses was raised in Pharaoh's palace. When he matured, he went out one day and saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew. Moses slew the Egyptian. Word of his deed reached Pharaoh, and Moses was compelled to flee. He escaped to Midian where he married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro. They gave birth to a son, Gershom. Back in Egypt, meanwhile, the plight of the Israelite slaves was worsening. They cried out to G‑d, and He remembered the covenant He had made with their forefathers.
Fourth Aliyah: Moses was shepherding Jethro's flocks in the wilderness when he arrived at the "mountain of G‑d." There he saw a bush burning, yet it was not being consumed by the fire. When he approached to investigate the phenomenon, G‑d called out to him. G‑d declared that He has seen the Israelites' afflictions, and has decided to deliver them from their Egyptian masters.
Fifth Aliyah: G‑d gave Moses specific instructions: He was to gather the Israelite elders and inform them that G‑d had remembered them and would now rescue them from Egypt and bring them to a Land of Milk and Honey. Then he was to approach Pharaoh and request permission to leave along with the Israelites. G‑d informed Moses that Pharaoh would not accede to this request – but the redemption would come nonetheless, after G‑d will smite Egypt with a strong arm. At that point the Israelites would leave with much riches. G‑d gave Moses three miracles to perform before the Israelites to prove that he was sent by G‑d. When Moses protested that he was not suited to be G‑d's messenger due to his speech impediment, G‑d assigned his brother Aaron to be his spokesperson.
Sixth Aliyah: Moses took his wife and two sons and headed for Egypt. G‑d charged Moses to warn Pharaoh: "So said G‑d, 'My firstborn son is Israel. So I say to you, send out My son so that he will worship Me. And if you refuse to send him out, behold, I will slay your firstborn son.'" En route to Egypt, Moses' wife rescued her husband from divine wrath by performing a circumcision on their son. Moses met Aaron, who had come from Egypt to greet him, and together they went to Egypt, gathered the elders and performed the wondrous signs that G‑d had given Moses.
Seventh Aliyah: Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and presented G‑d's demand. Pharaoh mocked the request and instructed the Egyptian taskmasters to increase the Israelite slaves' workload. The Israelites were unable to meet Pharaoh's new demands, and were viciously beaten as a result. Moses addressed G‑d: "Why have You mistreated this people? Why have You sent me? Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has mistreated this people, and You have not saved Your people." G‑d responded: "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will send them out..."
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which is the next parshat, after Shemot?
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