Rabbi Chanan Morrison
The blessings recited over most foods refer to God as the Borei, the Creator: “Creator of fruits of the ground”, “Creator of fruits of the tree”, “Creator of fruits of the vine”, “Creator of types of food”, and so on.
But the blessing for bread — Hamotzi — doesn’t fit this pattern. Before eating bread, we say, “Who brings forth bread from the earth”. Why do we not acknowledge God as the Creator of bread, as we do with other blessings?
How long is the long voyage?. How circuitous must the road to redemption be?. How much patience must this people have to endure the perilous path of exile? These were the painful question that perplexed Moshe in Egypt when he cried out to G-d:
“O Lord! Why have You harmed this people? Why have You sent me? Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed this people, and You have not saved Your people.” ( Shmot 5:22)
G-d’s answer was harsh:
“And G-d spoke ( VaYidaber Elokim) to Moshe and said to him, ‘I am Hashem [ibid 6:2]
“And I appeared” Exodus 6:2-9:35
The Torah portion begins with the word Vaeira which means “And I appeared”. It is a portion that will reveal much of G-d’s rulership , compassion and control. G-d begins by revealing more of His Private Name to Moshe. He then declares His promise to His people using the “four expressions of redemption:
Therefore, say to the children of Israel , ‘I am HaShem, and I will take you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will save you from their labor, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.. And I will take you to Me as a people, and I will be a God to you, and you will know that I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians (Exodus 6: 6-7).
Rabbi Channan Morisson ( based on the writings of HaRav Kook)
“God’s angel appeared to Moses in the heart of a fire, in the midst of a thorn-bush.” (Ex. 3:2)
Why did God choose a sneh, a thorn-bush to reveal Himself to Moses?
We read in Breishit:
“And out of the ground HaShem G-d formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof.( Genesis 2:19)”.
The understanding of our sages of this verse has been that whatever Adam called the animal that was to be its spiritual essence as well. In a similar vein, the Holy Ari teaches that the name the parents choose for their baby is actually a ‘small prophecy’.The parents think they read or heard something that moved them to name their child in a certain way. Yet in fact it was prophetic inspiration that moved the parents to give the child the exact name that is destined for that child. That name then defines the child’s potential, direction or his or her challenge.
Exodus 1:1 – 6:1
The Children of Israel though oppressed, become very numerous in the land of Egypt. Joseph is gone and is now either consciously or unconsciously forgotten by the new Pharaoh who burdens the people of Israel under slavery .Out of fear or hatred Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth but theydo not comply to the decree .Pharaoh then commands every Egyptian to cast every newborn Hebrew baby into the Nile.
One of the clearest messages we glean from our biblical history is that great changes in the world result from the seemingly insignificant actions of a few men and women. Alexander the Great and his armies overran the world and yet he and his armies are gone. The Roman empire came saw and conquered ( Veni Vidi Vici) but are now a mere wisp of a memory. Hitler Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun murdered , pillaged and ravaged millions and are today but an embarrassing and putrid wound on mankind’s collective memory.
Genesis 47:28-50:26
The Torah portion describes the final 17 years of Yaacov’s life in Egypt and begins with the words Vayechi Yaacov, which means “and Yaacov lived.” These were the final years of his life and yet the portion begins with the words “and Yaacov lived.” And at this time, Yaacov’s vision for his children was beginning to blossom and Abraham’s vision and prophecy was beginning to materialize.
