Parashat Shemot

Sefer Bereshit (Genesis) is the creation story of the world, of nature, of humanity. Sefer Shemot (Exodus) is the creation story of the Jewish people. It is the story of a people who were strangers in a strange land. They were enslaved and oppressed, ruled over by taskmasters. However, this does not make the Israelites weak or disjointed. This has the opposite effect. It unites the people so much so that the text describes the Israelites as one unit:

 ”וְכַאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ”
“but the more they were oppressed, the more they increased and spread out”

Rashi says that in whatever matter it was that the Egyptians set their hearts upon afflicting them, so was God’s heart set on multiplying them and making them grow. God was on our side, the side of the vulnerable and the oppressed. In the face of hardship, the Israelites did not shrink or grow weak but rather they grew stronger than before.

In a world that is full of darkness like Mitzrayim (Egypt), a narrow place without spaciousness for grace or compassion, it is hard to find the good, the hope. For the last 469 days, our world has been dark. Our view of the world has become more narrow. The tunnels, dark and tight. But in the face of oppression, we, the Jewish people, have become one beating heart. We have missed people we’ve never even met. We’ve attended marches, rallies, and missions to Israel. We have called on our leaders and representatives. We have cloaked ourselves in dog tags, yellow ribbons, and pieces of duct tape with the daily growing number of days since this war began. We have prayed to God to help us grow and stay strong. We have been beaten down, and we have only grown stronger. This is a creation story of the next phase of the Jewish people, a post-October 7 Jewish people. This Shabbat, as we read the beginning of the story of the enslavement of our ancestors, may we, God willing, usher in redemption for our brothers and sisters.