Teaching Jewish Roots
A Drop of Light from Zion

[not proofread]

A drop of Light from Zion

Parashat Shemot  (Exod. 1:12-6:1)

(Haftarah – Isa. 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23)

The Faith Journey, from Exile to Redemption

Shabbat shalom, my dear friends.

This week we begin the book of Shemot (Heb: “names”), which you know as Exodus (Latin: “departure”). Both titles are appropriate.

In Jewish thinking and in the Hebrew language, all names are meaningful. Our personal name is not just something our parents chose for its beauty or popularity; it also shows our destiny or character, and/or it reflects our family roots. Sometimes a name is prophetic, even without the name-giver being aware of it. The name that Pharoah’s daughter chose for the Hebrew baby she adopted, Moshe, meant “draw out”. She said it was “because I drew him out of the water” (Exod. 2:10). But the LORD of all the earth knew this man would “draw out” His people from under the yoke of Egypt and lead them as a free nation to the land of their inheritance.

We know that the Book of books is lifegiving from beginning to end. It’s a guide in how to relate to the LORD of all the earth, to trust in His words, and become an active part of His kingdom.

The first book of the Torah, Bereshit or Genesis (both words mean “the beginning”), teaches us how the world was created, and the problems that human beings faced in trying to keep the Creator’s commandments properly. We see how GOD chose one man who honored and trusted Him wholeheartedly: Abraham. Because of that special friendship, GOD continued it with Abraham’s son Isaac, his grandson Jacob (later named Israel), and Jacob’s twelve sons. The book demonstrates the winding road of faith, and the difficulties in staying on it. Finally, we see Jacob going down to Egypt with his extended family of 70 people. Their lives are comfortable and isolated in the fertile delta of Goshen, while their brother Joseph helps Pharoah to manage Egypt’s powerful empire.

The book of Exodus begins by telling us how this Hebrew family expanded into a nation that “filled” Egypt (Exod. 1:7). They may have adopted Egyptian customs which made them look similar to their hosts. But the Egyptians knew them as outsiders. A new king, who didn’t know (or didn’t want to recognize) the contributions of Joseph (v. 8), became worried about the potential for these outsiders to join Egypt’s enemies (v. 10), and his fears were “caught” by the Egyptians. The agreed solution was to control the descendants of Israel as slaves.

But even as slaves, the Hebrews still remembered who their forefathers were, along with some of the promises they had received. For example, we learn elsewhere that the men of Israel who left Egypt were all circumcised (Josh. 5:5). This is probably how Pharoah’s daughter knew immediately that the baby she had fished out of the Nile was “one of the Hebrews’ children” (Exod. 2:6). In addition, notice the fear expressed by the oppressive Pharoah – that in the event of war, the sons of Israel would not take over Egypt, but rather they would leave (Exod. 1:10). He must have heard about the “Promised Land” and their expectation to someday return there.

However, GOD’s plan was much bigger. The people of Israel were not going to simply escape from slavery to freedom; they were going to internalize the faith of their forefathers, deepen it, and go out from exile to redemption. They weren’t going to just reject the king of Egypt and his laws; they were going to accept the rule of the King of kings and embrace the laws of their GOD. He would bring them out of Egypt not only to take them to the land of their inheritance; He would do it in a way that demonstrates His power for the whole world to see.

When the Jewish people in their daily prayers (three times a day) remember the Exodus from Egypt, they don’t think of it as just an event in Israel’s history. The “departure” is seen as a daily process for us all. We are following the GOD of Israel away from the world’s unbelief, into deeper faith in Him, as individuals in our life cycle and as a community meeting together at the Appointed Times of the LORD.

The “departure” is a call to all believers in the Creator. The Exodus story tells of a “mixed multitude” who went out of Egypt with the Israelites (Exod. 12:38), because they had seen the LORD’s wonders. Throughout Israel’s history, believers from the nations joined with the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to serve the Living GOD. Anyone can choose to follow the GOD of Israel.

The spiritual “departure” is a lifelong process. Leaving a place of spiritual exile, and submitting to the kingship of the Creator, involves many ups and downs, triumphs and challenges. What’s more, reading the Scriptures and watching the people of Israel today shows us that physically living in the Promised Land does not automatically produce inner faith in the Creator. Faith is not obtained by boarding a plane to Israel, receiving Israeli citizenship, or even fighting to defend the Jewish state.

However, those who immigrate to Israel with faith in GOD, or with a desire to find Him, do become stronger in faith by living in the Land. For them, faith is what prompted their aliyah. Their trust in the GOD of Israel provides the courage to face difficulties and obstacles, to exchange a comfortable life in London or Paris, Toronto or New York, for a less comfortable life in the Galilee or Negev, Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. They look back on that pleasant life in the Diaspora with eyes of faith, and recognize it for what it is: “exile” – a condition that GOD considers a blot on His Name (Ezek. 36:23-24). They believe that despite the problems and threats facing Israel inside and outside, they will inherit the promises made to their forefathers concerning “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exod. 3:8, 17).

It was the same in the original Exodus. Not all those who came out of Egypt automatically grew a strong faith in the LORD. But those who came out with faith in Him grew stronger during the desert journey. Even when facing the prospect of fighting giants, they were able to say, “If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey.” (Num. 14:8) 

The reason for the difference then is the same as today. The faith one has when leaving exile depends on how one responds to the difficulties experienced while still in exile. We honor the memory of the two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, because they dared to trust the Creator and defy Pharoah’s orders to commit infanticide (Exod. 1:15-19). GOD Himself honored them by saving them from the king’s wrath, and then rewarding them with families of their own (v. 20-21).

Hard times can cause a cycle of either trust in GOD or distrust.  If we rely on our own strength and wisdom, then we will blame the Creator when these fail – and as a result, we will trust Him even less. If we face difficulties by relying on His promises, waiting patiently

didn’t run from the LORD – he ran to Him. And the Creator was pleased. Where we for Him to keep them, then we will praise Him when He acts – and we will become even stronger in our trust.

The stage of deepening our trust in the Creator can be long and tiring. It took Moses 40 years of living in the desert as a shepherd for his father-in-law Jethro. Only the Holy One knew when he would be ready to hear the Voice in the bush that burned but was not consumed. Only then could Moses be filled with the faith that would withstand the pressures to come: on one side, the fears and discouragement of the people of Israel; and on the other side, the hostility and stubbornness of Pharoah and his officers.

In our Torah portion, we see that those pressures were almost more than Moses could bear. He and Aaron delivered GOD’s message: “Let My people go so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.” (Exod. 5:1) Not only did Pharoah refuse; he took revenge by making the people’s work load impossibly heavy (v. 5-18). The people in turn lashed out at Moses and Aaron (v. 20-21). Moses cried out to GOD: “Why did You ever send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.” (v. 22-23)

At first glance this might look like a temporary loss of faith, but it was the opposite. Moses would have expected a rebuke, there was instead a promise of greater wonders to come: “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh….” (Exod. 6:1) As Pharoah’s pressure increased, the LORD’s response was overwhelming pressure, forcing that powerful king to submit to His demand: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” Moses became the instrument for applying that Divine pressure, and as the miracles increased, so did the faith of the people.

By that time, Moses was firm in his faith. He was keenly aware that the wonders he performed were not magic. They didn’t depend on the words he spoke, or on the staff he carried, although he used both. The miracles didn’t depend on him at all. When there was a week-long pause after the first plague (Exod. 7:25), he didn’t try to fill the void with his own efforts.

The faith of David was tested in the same way while he was running from Saul; he resisted the opportunity to take his rightful place on the throne through his own efforts (1 Sam. 24). This is how the Creator refines and purifies our faith for greater works.

“The LORD favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His faithfulness. Praise the LORD, Jerusalem! Praise your GOD, Zion!” (Ps. 147:11-12)

May we encourage one another to grow deeper in our faith as individuals and communities, so that we can see our GOD do wonders on our behalf.

Be blessed by the Most High from the land of Zion and Jerusalem.

From the “house of good deeds” – Sabra House,