Va’era (And I Appeared) Sh’mot 6-9
Torah Portion: Va’era (And I Appeared)(Sh’mot) Exodus 6:2-9:35
Haftorah Reading: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
Tonight we read seven of the ten plagues that G-d brought upon the Egyptians and Pharaoh. We also read, at the beginning of the portion, the introduction of His name to Moshe and the Jewish people. I want us to spend some time on this but first I would like to look at a few other points that I think speak to us in our world today.
Va’era ( I Appeared) Exodus 6-9
Torah Portion: Va’era (I Appeared) Exodus 6:2-9:35
HafTorah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
Tonight we read about the beginning of the process of Pharaoh coming to the decision of letting G-d’s people go. We read of seven of the 10 plagues and maybe most importantly, about the revelation of G-d’s Holy Name.
Ve’era Exodus 6
Torah Portion: Ve’era Exodus 6:2-9:35
HafTorah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
Romans 9:14-33
I want us to begin by looking at the idea of Pharaoh’s free will or lack of, and the impact it had on his life. I also want us to look at Moses and how he dealt differently than Pharaoh with this introduction to Adonai.
Let us start with clarifying the purpose of the plagues. What was the purpose? Look at Exodus 7:2-5. The purpose was to introduce G-d to Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. Then in Exodus 9:14-16 another purpose was to introduce G-d to the entire world.