Va'eira - Knowledge

3630:). The offender would thus be prevented from doing repentance and would not have the power to return from the offense, and the offender would die and be lost because of the offense. Maimonides read this to be what God said in Isaiah 6:10, "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and their eyes weak, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and their hearts will understand, do repentance and be healed." Similarly, 2 Chronicles 36:16 reports, "They ridiculed the messengers of God, disdained His words and insulted His prophets until the anger of God rose upon the people, without possibility of healing." Maimonides interpreted these verses to teach that they sinned willingly and to such an egregious extent that they deserved to have repentance withheld from them. And thus because Pharaoh sinned on his own at the beginning, harming the Jews who lived in his land, as Exodus 1:10 reports him scheming, "Let us deal craftily with them," God issued the judgment that repentance would be withheld from Pharaoh until he received his punishment, and therefore God said in Exodus 14:4, "I will harden the heart of Pharaoh." Maimonides explained that God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to send out the Jews and do repentance, when God had already told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse, because God sought to inform humanity that when God withholds repentance from a sinner, the sinner will not be able to repent. Maimonides made clear that God did not decree that Pharaoh harm the Jewish people; rather, Pharaoh sinned willifully on his own, and he thus deserved to have the privilege of repentance withheld from him. 1905:," which Philo equated with, "It is my nature to be, not to be described by name." But in order that human beings not be wholly without anything to call God, God allowed us to use the Name "Lord." God addressed this Name to mortal humans who have need of the Divine Name so that, if they cannot attain to the best thing, they may at least know the best possible Name. Philo noted that in Exodus 6:3, God speaks of the proper name of God never having been revealed to anyone. Philo suggested that God's statement in Exodus 6:3 meant that God had not revealed to them God's proper Name, but only that which could commonly be used. For Philo argued that God is so completely indescribable, that even those powers that minister to God do not announce God's proper Name to us. And thus after Jacob's wrestling match at the Jabok, Jacob asked the invisible master for a name, but Jacob's opponent did not tell him a proper name, saying that it was sufficient for Jacob to be taught ordinary explanations. But as for names that are the true symbols of things, we are taught not to seek them for the immortal. 2011:(as reported in Genesis 33:19). And still Jacob did not complain at God's ways. The Patriarchs did not ask God, as Moses did in Exodus 3:13, what God's name was. In contrast, at the commencement of God's commission of Moses, Moses inquired of God's name. And in Exodus 5:23, Moses told God, "For since I came to Pharaoh . . . he has dealt ill with this people; neither have You delivered Your people." On this account, the Midrash taught, God said in Exodus 6:4, "And I have also established my covenant with them," the Patriarchs, to give them the land, and they never complained of God's ways. And God said in Exodus 6:5, "I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel," because they did not complain against God. Although the Israelites of that generation did not conduct themselves righteously, yet God heard their cry on account of the covenant that God had made with the Patriarchs. Hence, it says in Exodus 6:6, "And I have remembered My covenant. Therefore, say to the children of Israel." The Midrash taught that the word "therefore" ( 2180:: (1) In Genesis 44:8, Joseph's brothers told Joseph, "Behold, the money that we found in our sacks' mouths we brought back to you," and they thus reasoned, "how then should we steal?" (2) In Exodus 6:12, Moses told God, "Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened to me," and reasoned that surely even more, "How then shall Pharaoh hear me?" (3) In Deuteronomy 31:27, Moses said to the Israelites, "Behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against the Lord," and reasoned that it would follow, "And how much more after my death?" (4) In Numbers 12:14, "the Lord said to Moses: ‘If her (Miriam's) father had but spit in her face,'" surely it would stand to reason, "‘Should she not hide in shame seven days?'" (5) In Jeremiah 12:5, the prophet asked, "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you," is it not logical to conclude, "Then how can you contend with horses?" (6) In 1 Samuel 23:3, David's men said to him, "Behold, we are afraid here in 3653:) mentioned in Exodus 12:38 consisted entirely of Egyptian sorcerers and magicians, who sought to oppose God's works, as Exodus 7:11 reports, “And the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.” When they beheld the signs and the wonders that Moses performed, they came to Moses to be converted. God advised Moses not to accept them, but Moses argued that now that they had seen God's power, they desired to accept the Israelites’ Faith, and if they saw God's power every day, they would learn that there is no God like God. So Moses accepted them. Exodus 12:38 called them a “mixed multitude” because they consisted of all the grades of Egyptian magicians, at their head being Jannes and Jambres. During the day, these wizards practiced their enchantments, and after sunset, they made observations of the heavens until the middle of the ninth hour, which was called the “great evening” ( 2221:(things uncircumcised) in the world: (1) uncircumcised ears (as in Jeremiah 6:10), (2) uncircumcised lips (as in Exodus 6:12), (3) uncircumcised hearts (as in Deuteronomy 10:16 and Jeremiah 9:26), (4) uncircumcised flesh (as in Genesis 17:14), and (5) uncircumcised trees (as in Leviticus 19:23). Rav Zeira taught that all the nations are uncircumcised in each of the first four ways, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart, in that their hearts do not allow them to do God's will. And Rav Zeira taught that in the future, God will take away from Israel the uncircumcision of their hearts, and they will not harden their stubborn hearts anymore before their Creator, as Ezekiel 36:26 says, "And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh," and Genesis 17:11 says, "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin." 4140:

Israelites from slavery was unprecedented and could only be explained by crediting God. Plaut suggested that there was “possibly or even likely” a historical kernel that the biblical tradition transposed into the moral religious realm. Thus Plaut noted that some claim that the bloodiness of the Nile was caused by special deposits that the river picked up from the mountains (hence the name "Red Nile” for one branch); that frogs accompanied a large-scale inundation; and that lice, gnats, and insects regularly infested the area. Plaut concluded that the plague stories teach: “Israel's redemption was the ultimate marvel, and it was caused by God. To bring it about, nature itself was harnessed, the drama of the plagues was unfolded, and the ground was laid for an experience that forever after was etched into the hearts of the people and their descendants.”

8274: 199:)) within the open portion divisions. The first and second open portion divisions divide the first reading. The third open portion covers the balance of the first and part of the second readings. The fourth open portion covers the balance of the second reading. The fifth open portion divides the fourth reading. The sixth open portion covers the balance of the fourth, all of the fifth, and part of the sixth readings. The seventh open portion separates part of the sixth reading. The eighth open portion covers the balance of the sixth and part of the seventh readings. And the ninth open portion covers the balance of the seventh reading. Closed portion divisions separate the first and second readings, separate the second and third readings, and divide the fourth, fifth, and sixth readings. 8567: 3461: 3449: 964: 3416: 3363: 3254: 2247: 2225: 2152: 1976: 1929: 1210: 893: 3184: 1972:

Solomon read in Deuteronomy 17:17 that the reason of God's decree was "that his heart turn not away." The Midrash taught that Solomon thus thought to himself that he would multiply his wives but still not allow his heart to turn away. And the Midrash taught that Ecclesiastes 2:12 refers to Moses because Moses began to argue with God in Exodus 5:22, "Lord, why have you dealt ill with this people?" Because of this, the Midrash taught that at that point the wisdom and knowledge of Moses was only (in the words of Ecclesiastes 2:12) "madness and folly." The Midrash asked what right Moses had to question God's ways and in the words of Ecclesiastes 2:12, "that which had been already done" that God had revealed to him.

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by liberating the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Alter reported that some modern scholars, arguing from the absence of Egyptian evidence on any Hebrew slave population or any mention of an exodus, have raised doubts about whether the Hebrews were ever in Egypt. Alter concluded that the story is surely a schematization and simplification of complex historical processes. Alter viewed it quite likely that a sizeable segment of the Hebrew people remained in the high country of eastern Canaan and never went down to Egypt. Yet Alter also found it hard to imagine that the Israelites would have invented a story of national origins involving the humiliation of slavery without some kernel of historical memory.

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Moses asked God how he could possibly do so, when the lamb was as Egyptian god. God replied that the Israelites would not depart from Egypt until they slaughtered the Egyptian gods before the Egyptians' eyes, so that God might teach them that their gods were really nothing at all. And thus God did so, for on the same night that God slew the Egyptian firstborn, the Israelites slaughtered their paschal lambs and ate them. When the Egyptians saw their firstborn slain and their gods slaughtered, they could do nothing, as Numbers 33:4 reports, "While the Egyptians were burying them whom the Lord had smitten among them, even all their firstborn; upon their gods also the Lord executed judgment."

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God waits, do not do so, then later, even when they do think of it, God distracts their hearts from penitence. Rabbi Phinehas interpreted the words of Job 36:13, "And they who are godless in heart," to teach that those who begin by being godless in heart end up bringing upon themselves God's anger. And Rabbi Phinehas interpreted the words of Job 36:13, "They cry not for help when He binds them," to teach that though the godless wish later to return to God and to pray to God, they are no longer able, because God binds them and bars their way. Thus, after several plagues, Pharaoh wished to pray to God, but God told Moses in Exodus 8:16: "Before he goes out , stand before Pharaoh."

3319:) delivered themselves to the Fiery Furnace to sanctify the Divine Name in Daniel 3:8–30 because they deduced from Exodus 7:28 that the frogs of the plague, which had not been commanded to sanctify the Divine Name, nonetheless jumped into hot ovens at God's behest. So Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah reasoned that people, whom Leviticus 22:32 does command to sanctify the Divine Name, should be willing to bear hot ovens for that reason. Thaddeus of Rome deduced that the ovens into which the frogs jumped were hot from the proximity of the words "ovens" and "kneading troughs" in Exodus 7:28, reasoning that kneading troughs are found near ovens when ovens are hot. 9789: 4027:—connoting heaviness, glory, wealth, and firmness—as a recurring theme in Exodus: Moses suffered from a heavy mouth in Exodus 4:10 and heavy arms in Exodus 17:12; Pharaoh had firmness of heart in Exodus 7:14; 8:11, 28; 9:7, 34; and 10:1; Pharaoh made Israel's labor heavy in Exodus 5:9; God in response sent heavy plagues in Exodus 8:20; 9:3, 18, 24; and 10:14, so that God might be glorified over Pharaoh in Exodus 14:4, 17, and 18; and the book culminates with the descent of God's fiery Glory, described as a “heavy cloud,” first upon Sinai and later upon the Tabernacle in Exodus 19:16; 24:16–17; 29:43; 33:18, 22; and 40:34–38. 8481: 9019: 2041: 808: 2019: 3359:

haughtily asked, "Who is the Lord that I should hearken to His voice?" and so, as Psalm 136:15 reports, God "overthrew Pharaoh and his host." And the Midrash taught that the words, "but he that is of a lowly spirit shall attain to honor," apply to Moses, who in Exodus 8:5 (8:9 in the KJV), humbly asked Pharaoh, "Have this glory over me; at what time shall I entreat for you . . . that the frogs be destroyed," and was rewarded in Exodus 9:29 with the opportunity to say, "As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands to the Lord the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail."

9550: 8966: 27: 3301: 3155: 3039:, as reported in Numbers 25). The Gemara explained that the real explanation was that Phinehas descended from both Joseph and Jethro. If Phinehas's mother's father descended from Joseph, then Phinehas's mother's mother descended from Jethro. And if Phinehas's mother's father descended from Jethro, then Phinehas's mother's mother descended from Joseph. The Gemara explained that Exodus 6:25 implies this dual explanation of "Putiel" when it says, "of the daughters of Putiel," because the plural "daughters" implies two lines of ancestry (from both Joseph and Jethro). 4256:, possibly as early as the second half of the 9th century BCE. Friedman agreed with Brueggemann in attributing Exodus 6:2–10 and 30 to the Priestly source who wrote in the 6th or 5th century BCE. But Friedman attributed Exodus 6:12–13 and 26–28 to a later Redactor (sometimes abbreviated R). And Friedman attributed the genealogy of Exodus 6:14–25 to the Book of Records or some other separate source document, from which Friedman postulates that the Redactor chose to use only the first section covering genealogies from Reuben to Levi, stopping at Aaron. 3222:

things for them. God sent hail to destroy the Egyptians' crops because the Egyptians had sent the Israelites into the fields to plow and sow. God brought the locusts to destroy the Egyptians' grain because the Egyptians had forced the Israelites to plant wheat and barley for them. God brought darkness because among the Israelites were transgressors who had Egyptian patrons and lived in affluence and honor in Egypt and did not want to leave Egypt, and so God brought darkness so that God could kill these transgressors without the Egyptians' seeing.

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proud, rebels, invents, cavils, overflows, devises, desires, goes astray, lusts, is refreshed, can be stolen, is humbled, is enticed, errs, trembles, is awakened, loves, hates, envies, is searched, is rent, meditates, is like a fire, is like a stone, turns in repentance, becomes hot, dies, melts, takes in words, is susceptible to fear, gives thanks, covets, becomes hard, makes merry, acts deceitfully, speaks from out of itself, loves bribes, writes words, plans, receives commandments, acts with pride, makes arrangements, and aggrandizes itself.

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105:42–44; the Psalmist calls on God to remember him to favor God's people, to think of him at God's salvation, that he might behold the prosperity of God's people in Psalm 106:4–5; God remembered God's covenant and repented according to God's mercy to deliver the Israelites in the wake of their rebellion and iniquity in Psalm 106:4–5; the Psalmist calls on God to remember God's word to God's servant to give him hope in Psalm 119:49; God remembered us in our low estate to deliver us from our adversaries in Psalm 136:23–24;

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it contained blood, while the Israelite would drink water from the same barrel. When the Egyptian asked the Israelite to give the Egyptian some water with the Israelite's own hand, it still became blood. Even if the Egyptian said to the Israelite that they should both drink from one vessel, the Israelite would drink water, but the Egyptian would drink blood. It was only when the Egyptian bought water from the Israelite for money that the Egyptian was able to drink water. And this is how the Israelites became rich.

8081: 4224: 8857: 3326: 925: 3428: 3567: 9613: 4288: 3209:) so as to prevent the Israelite women from having marital relations with their husbands. God brought frogs because the Egyptians had ordered the Israelites to bring them reptiles and creeping creatures (which were an abomination to the Israelites). God sent lice because the Egyptians had made the Israelites clean the dirty streets and marketplaces. God sent swarms of wild animals because the Egyptians had demanded that the Israelites catch 9944: 9733: 3895:, as God's name, but this knowledge had hardly been more than a “customary appellation.” In Exodus 6, however, after his first trials and failures, Moses confronted God again, and this time God revealed the Name more fully, which is to say that Moses saw God more clearly than before, in a new light. Turning to the etymology of the Name, Plaut reported that the most widely accepted explanation connects the Name with the word 3281: 3480:) and came down for the sake of a man. The hailstones remained suspended for the sake of a man—this was Moses, of whom Numbers 12:3 says, "Now the man Moses was very meek," and Exodus 9:33 says, "And the thunder and hail ceased, and the rain poured not upon the earth." The hailstones came down for the sake of a man—this was Joshua, of whom Numbers 27:18 says, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit," and 9493: 9077: 3844: 203: 2259:

Exodus 11:8 reports that Moses told Pharaoh that God said, "And all these your servants shall come down to Me." Moses did not say that Pharaoh would come down, only that Pharaoh's servants would do so. But Moses could well have said that Pharaoh himself would come down, for Exodus 12:30 reports, "Pharaoh arose at midnight." But Moses did not mention Pharaoh specifically so as to pay him respect.

9884: 3963: 4330: 3610: 9154: 10178: 4158: 889:, and they did so. The magicians did the same. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron to plead with God to remove the frogs and said he would let the Israelites go Moses asked Pharaoh when Moses should ask God, Pharaoh replied the next day, and Moses said that he would do so the next day, so that Pharaoh would know that there is none like God. The fourth reading ends here. 3634: 3087: 3043: 3289:

bedchamber, and upon bed." The Midrash taught that the frogs told the Egyptians that the coinage of their gods was abolished, and the Egyptians' own coinage—their ability to procreate—was also rendered invalid. The Midrash reasoned that as the word "destroyed" in Genesis 38:9 applied to checking procreation in the passage about

2000:, he found no plot of ground until he had purchased one; still, he did not murmur at God's ways. God said to Isaac in Genesis 26:3, "Sojourn in this land . . . for to you, and to your seed, I will give all these lands." Yet when Isaac sought water to drink, he found none; instead (as Genesis 26:20 reports), "The herdsmen of 3293:'s seed, as "he destroyed it on the ground," so the Midrash reasoned that Psalm 78:45 means to convey that the Egyptians' procreation was checked as well when it says, "frogs . . . destroyed them." And the Midrash deduced that the frogs spoke because Exodus 8:8 says, "concerning the frogs," and the words for "concerning," 2015:) in Exodus 6:6 implies an oath, as it does in 1 Samuel 3:14, where God says, "And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli." Thus, the Midrash taught that God swore to Moses that God would redeem the Israelites, so that Moses would have no reason to fear that the Attribute of Justice would retard their redemption. 4376:) plays a role in both the parashah and the haftarah: In the parashah, God turns Moses' rod into a monster; the haftarah describes Pharaoh as a monster. In both the parashah and the haftarah, God attacks the river and kills fish. In both the parashah and the haftarah, God's actions would cause the Egyptians to know ( 3535: 3000:." As Exodus 6:23 states "the daughter of Amminadab," it is obvious that she was the sister of Nahshon. So Exodus 6:23 expressly states "the sister of Nahshon" to imply that he who takes a wife should inquire about the character of her brothers, because most children resemble the brothers of their mother. 3683:, however, read Exodus 8:15, “This is the finger of God,” to indicate that the magicians assessed that the plague was a natural disaster not caused by Moses and Aaron, for if the lice had resulted from the sorcery of Moses and Aaron, then the magicians would have been able to replicate it. Ibn Ezra and 4139:

Plaut reported that most moderns take the view that the plague stories are unacceptable as fact and must be deemed legendary and unhistorical. Plaut argued that it was a mistake to consider the stories literally rather than as “essentially interpretive and legendary”—asserting that the release of the

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is how you shall make it." With the second finger, next to the little one, God smote the Egyptians with the ten plagues, as Exodus 8:15 (8:19 in the KJV) says, “The magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’” With the middle finger, God wrote the Tablets of the Law, as Exodus 31:18 says,

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Alternatively, a Midrash, reading the words "Pharaoh . . . goes out to the water" in Exodus 7:15, taught that only in the morning did Pharaoh go out to the water, because Pharaoh used to boast that he was a god and did not need to relieve himself. Therefore, Pharaoh used to go early in the morning to

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A Midrash interpreted God's instructions to Moses and Aaron in Exodus 6:13, "and to Pharaoh, King of Egypt," to convey that God told Moses and Aaron that although God really ought to punish Pharaoh, God wanted Moses and Aaron to show Pharaoh the respect due to his regal position. And Moses did so, as

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cited the four promises of salvation in Exodus 6:6–7, (1) "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians," (2) "I will deliver you from their bondage," (3) "I will redeem you with an outstretched arm," and (4) "I will take you to Me for a people," as one reason why Jews drink four cups

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Reading the words, "And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob," in Exodus 6:3, a Midrash taught that God thus told Moses that God longed for those who were gone and could not be replaced—the three Patriarchs. The Midrash said that God told Moses that many times, God had revealed God's Self to

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and Moses. The Midrash taught that Ecclesiastes 2:12 refers to Solomon, for God gave some commandments for kings, as it says in Deuteronomy 17:16–17: "Only he shall not multiply horses to himself . . . Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither silver and gold."

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Psalms 78:44–51 and 105:23–38 each recount differing arrangements of seven plagues. Psalm 78:44–51 recalls plagues of (1) blood, (2) flies, (3) frogs, (4) locusts, (5) hail, (6) livestock, and (7) firstborn, but not plagues of lice, boils, or darkness. Psalm 105:23–38 recalls plagues of (1) darkness,

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Rashi noted that Exodus 6:3 does not say, "but My Name YHVH I did not inform them," but, "I did not become known." According to Rashi, the name YHVH indicates God's attribute of faithfulness, but as the Divine promises to the patriarchs were not fulfilled in their lifetimes, the meaning of name YHVH

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told that Moses quoted God's words in Exodus 7:4 back to God after the sin of the Golden Calf. The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer told that after the incident of the Golden Calf, God told Moses that the Israelites had forgotten God's might and had made an idol. Moses replied to God that while the Israelites

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Rabbi Phinehas, the priest, son of Rabbi Hama, interpreted God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart (for example in Exodus 7:3) in light of Job 36:13, "But they who are godless in heart lay up anger; they cry not for help when He binds them." Rabbi Phinehas taught that if the godless, for whose repentance

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A Midrash interpreted the words of Exodus 6:13, "And He gave them a charge concerning the children of Israel," to convey that God warned Moses and Aaron that the Israelites were obstinate, bad-tempered, and troublesome, and that in assuming leadership over the Israelites, Moses and Aaron must expect

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and wild animals against the Egyptians, but not Goshen, where the Israelites dwelt. Pharaoh told Moses and Aaron to go sacrifice to God within Egypt, but Moses insisted on going three days into the wilderness. Pharaoh agreed, in exchange for Moses' prayer to lift the plague. But when God removed the

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In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to tell Aaron to stretch his rod over the waters of Egypt and turn them into blood. Moses and Aaron did so, killing the marine life and rendering the water unusable. But when the Egyptian magicians did the same, Pharaoh's heart stiffened. Seven days

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In the balance of the parashah, Friedman attributed Exodus 7:14–18, 20b–21, and 23–29; 8:3b–11a and 16–28; and 9:1–7 and 13–34; to the Elohist; Exodus 7:1–13, 19–20a, and 22; 8:1–3a and 12–15; and 9:8–12 to the Priestly source; and Exodus 8:11b and 9:35 to the Redactor. For a color-coded display of

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Alter noted that the idea in Exodus 6:7, “that I am the Lord your God Who takes you out from under the burdens of Egypt,” is emphasized repeatedly in the Torah and later books of the Bible. Alter called “the cornerstone of Israelite faith” that God had proven God's divinity and attachment to Israel

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read God to say in Exodus 6:3 that God appeared to the Patriarchs in God's form of El Shaddai, in which God performs hidden miracles that appear to the observer as part of the natural order. But God did not appear to them in God's form of YHVH, with which God performs open miracles that subvert the

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Interpreting Exodus 9:34, "And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders had ceased, he sinned yet more," a Midrash taught that so it always is with the wicked: As long as they are in trouble, they humble themselves. But as soon as trouble passes, they return to their perversity.

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In Exodus 9:12, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. A Midrash catalogued the wide range of additional capabilities of the heart reported in the Hebrew Bible. The heart speaks, sees, hears, walks, falls, stands, rejoices, cries, is comforted, is troubled, grows faint, grieves, fears, can be broken, becomes

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Rabbi Abin the Levite, the son of Rabbi Judah the Prince, taught that the Israelites became wealthy from the plague of blood. If an Egyptian and an Israelite were in a house where there was a barrel full of water, and the Egyptian went to fill a pitcher from the barrel, the Egyptian would find that

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A Midrash cited Exodus 7:20 as one proof for the proposition that God does all things together: God puts to death and brings to life at the same time; God wounds and heals at the same time. And thus the Midrash noted, in Exodus 7:20, "all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood," and

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Reading the words of Exodus 6:13, "And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and gave them a command concerning the children of Israel," Rabbi Samuel bar Rabbi Isaac asked about what matter God commanded the Israelites. Rabbi Samuel bar Rabbi Isaac taught that God gave them the commandment about the

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Reading God's statement in Exodus 7:3, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart," Ibn Ezra asked: If God hardened Pharaoh's heart, what was his transgression and what was his sin? Ibn Ezra answered that God granted people wisdom and implanted in their hearts the intelligence to receive power from on high to

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A Midrash taught that when God perceived that Pharaoh did not relent after the first five plagues, God decided that even if Pharaoh now wished to repent, God would harden Pharaoh's heart to exact the whole punishment from him. Thus Exodus 9:12 reports that "the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh."

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so as to separate the Israelite men from their wives. God brought the pestilence upon the Egyptians' cattle because they had forced the Israelites to serve as shepherds so as to keep the Israelite men away from their wives. God sent boils because the Egyptians had demanded that the Israelites warm

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taught that a great miracle happened to that rod, for although it swallowed up all the rods that had been cast down, sufficient to make ten heaps, still the rod did not all become any thicker, and all who saw it recognized it as Aaron's rod. On this account, Aaron's rod became a symbol for all the

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imprisonment, and the Baraita deduced that the two events must therefore have occurred at the same time of year. The Baraita further deduced from the words, "Blow the horn on the new moon, on the covering day for our festival . . . He appointed it for Joseph for a testimony when he went forth," in

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Nachmanides, however, disagreed with Ibn Ezra's reading, arguing that a matter of chance is not called “the finger of God,” only a punishment from God is called that, as in 1 Samuel 12:15, “the hand of the Lord.” Further, Nachmanides noted that in the next plagues, Pharaoh no longer called on the

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Rabbi Nechunia, son of Hakkanah, taught that God killed Pharaoh, and then because of Pharaoh's repentance, delivered him from among the dead. Rabbi Nechunia deduced that Pharaoh had died from Exodus 9:15, in which God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, "For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten you."

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A Midrash interpreted the words of Exodus 8:22 (8:26 in the KJV), "Lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?" to teach that the Egyptians saw the lamb as a god. Thus, when God told Moses to slay the paschal lamb (as reflected in Exodus 12:21),

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felt that the allocation of the Land of Israel "according to the names of the tribes of their fathers" in Numbers 26:55 meant that the allocation was with reference to those who left Egypt; perhaps, the Gemara supposed, it might have meant the 12 tribes and that the Land was to be divided into 12

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In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to stretch out his hand, and God sent thunder and hail, which struck down all exposed in Egypt, but did not strike Goshen. Pharaoh confessed his wrong, agreed to let the Israelites go, and asked Moses and Aaron to pray to end the hail. Moses told

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The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that for every plague that God brought upon the Egyptians, the magicians also produced the plague, until God brought upon them the boils, and then the magicians were not able to stand to do likewise, as Exodus 9:11 says, "And the magicians could not stand before

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reasoned that as the phrase "the finger of God" in Exodus 8:15 (8:19 in the KJV) referred to 10 plagues, "the great hand" (translated "the great work") in Exodus 14:31 (in connection with the miracle of the Reed Sea) must refer to 50 plagues upon the Egyptians, and thus to a variety of cruel and

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A Midrash interpreted the words of Proverbs 29:23, "A man's pride shall bring him low; but he that is of a lowly spirit shall attain to honor," to apply to Pharaoh and Moses, respectively. The Midrash taught that the words, "A man's pride shall bring him low," apply to Pharaoh, who in Exodus 5:2

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strove with Isaac's herdsmen, saying: ‘The water is ours.'" Still Isaac did not murmur at God's ways. God said to Jacob in Genesis 28:13, "The land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed." Yet when he sought a place to pitch his tent, he found none until he purchased one for a

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called on God to remember how short Ethan's life was in Psalm 89:48; God remembers that humans are but dust in Psalm 103:14; God remembers God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Psalm 105:8–10; God remembers God's word to Abraham to deliver the Israelites to the Land of Israel in Psalm

980:

such as Egypt had never seen, and to instruct the Egyptians to bring their cattle in from the field so that they would not die. Those who feared God's word brought their slaves and livestock indoors, and those who did not fear God's word left them in the field. The eighth open portion ends here.

3195:

A Midrash noted that Exodus 7:13 reports that "Pharaoh's heart was hardened" without God's action, and that this was so for the first five plagues. As the first five plagues did not move Pharaoh to release the Israelites, God decreed that from then on, even if Pharaoh had agreed to release the

2139:

comes that only a small portion of Jews will find redemption, for Hosea 2:17 says, "And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the days when she came up out of the land of Egypt," implying that circumstances upon the coming of the Messiah will be similar to those upon the

1945:

noted that God had already informed Moses that Pharaoh would not allow the Israelites to go, as in Exodus 3:19, God told Moses, "I know that the King of Egypt will not allow you to go," and in Exodus 4:19, God told Moses, "I will harden his heart." But Moses did not keep this in mind, but came

2208:

the castle,'" and it thus stands to reason, "‘What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces?'" (10) In Ezekiel 15:5, God came to the prophet saying, "Behold, when it was whole, it was usable for no work," and thus surely it is logical to argue, "How much less, when the fire has

1010:‎) reading that concludes the parashah, Moses spread forth his hands to God, and the thunders and hail ceased, but when Pharaoh saw, he hardened his heart and did not let the Israelites go. The seventh reading, the ninth open portion, and the parashah end here with the end of chapter 9. 3996:

Sarna noted that Aaron, not Moses, turned his rod into a snake in Exodus 7:10. Sarna explained that Moses thus tacitly asserted his equal status with Pharaoh. Moses came to negotiate with Pharaoh as the representative of the people of Israel. Just as Pharaoh had his magicians, Moses had his

3288:

A Midrash taught that the frogs were the most grievous of the ten plagues. The Midrash taught that the frogs destroyed the Egyptians' bodies, as Psalm 78:45 says "frogs . . . destroyed them," and the frogs emasculated the Egyptians, as Exodus 7:28 says that the frogs would "come into . . .

4239:

reported that older source analysis saw Exodus 6:2–30 as an insertion by the Priestly source, addressed to a community in exile (or just out of exile), appealing to very old tradition to create a sense of structured, stable reality to give coherence, order, and legitimacy to communal life.

3992:

argued that the plagues concentrated within a period of about 12 months, based on the report of Exodus 7:7 that Moses was 80 years old when he first spoke with pharaoh and the report of Deuteronomy 34:7 that Moses was 120 years old when he died, after spending 40 years in the wilderness.

1946:

instead to doubt the wisdom of God's decree, and began to argue with God, saying in Exodus 5:22: "Lord, why have You dealt ill with this people?" For this reason, the Attribute of Justice sought to attack Moses, as Exodus 6:2 says: "And God spoke to Moses" (employing the name of God (

3174:

observed that it was a double miracle (as Aaron's serpent first became a rod again, and as a rod it swallowed up their serpents). When Pharaoh saw this, he was amazed and expressed his fear of what would happen if Moses now told the rod to swallow up Pharaoh and his throne. Rabbi

3506:

noted that while in Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh asked who God was, once God had smitten him, in Exodus 9:27 Pharaoh acknowledged that God was righteous. Citing this juxtaposition, the Pharisees complained against heretics who placed the name of earthly rulers above the name of God.

3390:

Reading “the finger of God” in Exodus 8:15 (8:19 in the KJV), Rabbi Ishmael said that each of the five fingers of God's right hand appertain to the mystery of Redemption. Rabbi Ishmael said that God showed the little finger of the hand to Noah, pointing out how to make the

3203:) used to say that Providence repays a person measure for measure. Thus, a Midrash taught that God sent the plagues against Pharaoh measure for measure. God changed the Egyptians' water into blood because the Egyptians prevented the Israelites from using the ritual bath ( 1954:) indicative of God's Justice). But when God reflected that Moses only asked this because of Israel's suffering, God retracted and dealt with Moses according to the Attribute of Mercy, as Exodus 6:2 says: "And He said to him: ‘I am the Lord'" (employing the name of God ( 3545:

taught that the phrase "I am the Lord" in Exodus 6:2 meant that God is faithful to recompense all those who followed God - faithful to punish when the phrase appears together with a punishment, and faithful to reward when the phrase appears together with a commandment.

2148:

equal portions? The Gemara noted that in Exodus 6:8, God told Moses to tell the Israelites who were about to leave Egypt, "And I will give it you for a heritage; I am the Lord," and that meant that the Land was the inheritance from the fathers of those who left Egypt.

2037:) to give them the land of Canaan," in Exodus 6:4. Rabbi Simai noted that Exodus 6:4 does not say "to give you" but "to give them," implying that God would give the land to the Patriarchs personally, and thus that God would resurrect them so as to fulfill the promise. 3997:

assistant, Aaron. Sarna noted that in the narratives of the Ten Plagues, Aaron acted only as long as the Egyptian magicians appeared present. After their ingenuity failed them and they faded from the story, Moses acted personally to bring about the remaining plagues.

10009: 3400:“And He gave to Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him . . . tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” With the index finger, God showed Moses what the children of Israel should give for the redemption of their souls, as Exodus 30:13 says, “ 2232:

Reading Exodus 6:13, 7:8, and 9:8, a Midrash taught that in 18 verses, Scripture places Moses and Aaron (the instruments of Israel's deliverance) on an equal footing (reporting that God spoke to both of them alike), and thus there are 18 benedictions in the

3986:) means "interpreter of God." Spinoza read God's words to Moses in Exodus 7:1, "See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet," to imply that in interpreting the words of Moses to Pharaoh, Aaron would act as a prophet. 4153:

Sarna suggested that the biblical narrator might have construed the affliction of the Nile's waters and the plague of frogs as a kind of retribution for the pharaoh's decrees ordering the killing of male Israelites at birth and their drowning in the Nile.

4318:

Next, the Haggadah recounts the reasoning of Rabbi Jose the Galilean that as the phrase "the finger of God" in Exodus 8:15 referred to 10 plagues, "the great hand" (translated "the great work") in Exodus 14:31 must refer to 50 plagues upon the Egyptians.

4214:

Reading Exodus 9:20, "Whoever feared the Lord’s word," Alter wrote that whereas elsewhere, this idiom indicates piety (as in "God-fearing"), here it has been stripped down to its literal meaning of whoever was struck with terror by God's grim threat.

1996:‎, the Tetragrammaton). But still they did not criticize God's ways. To Abraham, God said in Genesis 13:17, "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for to you will I give it," yet when Abraham wanted to bury 959:

In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to rise early and tell Pharaoh that God said, "Let My people go," or this time God would send all God's plagues upon Pharaoh and his people to demonstrate God's power. The sixth reading ends here,

916:

In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to rise early and stand before Pharaoh as he came to the water and tell him that God said, "Let My people go," or else God would send swarms of insects and wild animals on Egypt, but not on

4149:

Collins argued that the plague stories show that Exodus is not only the story of the liberation of Israel, but also of the defeat and humiliation of the Egyptians, and thus involved “less than edifying” nationalistic, ethnic vengeance.

3887:, with Moses to establish the legitimacy of the priestly hierarchy. Acknowledging that this explanation does not address the text as it is now, Plaut presented the alternative explanation (which Plaut attributed to the Israeli scholar 3241:

4:14 that "the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and . . . sets up over it the lowest of men." And Abitol the barber, citing Rav, deduced from the words "Pharaoh . . . goes out to the water" in Exodus 7:15 that this Pharaoh was a

1402:

As Exodus 7:7 notes that Moses was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh, it would be 40 years later when Moses delivered his speech to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 31:2 and when he died, as reported in Deuteronomy 34:7, at age 120.

3342:

Rabbi Eleazar taught that when Exodus 8:2 (8:6 in the KJV) reports that "the frog came up, and covered the land of Egypt," it was initially just one frog, which bred prolifically and filled the land. The Tannaim disputed the matter.

3050:

Rabbi Simeon noted that in nearly every instance, the Torah mentioned Moses before Aaron, but Exodus 6:26 mentioned Aaron before Moses, teaching that the two were deemed equivalent. The Gemara taught that the use of the pronoun "he

3617:

Reading God's statement in Exodus 7:3 that "I will harden Pharaoh's heart," the report of Exodus 9:12 that "the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh," and similar statements in Exodus 4:21; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; and 14:4, 8, and 17,

3374:

said that a spirit cannot even produce something the size of a camel, but a spirit can collect the elements of a larger object and thus produce the illusion of creating it, but a spirit cannot do even that with a smaller object.

3106:

The Tosefta cited Exodus 7:1, where the lesser Aaron spoke for the greater Moses, for the proposition that in synagogue reading, a minor may translate for an adult, but it is not honorable for an adult to translate for a minor.

3031:'s wife, as reported in Genesis 39). But the Gemara asked, did not the tribes sneer at Phinehas and question how a youth (Phinehas) whose mother's father crammed calves for idol-worship could kill the head of a tribe in Israel ( 839:, so that the Egyptians would know that the Lord was God. Moses and Aaron did as God commanded. Moses was 80 years old, and Aaron 83 years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh. The third reading and the fourth open portion end here. 3661:, which means both “great multitude” and “great evening”). The lesser magicians then made observation after that until midnight. The Egyptians, who had great faith in the chief wizards, thus called them the “great evening” ( 9698:, volume 33 (number 4) (June 2009): pages 489–510. (Motifs from Exodus found in Ezekiel, including the call narrative, divine encounters, captivity, signs, plagues, judgment, redemption, tabernacle/temple, are considered.). 3386:

Rabbi Phinehas ben Hama reasoned that as the phrase "the finger of God" in Exodus 8:15 (8:19 in the KJV) referred to 10 plagues, "the hand of God" in Job 19:21 (in connection with Job's poverty) must refer to 50 plagues.

7874:

Jeremiah 7:23 (I will be your God and you will be my people); 11:4 (you will be my people, and I will be your God); 30:22 (you will be my people, and I will be your God); 31:33 (I will be their God, and they will be my

1314:

14:21; Jeremiah called on God to remember him and think of him, and avenge him of his persecutors in Jeremiah 15:15; God promises to remember God's covenant with the Israelites and establish an everlasting covenant in

1966:

2:12: "And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness and folly; for what can the man do who comes after the King? even that which has been already done." The Midrash taught that Ecclesiastes 2:12 refers to both

985:

Pharaoh that he would do so, and the hail would end so that Pharaoh would know that the earth is God's, but Moses knew that Pharaoh and his servants would not yet fear God. The hail had destroyed the flax and the

3927:

was a kind of “primitive sound,” an exclamation denoting awe, recognition, and affirmation: “Oh is the one!” or “Yah is the one!” or “Yah is!” or “Yah exists!” Finally, Plaut related yet another approach, seeing

3135:

people have corrupted themselves." Moses told God that the Israelites were indeed God's people, and God's inheritance, as Deuteronomy 9:29 reports Moses saying, "Yet they are Your people and Your inheritance."

912:

throughout the land, and they did so. The magicians tried to do the same, but they could not. The magicians told Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God!" But Pharaoh's heart stiffened. A closed portion ends here.

3150:

bar Abba that the words "with their enchantments" in Exodus 7:11 refer to sorcery without exogenous assistance, while the words "with their sorcery" in Exodus 7:22 refer to magic through the agency of demons.

3558:

taught that the word "only" was omitted from the statement "I did not make Myself known to them by My name YHVH" in Exodus 6:3, so that one should read Exodus 6:3 to say, "I did not make Myself known to them

4367:

Both the parashah and the haftarah describe God's instructions to a prophet to confront the Pharaoh of Egypt and bring on Israel's redemption. Both the parashah and the haftarah address God's judgments

4177:

Alter noted that the narrative preceding Exodus 8:15 repeatedly spoke of God's “hand” or “arm,” but Pharaoh's magicians appear to concede a lesser trace of divine action in mentioning God's “finger.”

3404:

they shall give . . . half a shekel for an offering to the Lord.” With the thumb and all the hand, God will in the future smite God's enemies (who Rabbi Ishmael identified as the children of Esau and

3863:, in Genesis, implying that the forefathers knew the Name. Plaut reports that Biblical scholars have attempted to solve this contradiction in various ways, many positing that Exodus 6 belongs to the 7903:

The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Volume 2: Expansions of the "Old Testament" and Legends, Wisdom and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms, and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic works

4174:(Shadal) wrote that although Pharaoh must have in his heart realized that the magicians were correct (and Moses was correct), Pharaoh carried on “business as usual,” as is the habit of atheists. 3622:

concluded that it is possible for a person to commit such a great sin, or so many sins, that God decrees that the punishment for these willing and knowing acts is the removal of the privilege of

2119:

A Baraita taught that Rabbi Simai deduced from the similarity of the phrases "And I will take you to me for a people" and "And I will bring you in to the land" in Exodus 6:7 that the Israelites'

1254:

to deliver her from childlessness in Genesis 30:22; Moses called on God to remember God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to deliver the Israelites from God's wrath after the incident of

1901:

read the words of Exodus 6:3, "I did not make Myself known to them by My name," to teach that no proper name can properly be assigned to God. Philo noted that God told Moses in Exodus 3:14, "

3370:

Rabbi Eleazar deduced from the magicians' recognition of "the finger of God" in Exodus 8:15 (8:19 in the KJV) that a demonic spirit cannot produce a creature less than a barleycorn in size.

1394:

and Bruce Wells noted that the Hebrew Bible also uses similar language for adoption, for example in 2 Samuel 7:14 (“I will be to him”), and thus one can say that God adopted the Israelites.

3677:

Rashi read the words of Pharaoh's magicians in Exodus 8:15, “This is the finger of God,” to indicate that they perceived that this plague was not the result of sorcery but the Omnipresent.

3711:

Saadia Gaon read the words, “He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh,” in Exodus 9:20 to indicate that those servants of Pharaoh feared God's strength and power.

3499:

taught that one can surely draw the inference that if those who fear God on a particular occasion are saved from punishment, how much more will those who fear God all their life be saved.

866:

In the continuation of the reading, God began visiting ten plagues on Egypt. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh at his morning bath, demand of him to let the Israelites go to worship in the

4409:

The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars: A Parallel Jewish and Civil Calendar from 1899 to 2050 with Parashiyyot and Haftarot and Candle-Lighting Times for Selected Cities

3773:, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments; 2188:?" (7) Also in Jeremiah 12:5, the prophet asked, "And if in a land of Peace where you are secure" you are overcome, is it not logical to ask, "How will you do in the thickets of the 2159:

A Midrash interpreted the words of Exodus 6:9, "they hearkened not to Moses for shortness of spirit," to indicated that it was difficult for the Israelites to abandon idol worship.

4100:) appear to share a common linguistic root. Plaut concluded that Israelites in Egypt likely occupied positions similar to, or because of familial ties were identified with, the 3445:

And the Midrash explained that the reference in Exodus 9:12, "as the Lord had spoken to Moses," referred to God's prediction in Exodus 7:3 that "I will harden Pharaoh's heart."

2064:. The Baraita noted that Exodus 6:6 uses the word "burden" to describe the end of the Israelites' bondage in Egypt, and Psalm 81:7 uses the word "burden" to describe the end of 828:

In the third reading, God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh all that God would tell Moses, but Moses protested that he had a speech impediment. The third open portion ends here.

4326:

section quotes Exodus 9:3 to elucidate the term "a mighty hand" in Deuteronomy 26:8, interpreting the "mighty hand" to mean the plague of pestilence on the Egyptian livestock.

3691:) similarly read the magicians’ remark to indicate that the magicians thought that a natural disaster had caused the plague, because the magicians said, “This is the finger of 3322:

The Tosefta deduced from Exodus 1:8 that Pharaoh began to sin first before the people, and thus as indicated by Exodus 7:29 and 8:4, God struck him first and then the people.

4189:

the livestock of Egypt died,” but noting that Exodus 9:10 reports that boils subsequently struck the animals, Plaut concluded that Exodus 9:6 must be taken as hyperbole.

7931: 4146:

reported that some scholars have suggested that the plague stories contain a reminiscence of a mid-fourteenth century BCE epidemic referred to as “the Asiatic illness.”

3196:

Israelites, God would not accept it. Thus, starting with the sixth plague and thereafter (as Exodus 10:27 reports), the text says, "the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart."

8623: 8615: 8619: 3955:

Sarna and Tigay noted that Exodus 6:7, “I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God,” prefigures the covenant that God would establish at Sinai.

3250:

the water (when no one else was there to witness that he relieved himself like other humans). God, therefore, told Moses to catch him just at this critical moment.

7979: 1335:

called on God to remember God's congregation to deliver them from their enemies in Psalm 74:2; God remembered that the Israelites were only human in Psalm 78:39;

952:

In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to take handfuls of soot from the kiln and throw it toward the sky, so that it would become fine dust, causing

7927: 7996:, pages 29, 55, 69, 95, 100, 103, 116, 139, 215, 237, 242, 261, 322, 332, 342–43, 352, 359, 401, 407–08. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993. 7920: 9893: 7961: 7955: 3859:, who guarantees the covenant made with the ancestors, although they did not know God by this Name, but this contradicts the frequent occurrence of the name 3586:, but Moses filled it in when writing down the Torah. However, he disagrees with this, asking how Moses could dare to write a name that God had not uttered. 2116:, . . . even the poorest man in Israel must not eat until he reclines; and they (the overseers of charity) should give him not less than four cups of wine." 8910: 7259: 3419:

Pharaoh told Moses to have the people offer their sacrifices in Egypt. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

3059:) that Aaron and Moses" in Exodus 6:26|HE,}} signifies that they were the same in their righteousness from the beginning to the end. Similar uses appear in 6835:

For more on medieval Jewish interpretation, see, e.g., Barry D. Walfish. "Medieval Jewish Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors,

5349:

For more on early nonrabbinic interpretation, see, e.g., Esther Eshel, "Early Nonrabbinic Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors,

4048:, people who had lost their status in the community from which they came, and who were not necessarily related except by common fate. Plaut wrote that the 3023:) calves for idol worship. The Gemara then provided an alternative explanation: Exodus 6:25 could mean that Phinehas descended from Joseph, who conquered ( 7943: 9263:. "Three Ways to Look at the Ten Plagues: Were They Natural Disasters, A Demonstration of the Impotence of the Egyptian Gods or an Undoing of Creation?" 7973: 7937: 8169: 7967: 5571: 4261: 3778:

D: And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under

9311:“Three Ways to Look at the Ten Plagues:Were they natural disasters, a demonstration of the impotence of the Egyptian gods or an undoing of Creation? 8914: 8289:. Translated by W. David Nelson, pages 5–7, 9–11, 50–51, 54, 56, 78–79, 89, 93, 114, 117, 150, 209. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2006. 8061: 8050: 5238: 2196:

11:31 reasoned, "Behold, the righteous shall be requited in the earth," and does it not follow, "How much more the wicked and the sinner?" (9) In

10471: 10087: 9908: 9310: 7229: 2988:

Rava taught that he who wishes to take a wife should first inquire about the character of her brothers. For Exodus 6:23 reports, "And Aaron took

2123:

from Egypt occurred under circumstances like their entry into the Land of Israel. Rabbi Simai thus deduced that just as only two out of 600,000 (

7949: 1198:

reported that in Egyptian literature, a plague is called "the hand of God," while among Babylonians, the expression was the name of a sickness.

9444: 8210:, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, volumes 18, 24, 26–27, 30, 36, 44, 49. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2011–2019. And in, e.g., 8702: 8259:

and Maurice Simon, volume 1, pages 14, 37–38, 144, 153, 296, 389, 392; volume 2, pages 754, 816, 853, 898, 929. London: Soncino Press, 1939.

3495:

Reading Exodus 9:20, “Those among Pharaoh’s courtiers who feared the Lord’s word brought their slaves and livestock indoors to safety,” the

242:

to let the Israelites go, but Moses complained that Pharaoh would not heed him, a man of impeded speech. The second open portion ends here.

8542:. Translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 2, pages 129–82. New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 1996. 1242:

8:1; God promised to remember God's covenant not to destroy the Earth again by flood in Genesis 9:15–16; God remembered Abraham to deliver

4136:

1:9, but otherwise Israelites referred to themselves by their tribes (for example, Judah or Ephraim) or by their common ancestor, Israel.

3237:, said that the Pharaoh whom Moses addressed was a puny fellow, a cubit tall, with a beard as long as he was tall, embodying the words in 2131:) entered the Promised Land, so only two out of every 600,000 Israelites in Egypt participated in the Exodus, and the rest died in Egypt. 6875:, translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver (New York: Menorah Publishing Company, 1996), volume 2, page 129. 3907:, “he who indeed will (show himself to) be,” or “he who proves himself.” Plaut reported a different theory holds that the name was read 905:

In the fifth reading, the frogs departed, but Pharaoh became stubborn and did not let the Israelites leave. A closed portion ends here.

11114: 11057: 9694: 4199:) read the words, “He that feared,” in Exodus 9:20 to indicate that the Egyptians were fearful because of the sins they had committed. 4116:

was used only when the Israelites spoke of themselves to outsiders and when outsiders referred to them. Thus Genesis 14:13 calls Abram

3552:

read God's statement "and I appeared" in Exodus 6:3 to indicate that the Patriarchs received their prophesies in visions of the night.

1979:

The Egyptians made the Israelites work as slaves. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

836: 125:

It is composed of 6,701 Hebrew letters, 1,748 Hebrew words, 121 verses, and 222 lines in a Torah Scroll, and is considered part of the

11052: 7371: 3464:

The hail killed all the people out in the open. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

2228:

The Lord told Moses to go before Pharaoh again. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

3832:, was the high god of the Canaanite pantheon (although the Hebrew word is also a common noun meaning “god”), and some scholars link 2033:

Rabbi Simai found evidence for the resurrection of the dead in the words, "And I also have established my covenant with them (the

11109: 8737:. Translated by Eliyahu Touger; edited and annotated by Avie Gold, volume 2, pages 569–607. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2000. 4205:

reported an interpretation that Exodus 9:20 indicated a test by Moses of how far the fear of God had spread among the Egyptians.

8580: 8273: 7528:. Translated by Eliyahu Touger; edited and annotated by Avie Gold, volume 2, pages 601–02. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2000. 3824:, in Exodus 6:3, also used five times in the Patriarchal Tales, is an archaic, evidently Canaanite combination of divine names. 3063:

1:27 to teach Abraham's enduring righteousness, in 1 Samuel 17:14 to teach David's enduring humility, in Genesis 36:43 to teach

10995: 10965: 4425: 2155:

Moses told the people what God had said. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

8566: 896:

Aaron Struck the Ground with His Staff (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

1882:(2) blood, (3) frogs, (4) flies and lice, (5) hail, (6) locusts, and (7) firstborn, but not plagues of livestock or boils. 9554: 8198:: Pesachim 42b; Rosh Hashanah 20b; Megillah 13b; Chagigah 4a, 11a; Yevamot 63a; Sotah 10a, 28b; Sanhedrin 26b; Makkot 9a. 2250:

Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh. (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

10985: 10960: 10464: 10080: 8555: 7859:

Genesis 17:1 (El Shaddai); 28:3 (El Shaddai); 35:11 (El Shaddai); 43:14 (El Shaddai); 48:3 (El Shaddai); 49:25 (Shaddai).

6972: 4244:, however, saw four sources in Exodus 6 alone. Friedman saw the opening verse of Exodus 6:1 to have been composed by the 4080:

or seminomads, they later settled, but were usually considered foreigners and maintaining their group identity. The term

1386:) in Leviticus 21:3; Numbers 30:7; Deuteronomy 24:4; Judges 14:20; 15:2; 2 Samuel 12:10; Jeremiah 3:1; Ezekiel 16:8; and 949:

with a pestilence, sparing the Israelites' livestock. But Pharaoh remained stubborn. The seventh open portion ends here.

2969:

A Midrash taught that Korah took issue with Moses in Numbers 16:1 because Moses had (as Numbers 3:30 reports) appointed

8639: 8635: 8631: 8627: 8269:. Translated by Jacob Z. Lauterbach, volume 1, page 166. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1933, reissued 2004. 8248: 8244: 8240: 8236: 8232: 8027: 7018: 5551: 8228: 8224: 3703:

magicians to do the same thing, indicating that the magicians had already conceded that the plagues were God's doing.

3257:

All the water turned into blood! (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

3143:

and the sorcerers,” to teach that Scripture calls nonbelievers “wise men” when they do something that requires skill.

231:. God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites that God would free them, make them God's people, and bring them to the 8476:. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 2, pages 53–90. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1994. 8420:. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 volumes. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006. 4104:. When non-Israelites repeatedly applied the term to the Israelites, the Israelites themselves began to use the name 942:

insects and wild animals, Pharaoh became stubborn again. The sixth open portion ends here with the end of chapter 8.

4211:

read Exodus 9:20 to indicate that some of Pharaoh's servants had become frightened of God's warning through Moses.

3460: 3448: 3183: 963: 9183:. Translated by E.S. Mazer, volume 2, pages 74–111. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995. Originally published as 6859:, translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg (Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1994), volume 2, page 54. 3415: 3362: 3253: 3131:

people." But Moses noted that once the Israelites had sinned, God told Moses (in Exodus 32:7), "Go, get down, for

2246: 2224: 2151: 1975: 1928: 1209: 892: 235:. But the Israelites would not listen because of their distress and hard labor. The first open portion ends here. 7059:, translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 2, page 132; Hezekiah ben Manoah, 3316: 1262:

9:27; God promises to "remember" God's covenant with Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham to deliver the Israelites and the

956:

on man and beast throughout Egypt, and he did so. But God stiffened Pharaoh's heart. A closed portion ends here.

9999: 8444:. Translated by Samuel Rosenblatt, pages 29, 116–17, 152, 154, 199, 411. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1948. 2072:

Rabbi Nehemiah cited the use of the words "will bring you out" in Exodus 6:6 to demonstrate that using the word

10643: 10457: 10073: 9636: 9170: 7224: 2084:

brought forth" bread from the land. Rabbi Nehemiah thus read Exodus 6:6–7 to mean: "I am the Lord, the One Who

1270:

26:42–45; the Israelites were to blow upon their trumpets to be remembered and delivered from their enemies in

8285:

2:1–2, 5; 3:1; 15:4–5; 16:1, 4; 19:4; 21:4; 22:6; 26:3, 6; 35:1; 47:2. Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g.,

5278:

For more on inner-Biblical interpretation, see, e.g., Benjamin D. Sommer, "Inner-biblical Interpretation," in

3867:, which held that the Patriarchs knew God only as Elohim or El Shaddai, and that God first disclosed the Name 3452:

Pharaoh Changed His Mind (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

9368: 8808:. Translation and explanatory notes by Raphael Pelcovitz, pages 308–27. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. 7127: 6901: 6868: 2045: 908:

In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to have Aaron strike the dust with his rod, to turn it to

885:

As the reading continues, God told Moses to have Aaron hold his arm with the rod over the river and bring up

863:

to do the same, but Aaron's rod swallowed their rods. Pharaoh's heart stiffened. A closed portion ends here.

812: 10004: 9904: 9457:, pages 22, 30–31, 47, 59, 85, 95–96, 98, 100–01, 107, 164, 169. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000. 8517: 8513: 7719:

The Interlinear Haggadah: The Passover Haggadah, with an Interlinear Translation, Instructions and Comments

7702:

The Interlinear Haggadah: The Passover Haggadah, with an Interlinear Translation, Instructions and Comments

7685:

The Interlinear Haggadah: The Passover Haggadah, with an Interlinear Translation, Instructions and Comments

1962:) indicative of God's Mercy). The Midrash viewed the question of Moses in Exodus 5:22 as an application of 8588:

Mishneh Torah: Hilchot Chametz U'Matzah: The Laws of Chametz and Matzah: The Rambam's Text of the Haggadah

967:

Moses Before Pharaoh (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

9852: 9253: 9230: 8610: 8601:. Edited, annotated, and translated, with an introduction by Joseph I. Gorfinkle, pages 95–96. New York: 4249: 3366:

The plague of gnats (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

9974: 9358:

Assimilation versus Separation: Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel

8790:. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 895–920. Jerusalem, Lambda Publishers, 2008. 8465: 8058: 8047: 6979:, translated by Eliyahu Touger (New York: Moznaim Publishing, 1990), pages 140–48; see also Maimonides, 1932:

God Answered Moses (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

10732: 9142: 8958: 8826:. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 375–400. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2000. 8723:. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 3, pages 815–54. Jerusalem: Lambda Publishers, 2003. 8215: 7245: 9788: 9014:. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 561–93. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012. 8751:. Translated and condensed by Eliyahu Munk, volume 1, pages 331–45. New York, Lambda Publishers, 2001. 7263:, volume 69, issues 1–4 (1957): pages 84–103; volume 70, issue 1 (1958): pages 48–59; Nahum M. Sarna, 1213:

Egyptian Bondage (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)

10980: 10719: 9710: 8829: 8682:. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 382–99. Jerusalem: Ktav Publishers, 2013. 8602: 8262: 8005: 7541:, pages 117–18. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1855, in, e.g., RareBooksClub.com, 2012. 6988: 5832:. Translated by Harry Freedman, volume 7, page 217. New York: American Biblical Encyclopedia Society. 5754: 1378:) in Genesis 4:19; 6:2; 11:29, and more than 70 other Biblical occurrences, and "to be (someone's)" ( 9018: 8480: 3484:

10:11 says, "And it came to pass as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of

3412:

5:9 says, “Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries, and let all your enemies be cut off.”

10603: 9666: 9598: 9049: 8793: 8599:

The Eight Chapters of Maimonides on Ethics (Shemonah Perakim): A Psychological and Ethical Treatise

8282: 7005:, translated by Harry Sperling, Maurice Simon, and Paul P. Levertoff (London: Soncino Press, 1934). 6985:

The Eight Chapters of Maimonides on Ethics (Shemonah Perakim): A Psychological and Ethical Treatise

6004: 5424: 5266: 4315:, many Jews remove drops of wine from their cups for each of the ten plagues in Exodus 7:14–12:29. 4241: 2631: 2040: 2018: 807: 652: 10029: 10014: 7485:. Translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, page 582. New York: Lambda Publishers, 2012. 7067:, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk (Jerusalem: Ktav Publishers, 2013), volume 2, page 392. 6940:, translated by Charles B. Chavel (New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1973), volume 2, pages 65–66. 10737: 9758:

Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Exodus: The Book of Redemption

9137: 8905: 8043: 5295: 3225: 2935: 2166: 1959: 1336: 8878: 7131:(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), volume 1, pages 734–35 (noting a similar chiastic structure). 5242:

Proceedings of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement: 1986–1990

3468:

Exodus 9:13–34 sets forth the plague of hail. The Gemara told of the miracle of the hailstones (

10820: 10757: 9897: 9805: 9648: 9398: 9245: 9240: 9181:

The Call of the Torah: An Anthology of Interpretation and Commentary on the Five Books of Moses

8696:

Translated by Charles B. Chavel, volume 2, pages 63–99. New York: Shilo Publishing House, 1973.

8256: 7878:

Ezekiel 20:5 (God lifted up God's hand); 36:28 (you will be my people, and I will be your God).

5821: 5547: 5333: 4232: 3115: 8651: 7383:, translated by Samuel Shirley (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2nd edition, 2001)). 1356:

1:8; and Nehemiah prayed to God to remember him to deliver him for good in Nehemiah 13:14–31.

10638: 10608: 9771: 9516: 9380: 9169:. Jerusalem, 1951. Translated by Israel Abrahams, pages 76–122. Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, 9000: 8974: 8740: 7999: 7906: 7894: 5762: 5675: 4171: 4073: 3623: 3300: 3284:

The Plague of Frogs (illustration from the 1891 Bible encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nikiphor)

2065: 1341: 1243: 34: 10049: 8214:. Edited by Jacob Neusner and translated by Jacob Neusner, Tzvee Zahavy, B. Barry Levy, and 8108: 6987:, edited, annotated, and translated, with an introduction by Joseph I. Gorfinkle (New York: 5363: 4019:) are leading words throughout the book of Exodus that give it a sense of unity. Similarly, 3154: 1294:

1:11 and God remembered Hannah's prayer to deliver her from childlessness in 1 Samuel 1:19;

10860: 10727: 10096: 9819: 9662: 9658: 9549: 9289: 9038:. Translated by Zvi Faier, volume 4, pages 158–252. Israel: M.P. Press/Hillel Press, 1984. 8886: 8845: 8104: 8022: 6957:, translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 2, page 145. 6908:, translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 2, page 133. 6892:, translated and annotated by H. Norman Strickman and Arthur M. Silver, volume 2, page 132. 6145: 5570:, and Jerusalem Talmud deals with the uncircumcision of trees based on Leviticus 19:23–25. 855:

In the fourth reading, God told how Aaron could cast down his rod and it would turn into a

75: 26: 9909:“Exodus in the Bible and the Egyptian Plagues: Can we make sense of the Biblical plagues?” 9334:

The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation

9113:

Sabbath Queen: Fifty-four Bible Talks to the Young Based on Each Portion of the Pentateuch

8965: 8500:. Edited and translated by Martin I. Lockshin, pages 59–92. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997. 8144: 8140: 8136: 8132: 8128: 8124: 8120: 8116: 8112: 8100: 7194:

The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation

5309:

The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation

3472:) of which Ezekiel 13:11, 13:13, and 38:22 speak. A Midrash taught that they were stones ( 8: 11088: 10815: 10679: 10438: 10408: 10380: 10360: 10325: 10112: 9840: 8935:. Translated by Eliyahu Munk, volume 2, pages 499–533. Brooklyn: Lambda Publishers, 1999. 8894: 8709:. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1934. 8671: 8152: 8148: 8096: 8092: 7910: 7674:. Translated by Charles Wengrov, volume 1, page 93. Jerusalem: Feldheim Publishers, 1991. 7315: 6933: 6058: 5245: 3684: 3510:

The Mishnah echoed Exodus 9:31–32 by listing wheat, barley, and spelt as typical grains.

3348: 3330: 3171: 3060: 1352:

prayed to God to remember God's promise to Moses to deliver the Israelites from exile in

1259: 177: 9918: 7539:

A Historical and Critical Commentary on the Old Testament with a New Translation: Exodus

6917: 6848: 3273:, in the phrase "And the fish that were in the river died" in Exodus 7:21 that the word 171:) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often abbreviated with the Hebrew letter 10898: 10805: 10532: 10388: 10282: 10272: 10262: 10224: 10054: 9363: 9202: 8955:

Rebbe Nachman's Torah: Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading: Exodus-Leviticus

8938: 8011: 7993: 7196:, page 32; Jeffrey H. Tigay, “Exodus,” in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, 7122: 5813: 5381:, "Classical Rabbinic Interpretation," in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors, 4304: 4236: 3731: 2034: 1517: 1247: 224: 9814:. Edited by Ezra Bick and Yaakov Beasley, pages 61–107. Jerusalem: Maggid Books, 2012. 9676:, pages 159–238. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009. 8772:. Translated and annotated by Israel Lazar, pages 85–133. Brooklyn: CreateSpace, 2015. 7042:. Edited and translated by Martin I. Lockshin, page 79. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997. 4170:

Reading the words of Pharaoh's magicians in Exodus 8:15, “This is the finger of God,”

3180:

miracles and wonders that were to be performed for Israel throughout the generations.

10868: 10845: 10835: 10648: 10502: 10345: 10254: 10194: 9781: 9776: 9767: 9746: 9576: 9542: 9372:. Edited by Leander E. Keck, volume 1, pages 731–60. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. 9339: 9039: 5283: 4449: 4057: 3888: 3727: 3379: 3187:

The Rods of Moses and the Magicians Turned into Serpents (illustration from the 1728

1267: 842: 9961: 9870:

The Heart of Torah, Volume 1: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion: Genesis and Exodus

7723:

JPS Commentary on the Haggadah: Historical Introduction, Translation, and Commentary

7706:

JPS Commentary on the Haggadah: Historical Introduction, Translation, and Commentary

7689:

JPS Commentary on the Haggadah: Historical Introduction, Translation, and Commentary

7104:, translated by Samuel Rosenblatt (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1948), page 29. 3229:

The Rod of Aaron Devours the Other Rods (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

1310:

called on God to remember God's covenant with the Israelites to not condemn them in

11083: 11078: 10704: 10674: 10355: 10117: 9848: 9690: 9523: 9474: 9319: 9279: 9219:. Edited by John I. Durham and J. Roy Porter, pages 48–75. London: SCM Press, 1970. 9194: 8918: 8531: 8435: 8207: 8195: 7095: 5758: 4277: 4253: 4053: 3575: 3549: 2193: 2104: 2092:

reported that the Rabbis of a Baraita, however, read Exodus 6:6–7 to mean: "When I

1391: 1353: 1311: 1194:

Reading the Egyptian magicians' words in Exodus 8:15, "This is the finger of God!"

860: 103: 10588: 9284:

Pharaoh's Counsellors: Job, Jethro, and Balaam in Rabbinic and Patristic Tradition

9057: 4380:) God. And in both the parashah and the haftarah, God proclaims, "I am the Lord." 1411:

The description of the 10 plagues exhibits patterns and progressions, as follows:

1298:

called on God to remember Hezekiah's faithfulness to deliver him from sickness in

10990: 10934: 10752: 10628: 10330: 10317: 10104: 9797: 9454: 9353: 9217:

Proclamation and Presence: Old Testament Essays in Honour of Gwynne Henton Davies

9162: 8924: 8761: 8726: 8712: 8562:. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, pages 140–48. New York: Moznaim Publishing, 1990. 8073: 8065: 8054: 8035: 7820: 7816: 7358: 6793:. Translated by Harry Freedman. New York: American Biblical Encyclopedia Society. 6721: 4192: 4143: 3864: 3496: 3086: 3042: 3036: 1332: 1316: 1291: 1271: 1239: 1019: 270: 266: 57: 9956: 9845:

Archaeology of the Bible: The Greatest Discoveries From Genesis to the Roman Era

8014:

16:12–16 (frogs); 17:17 (changing hearts to God's purpose). Late 1st century CE.

7812: 3871:, to Moses. According to this theory, the passages in Genesis that use the Name 11047: 11032: 10800: 10784: 10769: 10747: 10669: 10484: 10393: 10186: 9753: 9721: 9706: 9594: 9329: 9212: 6924:, translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 2, pages 54–55. 6748: 6661: 6562: 6550: 6526: 6400: 6256: 6109: 6097: 5663: 5563: 5477: 5325: 5262: 4338: 4312: 4202: 3975: 3481: 3355:, and taught that one frog croaked for others, and they joined the first frog. 3308: 3238: 3176: 3032: 3016: 2197: 2181: 2109: 1902: 1890:

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:

1359: 1303: 1299: 1287: 1283: 1263: 918: 232: 152: 147: 95: 65: 9994: 9989: 9227:“The Priestly Redaction and Interpretation of the Plague Narrative in Exodus.” 9072:, pages 87–91. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1998. Reprinted 2012. 9034:. Warsaw, 1874–80. In, e.g., Malbim: Rabbenu Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel. 8883:

Chanukas HaTorah: Mystical Insights of Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel on Chumash

7933:

On the Birth of Abel and the Sacrifices Offered by Him and by His Brother Cain

7836: 7808: 7788: 7777: 7773: 7750: 7738: 6814: 6697: 6673: 6649: 6637: 6625: 6613: 6589: 6514: 6478: 6463: 6451: 6439: 6364: 6352: 6328: 6316: 6292: 6268: 6244: 6232: 6220: 6208: 6172: 6148: 6121: 6085: 6073: 5651: 5647: 5639: 5635: 5632: 5616: 5604: 5600: 5584: 5212: 5187: 5175: 5163: 5151: 5126: 5114: 5089: 5064: 4990: 4978: 4966: 4954: 4929: 4904: 4892: 4880: 4794: 4769: 4757: 4745: 4733: 4708: 4683: 4671: 4586: 4558: 4520: 3325: 2096:

you out, I will do for you something that will show you that I am the One Who

181:)). Parashat Va'eira has seven further subdivisions, called "closed portion" ( 11103: 10975: 10970: 10878: 10742: 10618: 10512: 10204: 9679: 9411: 9390: 9384: 9299: 9237:

Marvin H. Pope. “Mid Rock and Scrub, A Ugaritic Parallel to Exodus 7:19.” In

9085: 8986: 8900: 8811: 8657: 8550: 8521: 8503: 8447: 8221: 8189: 8181: 8177: 8173: 8080: 7832: 7804: 7792: 7761: 7734: 6968: 6802: 6736: 6724: 6709: 6685: 6601: 6577: 6565: 6538: 6502: 6490: 6427: 6415: 6412: 6388: 6376: 6340: 6304: 6280: 6196: 6184: 6160: 6133: 5643: 5628: 5624: 5620: 5612: 5608: 5596: 5592: 5588: 5489: 5411: 5407: 5394: 5291: 5052: 5027: 5015: 4855: 4830: 4818: 4806: 4659: 4634: 4622: 4610: 4598: 4495: 4483: 4471: 4223: 4133: 4020: 3409: 3392: 3094: 2162: 2061: 1387: 1195: 924: 274: 250: 119: 91: 8321: 5452: 5320:

Jeffrey H. Tigay, “Exodus,” in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, editors,

3883:. Adherents of this theory argue that in Exodus 6:3, the P school connected 3590:

was not made tangible to them (even as the name itself was used in speech).

3427: 11011: 10840: 10694: 10689: 10684: 10593: 10335: 10132: 10044: 9705:. Edited by Gregg Drinkwater, Joshua Lesser, and David Shneer; foreword by 9645:

Unlocking the Torah Text: An In-Depth Journey into the Weekly Parsha: Shmot

9562: 9538: 9511: 9501: 9265: 9126: 9069: 8890: 8856: 8849: 8775: 8654:, pages 33, 58, 61, 224, 318, 359, 397. New York: Dover Publications, 1956. 7670:. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2 volumes. London: Soncino Press, 1967. 7555: 7298: 7241: 7025:. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, volume 2, page 77. 6475: 5378: 5279: 4389: 4334: 4056:

during the 19th to 14th centuries B.C.E. who may originally have come from

3920: 3919:‎ and frequently as a prefix or suffix to proper names. According to 3813: 2189: 2132: 1963: 1234:

to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. Similarly, God remembered

831:

In the continuation of the reading, God placed Aaron in the role of Moses'

207: 156: 126: 9520:, page 294. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1995, 2004. (Moses and Pharaoh). 9092:. Translated with an introduction by Simon Kaplan; introductory essays by 9043: 8664:: A Homily on Education." First half of 13th century. In Marc Saperstein. 8369: 8365: 8361: 6016: 5741: 5712: 5517: 4038:), as in Exodus 7:16 and 9:1 and 13, came from the name of a group called 3762:

D: And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom

3315:

Thaddeus of Rome taught that Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (also known as

3158:

Aaron's Rod Changed to a Serpent (illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible)

11037: 10830: 10825: 10810: 10699: 10287: 9701:

Jhos Singer. “Uncircumcized Lips: Parashat Vaeira (Exodus 6:2–9:35).” In

9633:“‘Enūma Elish’ and Priestly Mimesis: Elite Emulation in Nascent Judaism.” 9621: 9260: 9222: 9132: 9118: 9093: 8430: 8393: 8357: 8353: 8333: 7436: 5913: 5892: 5879:

Midrash Tanhuma Va'eira 3; see also Exodus Rabbah 11:6 (discussed below).

5555: 5505: 5428: 4265: 4208: 4085: 4061: 4000: 3555: 3523: 3344: 3147: 1345: 1279: 1255: 10065: 9742: 9632: 9526:. "What's in a Name? Early Evidence of Devotion Exclusively to Yahweh." 9451:

Exodus to Deuteronomy: A Feminist Companion to the Bible (Second Series)

9304:

The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel

8528:

Introduction by Henry Slonimsky, pages 46, 86. New York: Schocken, 1964.

8474:

The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated

8454:. Translated by Simon M. Lehrman, volume 3. London: Soncino Press, 1939. 8389: 8385: 8381: 8377: 8373: 8329: 7881:

Psalms 68:5 (name is the Lord); 78:44–51 (plagues); 105:23–38 (plagues).

7100:, Introductory treatise, chapter 6 (Baghdad, Babylonia, 933); in, e.g., 7023:

The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated

6922:

The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated

6857:

The Torah: With Rashi's Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated

5846: 5729: 5440: 3534: 2184:," and thus surely it stands to reason, "How much more then if we go to 1022:

of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule:

846:

Water Is Changed into Blood (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

11073: 11042: 11016: 10774: 10714: 10573: 10413: 10307: 10147: 10122: 10019: 9628:, pages 40, 54, 205, 216–32, 376, 421, 425. New York: Free Press, 2007. 9226: 8957:. Compiled by Chaim Kramer; edited by Y. Hall, pages 56–63. Jerusalem: 8685: 8545: 8413: 8409: 8405: 8401: 8337: 8325: 8317: 8313: 8301: 8297: 8192:, pages 158–66, 249, 630, 1131. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. 7985: 7366: 6760: 5973: 5774: 5493: 5464: 4088:

group as to a social or political group. Plaut reported that the words

3989: 3619: 3593: 3234: 3200: 2981:, and Korah was (as Exodus 6:21 reports) son of Uzziel's older brother 2978: 2120: 2060:

deduced from Exodus 6:6 that the Israelites' bondage in Egypt ended on

867: 228: 9640:, volume 126 (2007): 635–37. (“Priestly Mimesis in the Exodus Story”). 9612: 9205:, pages 1–28. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982. Originally published in 8770:

Abarbanel: Selected Commentaries on the Torah: Volume 2: Shemos/Exodus

8397: 8341: 8305: 7862:

Exodus 4:21; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8 (hardening Pharaoh's heart).

5952: 5858: 4235:

find evidence of three or even four separate sources in the parashah.

3891:) that Moses and the people had since patriarchal time known the Name 3840:, with a term for “mountain,” and others associate it with fertility. 3566: 3199:

It was taught in a Baraita that Rabbi Judah the Prince (or others say

2069:

Psalm 81:4–6 that Joseph went forth from the prison on Rosh Hashanah.

1331:

called upon God to remember God's compassion and mercy in Psalm 25:6;

1206:

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:

811:

Aaron Cast His Rod Before Pharaoh and It Became a Serpent (woodcut by

10893: 10883: 10764: 10527: 10517: 10219: 10209: 9927: 9865: 9763: 9725: 9176: 9145:, page 788. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Originally published as 8994: 8982: 8309: 8089: 7233: 5337: 4459: 4412: 4287: 4069: 4030:

Plaut reported that scholars generally agree that the term “Hebrew” (

3851:

Gunther Plaut noted the difficulty that Exodus 6:3–4 says that it is

3503: 3080: 2993: 2970: 2212: 1370:

to you a God,” are both used in connection with matrimony—"to take" (

1290:

prayed for God to remember her and deliver her from childlessness in

946: 262: 16:

Fourteenth portion in the annual Jewish cycle of weekly Torah reading

9943: 8870: 8349: 8345: 8076:, pages 72–74. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987. 5725: 3752:, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known to them. 3347:

said that one frog filled the whole of Egypt by breeding. But Rabbi

3046:

Moses Speaks to Pharaoh (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

10913: 10908: 10903: 10850: 10779: 10653: 10547: 10542: 10537: 10428: 10423: 10403: 10292: 10239: 10234: 10229: 10162: 10152: 9732: 9336:, pages 30–48, 269. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1991. 8946: 8721:

Midrash Rabbeinu Bachya: Torah Commentary by Rabbi Bachya ben Asher

8590:. Translated by Eliyahu Touger. New York: Moznaim Publishing, 1988. 8251:; 82:3; 88:5; 92:7; 96, 97. Land of Israel, 5th century. In, e.g., 8199: 8070:

The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition

8032:

The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition

8017: 5888: 5842: 5840: 5838: 4455: 4356: 4301: 3755:

C: And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them

3485: 3371: 3028: 3012: 2989: 2943: 2113: 1992:), and God had not made known to them that God's name is the Lord ( 1349: 1307: 1295: 945:

As the reading continues with chapter 9, God struck the Egyptian's

495: 70: 10024: 9984: 9606:

Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems

9129:, pages 142–280. Hoboken, New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, 1992. 3759:

of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned.

3280: 10944: 10939: 10918: 10633: 10613: 10598: 10583: 10552: 10449: 10433: 10418: 10244: 10142: 10137: 10127: 9324:

A Torah Commentary for Our Times: Volume II: Exodus and Leviticus

9105: 9097: 8950: 8921:, pages 456, 474. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. 8749:

Akeydat Yitzchak: Commentary of Rabbi Yitzchak Arama on the Torah

8489: 8165: 8038:, page 716. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987. 5700: 5567: 4281: 4245: 3915:, a form that occurs several times independently in the Bible as 3880: 3680: 3578:

as saying that Abraham and Jacob literally did not know the Name

3405: 3352: 3218: 3123:

people," as in Exodus 7:4, God had said, "And I will bring forth

3004: 2997: 2144: 2136: 2057: 2007: 1968: 1942: 1918: 1344:

called on God to remember him to deliver him from God's wrath in

1223: 832: 474: 239: 114: 87: 61: 20: 10034: 9492: 9076: 8556:

Hilchot Teshuvah (The Laws of Repentance), chapter 3, halachah 3

7990:

The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition

7687:(Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2005), page 51; Joseph Tabory, 7117:, (Jerusalem: Haomanim Press, 1993), pages 115–18, reprinted as 6973:

Hilchot Teshuvah (The Laws of Repentance), chapter 3, halachah 3

5835: 3606:

add to their good or diminish the evil destined to befall them.

2044:

The Egyptians Afflicted the Israelites with Burdens (woodcut by

928:

The Plague of Flies (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

837:

harden Pharaoh's heart, so that God might show signs and marvels

804:

The second reading and a closed portion end with the genealogy.

10623: 10350: 10340: 10277: 10167: 10157: 10039: 9979: 9919:"The Problem of Reubenite Primacy: New Paradigms, New Answers." 9872:, pages 134–43. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. 9573:

Professors on the Parashah: Studies on the Weekly Torah Reading

9426: 9061: 9027: 8837: 8801: 8508: 8469: 8293: 7357:, revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, page 396 (citing 7312:

Exodus 1–18: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary

7294: 7001:

Zohar, part 2, page 191a (Spain, late 13th century); in, e.g.,

6852: 4129: 4040: 3978:

deduced from Exodus 7:1 that in Scripture, the word "prophet" (

3843: 3609: 3205: 3072: 3068: 2974: 2928: 2921: 2891: 2642: 2398: 2235: 2201: 2185: 2177: 2128: 2089: 1922: 1324: 1275: 1251: 1002: 986: 938: 770: 659: 488: 481: 202: 195: 160: 9894:"Pharaoh’s Administration Offers a Cautionary Tale for Today." 9879:, pages 44–46. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2017. 9802:

Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons

9481:, pages 87–93. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2002. 9346:, pages 114–77. Jerusalem: Haomanim Press, 1993. Reprinted as 9234:, new series, volume 66, number 4 (April 1976): pages 193–211. 7691:(Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2008), pages 94–95. 4392:(as it did in 2013 and 2017), the haftarah is Isaiah 66:1–24. 3139:

A Midrash read Exodus 7:11, “Then Pharaoh also called for the

10888: 10709: 10578: 10568: 10522: 10398: 10370: 10365: 10302: 10214: 9990:

American Jewish University—Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

9360:, page 14. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1993. 9201:. Translated by Douglas W. Stott; edited and introduction by 9188: 9007: 8819: 8699: 8643: 8457: 7916: 7850:

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

7663: 7558:, page 275. Hoboken, New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, 1992. 7478: 6782: 4262:

the display of Exodus according to the Documentary Hypothesis

4121: 4077: 3642: 3542: 2982: 2913: 2905: 2898: 2620: 2597: 2217: 2124: 2001: 1997: 1914: 1898: 1328: 1231: 1227: 1222:

In Exodus 2:24 and 6:5–6, God remembered God's covenant with

994: 990: 909: 875: 856: 784: 777: 645: 638: 246: 220: 9862:, pages 85–89. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2016. 9830:, pages 67–71. New Milford, Connecticut: Maggid Books, 2015. 3431:

The Plague of Hail (illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible)

1013: 245:

In the continuation of the reading, God commanded Moses and

10297: 10267: 9883: 9828:

Lessons in Leadership: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible

9530:, volume 20 (number 1) (February 2004): pages 34–43, 47–51. 9441:

Teaching Jewish Virtues: Sacred Sources and Arts Activities

9395:

The Five Books of Miriam: A Woman’s Commentary on the Torah

9115:, pages 42–45. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House, 1936. 8450:

5:14, 6:1–12:7, 23:9, 25:27, 28:4. 10th century. In, e.g.,

7409:, revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, pages 396–97. 7344:, revised edition edited by David E.S. Stern, pages 106–07. 5476:

Jerusalem Talmud Pesachim 82b; see also Exodus Rabbah 6:4;

4112:. Plaut considered it possible that for some time the term 3563:

by My name YHVH," for God also used the Name "El Shaddai."

3290: 3243: 3214: 3210: 3076: 3064: 2305: 2205: 1320: 1235: 977: 953: 886: 871: 315: 238:

In the continuation of the reading, God told Moses to tell

10059: 9296:, pages 59–62. Washington, D.C.: B'nai B'rith Books, 1987. 9153: 5377:

For more on classical rabbinic interpretation, see, e.g.,

5311:(Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1991), page 32. 4329: 3962: 10177: 9626:

How To Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now

9066:

The Language of Truth: The Torah Commentary of Sefat Emet

8783: 8582:

Hilchot Chometz U'Matzah (The Laws of Chametz and Matzah)

8265:

Beshallah 7. Land of Israel, late 4th century. In, e.g.,

6991:, 1912; reprinted by Forgotten Books, 2012), pages 95–96. 4157: 2985:, and thus had a claim to leadership prior to Elizaphan. 2204:

the queen: ‘The Jews have slain and destroyed 500 men in

976:

In the seventh reading, God instructed Moses to threaten

109: 9608:, page 76. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007. 9545:, pages 115–22. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 9436:, volume 2, pages 261–354. New York: Anchor Bible, 1998. 8678:. France, circa 1240. In, e.g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach. 8540:

Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Exodus (Shemot)

8498:

Rashbam's Commentary on Exodus: An Annotated Translation

7063:(France, circa 1240); in, e.g., Chizkiyahu ben Manoach, 7057:

Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Exodus (Shemot)

7040:

Rashbam’s Commentary on Exodus: An Annotated Translation

6955:

Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Exodus (Shemot)

6906:

Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Exodus (Shemot)

6890:

Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Exodus (Shemot)

6873:

Ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch: Exodus (Shemot)

5226: