Shemot

Exodus 1:1-6:1

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For the full text in Hebrew and English, click here: Exodus 1:1-6:1.

In this Torah portion, the new Pharaoh does not remember Joseph. Fearing their population growth, Pharaoh makes the Israelites his slaves. Pharaoh then demands that all Israelites baby boys be killed upon birth. Moses’ mother puts her son in a basket in the river, and he is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. When he is an adult, Moses kills an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating an Israelite slave. Moses flees to Midian and marries Tzipporah. God appears before Moses in a burning bush and tells him to free the Israelites from slavery. An apprehensive Moses returns to Egypt, where he and his brother Aaron demand that Pharaoh free the Israelite slaves. Pharaoh refuses, and God promises to punish him.

Click here for a summary of Sh’mot.
Click here for a summary of the Haftarah
for Sh’mot.

Click here to read the full text of Sh’mot.

Alexey_Tyranov._Moses'_mother
Moses’ mother put him in a basket in the river

Text Studies

Social Action and Environmentalism

How 2 Midwives Tricked Pharaoh
Hannah Graham, Hillel

 

A Burning Within
Sam Berrin Shonkoff, AJWS

 

Evolving Name of God
Rabbi Jordan Cohen, KOLEL

 

Our Burmese Sisters
Carol Towarnicky, AJWS

 

Pharaoh Didn’t Know Joseph
Rabbi Daniel Moskovitz, Union for Reform Judaism

 

Life of the Oppressed
Rabbi Joshua Gutoff, socialaction.com

 

 Stop Making Excuses
Rabbi Michelle Missagieh

 

The Book of Names
Udi Hammerman, Canfei Nesharim

 

 

From the Denominations

Pluralism and Outreach

These Are the Names
Rabbi Bradley Artson, American Jewish University

 

Becoming a Leader
Rabbi Shimon Felix, Bronfman Youth Fellowship

 

Symbolic Names
Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, JTS

 

The Torah’s Accessibility
Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, Big Tent Judaism

 

Bumpy Road to Redemption
Rabbi Avraham Fischer, Orthodox Union

 

Political & Religious Power
Rabbi Irwin Kula, CLAL

 

Seeing the Broader Picture
Yossi Ziffer, UJA-Federation of New York

 

Multimedia

Leadership & Trust
Erica Brown, Partnership for Jewish Life & Learning

 

Parshat Shemot Quiz
Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies

 

Believing the Exodus Story
Rabbi Carol Balin, Women of Reform Judaism

 

Parshat Shemot Challah
Julie Seltzer

 

Parshat Shemot for Families
Torah for Families

 

Women as Heroes
Torah for Families

 

When Should Patience Trump Passion?
Torah for Families

 



Return to the index of weekly Torah portions.

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