A Reflection on the Weekly Torah Reading – Parashat Shemot (Exodus 1:1–6:1) by Rabbi Yanki Jacobs
January 12th 2025 – Tevet 11th 5785, Amsterdam
This upcoming Shabbat, we read in the parasha (Exodus 1:1–6:1) about the earliest forms of discrimination and anti-Semitism. It is an ancient story, yet painfully relevant. In Egypt, a new ruler came to power—a colonial overlord, not even Egyptian himself—who oppressed both the Egyptian people and the Jews. To prevent an uprising against his regime, this Pharaoh created a scapegoat: a group that would be visibly worse off than the average Egyptian. The tactic is hauntingly familiar. A minority, recognizable and different, became the victim of fake news and hate campaigns. Pharaoh sowed fear: “The Jews are growing too numerous, too powerful. They will overtake us.” What began with demonization and boycotts escalated into systematic oppression and slavery.
Initially, the Jews complied. Their labor was framed as a “contribution to society.” They helped build Egyptian cities, hoping their usefulness would offer protection. But it soon became clear that their status was being eroded further and further. The Egyptian people bore their own chains, but they found cold comfort in one thought: at least they stood just slightly above the Jews in the social ladder. It was a toxic dynamic, where people conformed to injustice as long as it did not affect them personally. In this way, an entire society became corrupted.
And yet, the Jewish people survived. Thousands of years later, we are still here. How is that possible? The answer lies in the very first sentence that opens the book of Exodus: Ish u’beito—a man and his household. When Jacob and his family descended into Egypt, it was explicitly noted that they came as families. At the end of their enslavement, 200 years later, as the Exodus approached, this terminology reappears. In preparing for the Exodus, each family was instructed to gather a lamb. Once again, we find the same words: Ish lebeit Avot —a man and his household.
The secret to survival does not lie in power and strength, but in the warmth of family life. The family is the cornerstone of Jewish resilience: parents, children, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents. Even in difficult times, the home must be an oasis of safety. It was this strength that kept the Jews united during their exile in Egypt, and it remains the strength that binds us together today.
Shabbat Shalom!
