I write this article after Shabbat Shemot when we began reading the Book of Exodus. In this second book of the Torah, the focus shifts from the stories of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs to the narrative of the beginnings of Am Yisrael, the People of Israel.
Sefer Shemot tells the story of an enslaved ethnic group, the descendants of Jacob, enslaved by the mighty kingdom of Egypt. The central character of the opening chapters is the man, Moses. The story of his birth, adoption by Pharaoh’s daughter, exile from his country of origin, and his eventual transformation into the liberator of the Hebrews is told, and many midrashim add more details.
But more than the personal story of Moses, Sefer Shemot relays the tale of the ancient Israelites. The Book is the origin story of the Jewish People. Interestingly the first chapter does not mention Moses at all but rather sets the scene of the liberation of the Hebrew slaves: “These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The total number of persons that were of Jacob’s issue came to seventy, Joseph being already in Egypt.” (Exodus 1:1-5). Thus the Book of Exodus is linked to the Book of Genesis. Indeed the Hebrew name for this second book of the Torah literally means ‘names’. Rabbinic literature also calls the book Sefer Yetziat Mitzrayim – ‘The Book of the Exodus from Egypt’ – because it recounts how God, through Moses, frees the Hebrew salves from oppression and describes the mass exodus of these slaves from Egypt, via the Sea of Reeds, into the wilderness. The diverse tribes of Israel and the mixed multitude that accompanied them eventually amalgamate into benei Yisrael – ‘the children of Israel’ (Israelites).
But the Book of Exodus is more than the story of our ancestors’ freedom from enslavement in Egypt. Once out of Egypt, Moses leads them to Mount Sinai where they receive the Ten Utterances and laws. This unique Revelation of God to the entire nation is described in great detail. Moses’ ultimate mission is not to deliver the Israelites to freedom for its own sake, but to enable them to worship the God of Israel without fear of persecution. In order to do that they need to leave Mount Sinai and to settle in the Land of Israel, the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The last third of Sefer Shemot discusses the building of the Mishkan, the place of ritual worship that would be set up in the centre of the Israelite camp. This portable Tabernacle was the precursor to Beit Mikdash, the permanent Temple that woud be built in Jerusalem by King Solomon. Once the Mishkan was completed the kohanim had to be ordained and the sacrificial rites set down. This is described in the Book of Exodus and sets the context for the third Book of the Torah, Sefer Vayikra, the Book of Leviticus.
While Judaism has evolved since the Torah, the principles of human dignity, freedom of expression and thought, the rule of law and values that ensure a just and moral society, and the worship of the God of Life and Compassion are intrinsic to who we are as a faith community and as a people. As we travel into the secular 2026 may we be inspired by the physical and spiritual journey recounted in Sefer Shemot.
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