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Parasha Shemot (Names): Like Israel, Like Us

Jewish prayer-Kotel-Torah

There is much to learn from the suffering of the Israelites. Despite the tyranny by the Egyptians, the People of Israel still grew mighty in number. Oppressive circumstances cannot prevent God from carrying out His purposes and fulfilling His promises. We may suffer under some sort of bondage or pain for what seems like a very long time, but we can rest assured that God hears our cries.

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Parasha Bo (Come): Plagues, Freedom, and Redemption from Slavery

Ultra-Orthodox teens walk together at the Kotel (Western Wall) Plaza in Jerusalem.

This week, in Parasha Bo, God sends the final three: locust, darkness and death of the firstborn. After the last plague, Pharaoh finally gives up, triggering the Exodus of the Hebrews. But what were the purposes of the Ten Plagues? To pressure Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free? Perhaps, but God is fully capable of setting His people free without a king’s permission.

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Parasha Shemot (Names): When Things Seem to Go From Bad to Worse

Torah scroll-yad

There is much to learn from the suffering of the Israelites. Despite the tyranny by the Egyptians, the People of Israel still grew mighty in number. Oppressive circumstances cannot prevent God from carrying out His purposes and fulfilling His promises. We may suffer under some sort of bondage or pain for what seems like a very long time, but we can rest assured that God hears our cries.

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Parasha Vayeshev (And He Lived): Favor, Inheritance, and a Grand Destiny

Judah and Tamar, by school of Rembrandt

Judah realized that although Tamar’s actions were less than perfect, she had acted to fulfill the familial responsibility to raise up a child for her husband under the family name. He realized that she was more righteous than he was, so he set her free. Tamar gave birth to twins, one of whom, Perez, who became a forefather of Boaz, who became the great-grandfather of King David, who became a forefather of the Messiah.

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Parasha Vayishlach (And He Sent): Being Overcomers in the Face of Life’s Struggles

Jacob Sees Esau Coming to Meet Him, by James Tissot

The last time Jacob had seen Esau, he was filled with murderous rage, vowing to kill him; therefore, it is no wonder that Jacob felt anxiety at the prospect of seeing his brother again, especially upon learning that Esau was headed his way with 400 men! Had Esau held a grudge against Jacob all these years? Or had time eased the pain of betrayal and brought forgiveness? Could the generous gifts of livestock sent ahead to Esau somehow appease his anger? Jacob was about to find out. Jacob was a man of strategy: he divided his family and the people with him, along with his flock, herds and camels, into two camps. That way, if Esau attacked one camp, the other would survive. (Genesis 32:8)

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