Sh'mot

Exodus 1:1−6:1

By Rabbi Daniel J. Moskovitz, provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox Congregations for MyJewishLearning.com

Pharaoh Didn’t Know Joseph And Perhaps We Forgot Him Too

The textual reference to forgetting Joseph raises questions about the extent to which oppression is linked to a minority group's involvement and commitment to the larger society.

•     The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22)
•     A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh’s house. (2:1-10)
•     Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15)
•   Moses marries the priest of Midian’s daughter, Zipporah. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22)
•     God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17)
•     Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for the Israelites. (5:1-23)

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