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EXODUS 1:01-6:01
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
"The Name Game"
In the first lines of this Parasha, the names of Jacob's sons who came
with him to Egypt are listed. But curiously, the names of his
grandchildren, which were listed in the last chapter of Genesis (46:08)
are not mentioned here. Rabbi Ovadiah Sforno of Rome, writing circa 500
C.E., says that this is because Jacob's sons were able to follow in their
father's path, but the succeeding generations would have a difficult time
resisting the corruption of Egyptian life.
While the second book of the Five books of Moses is called Exodus in Latin and hence English it is called Shemoth, Names, in Hebrew, because of the above listings.
Jacob's grandchildren's generation succumbed to the pleasures of Egypt
and were not named in the parasha. The Midrash speaks of the Tribe of
Levi as being the only tribe to remember the covenant of Abraham, to
teach the laws of the Patriarchs, as well as keep their Hebrew names and
not assimilate. The Midrash also says it was the Tribe of Judah who alone
established schools to keep our traditions alive during our time in
Egypt.
In this week's Torah portion (Ex. 3:11), as well as in this week's
Sephardic Haftarah (Jer. 1:6), we see both Moses and Jeremiah, state to
God that they are not suited for the tasks that God is asking them to do.
Each of us at times in our lives shy away from tasks which we know are
proper to do. Although they are not on the grand scale of being a great
leader or a prophet, our obligations are none the less important.
Like Levi, we have an obligation to teach our children our traditions. As
modern Jews, we may not feel we are obligated to observe (shomar) the
Torah, but we are obligated to remember (zachor) the Torah. Here is a
short test for you and your children to take and see how well we are
doing in the task to teach our traditions.
1A) Name Jesus' Mother:______
Name Jesus' Father:______
1B) Name Moses' Mother:______
Name Moses' Father:______
2A) Name the three parts of the Trinity:______,______,______
2B) Name the three Jewish Pilgrimage Festivals:______,______,______
3A) Name any 5 of Jesus' 12 disciples:______,______,______,______,______
3B) Name any 5 of our 12 tribes:______,______,______,______,______
4A) On what mount did Jesus preach?______
4B) On what mount did Moses die?______
5A) What did Jesus do on the Sea of Galilee?______
5B) What did Joshua do on the Jordan River?______
6A) Name the three wise men:______,______,______
6B) Name Abraham's three wives:______,______,______
If you and your kids scored more A answers correct than B answers,
perhaps it is time for more Jewish study. Take an active role in your
child's Jewish education and yours. Consider attending adult education
classes. Read the weekly Torah portion at home. Support your synagogue's
religious school. Perhaps it is time in your life for Jewish Spiritual Renewal. Try not to be like Moses or Jeremiah and shy away from
your obligations as a parent or as a an individual Jewish person.
The debate over patrilineal versus matrilineal descent continues. The
true answer to "who is a Jew?" is "he/she who will have Jewish
grandchildren.''
Shabbat Shalom,
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
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