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Vaera | פרשת וארא

Parsha Guide Index

Sefer Shemot | ספר שמות

Shemot 6:2-9:35 [Hebcal] [על-התורה] שמות ו ב-ט לה

Haftarah: Yechezkel 28:25-29:21 (all, Teimani starts at verse 24) |

[על-התורה] הפטרה: יחזקאל כח כה-כט כא (ע”פ כל המנהגים, תימנים מתחילים מפסוק כד)

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In Parashat Vaera, we read about the first seven of the ten plagues brought upon Egypt due to Paraoh’s stiffened heart and refusal to let Bnei Yisrael go out of Egyptian bondage and into freedom to worship Hashem.

Hashem Appears to Moshe

[Shemot 6:2-13]

Hashem appears to Moshe, revealing Himself by His Four-Letter Name (the Tetragrammaton), YKVK, which we do not pronounce. (During the times when Beit ha-Mikdash, the Jerusalem Temple, stood, the Kohen Gadol pronounced it once a year on Yom Kippur.) Hashem explains that He appeared to the Avot (patriarchs) Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov as Kel Shakkai, but did not make Himself known to them as YKVK, as He is presently doing for Moshe.

Hashem then instructs Moshe to say the following to Bnei Yisrael:

אֲנִי ה’ וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מִתַּחַת סִבְלֹת מִצְרַיִם וְהִצַּלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מֵעֲבֹדָתָם וְגָאַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בִּזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה וּבִשְׁפָטִים גְּדֹלִים: וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לִי לְעָם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹ’קים וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹקיכֶם הַמּוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם מִתַּחַת סִבְלוֹת מִצְרָיִם: וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָשָׂאתִי אֶת יָדִי לָתֵת אֹתָהּ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב וְנָתַתִּי אֹתָהּ לָכֶם מוֹרָשָׁה אֲנִי ה’:

I am YKVK. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements. And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your G-d. And you shall know that I, YKVK, am your G-d who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I YKVK.1

Shemot 6:6-8

However, even hearing this, Bnei Yisrael are despondent, “their spirits crushed by cruel bondage” (מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה). Hashem therefore commands Moshe to go tell Paraoh to let Bnei Yisrael leave Egypt. Moshe objects, reasoning that if the people won’t listen to him, Paraoh is even less inclined to do so. Moshe adds that he is “tongue-tied” (וַאֲנִי עֲרַל שְׂפָתָיִם). In response, Hashem assigns the mission to Moshe and his brother Aharon to do together.

The Descendants

[Shemot 6:14-25]

We are now given an accounting of the heads of the families of the first three sons of Yaakov/Yisrael. They are:2

  • The sons of Reuven (רְאוּבֵן), the first born: Chanoch (Enoch – חֲנוֹךְ), Pallu (פַלּוּא), Chetzron (חֶצְרֹן), and Carmi (כַרְמִי);
  • The sons of Shimon (שִׁמְעוֹן): Yemuel (יְמוּאֵל), Yamin (וְיָמִין), Ohad (אֹהַד), Yachin (יָכִין), Tzochar (צֹחַר), and Shaul (Saul -שָׁאוּל, who is specified as the son of a Canaanite woman);
  • The sons of Levi (לֵוִי): Gershon (גֵּרְשׁוֹן), Kehat (קְהָת), and Merari (מְרָרִי); we are also told that Levi’s lifespan was 137 years.
    • The sons of Gershon: Livni (לִבְנִי) and Shimi (שִׁמְעִי);
    • The sons of Kehat: Amram (עַמְרָם), Itzhar (יִצְהָר), Chevron (Hebron – חֶבְרוֹן), and Uzziel (עֻזִּיאֵל); the span of Kohath’s life was 133 years;
      • Amram married his father’s sister Yocheved (יוֹכֶבֶד), who gave birth to Aharon (אַהֲרֹן) and Moshe (מֹשֶׁה); the span of Amram’s life was 137 years.
        • Aharon married Elisheva (אֱלִישֶׁבַע), daughter of Aminadav (עַמִּינָדָב) and sister of Nachshon (נַחְשׁוֹן), and she bore Nadav (נָדָב), Avihu (אֲבִיהוּא), Elazar (אֶלְעָזָר), and Itamar (אִיתָמָר).
          • Aharon’s son Elazar married one of the daughters of Putiel (פּוּטִיאֵל), and she gave birth to Pinchas (פִּינְחָס).
      • The sons of Itzhar: Korach (קֹרַח), Nefeg (נֶפֶג), and Zichri (זִכְרִי).
        • The sons of Korah: Asir (אַסִּיר), Elkanah (אֶלְקָנָה), and Aviasaph (אֲבִיאָסָף);
      • The sons of Uzziel: Mishael (מִישָׁאֵל), Eltzafan (אֶלְצָפָן), and Sitri (סִתְרִי).
    • The sons of Merari (מְרָרִי): Machli (מַחְלִי) and Mushi (מוּשִׁי).

This lineage brings us down to Moshe and Aharon, who are tasked with taking each family of Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt.

The Mission, Restated

[Shemot 6:26-7:7]

Hashem repeats the mission to Moshe and Aharon, saying:

רְאֵה נְתַתִּיךָ אֱלֹהִים לְפַרְעֹה וְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֶךָ: אַתָּה תְדַבֵּר אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּךָּ וְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ יְדַבֵּר אֶל פַּרְעֹה וְשִׁלַּח אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאַרְצוֹ: וַאֲנִי אַקְשֶׁה אֶת לֵב פַּרְעֹה וְהִרְבֵּיתִי אֶת אֹתֹתַי וְאֶת מוֹפְתַי בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם: וְלֹא יִשְׁמַע אֲלֵכֶם פַּרְעֹה וְנָתַתִּי אֶת יָדִי בְּמִצְרָיִם וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת צִבְאֹתַי אֶת עַמִּי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בִּשְׁפָטִים גְּדֹלִים: וְיָדְעוּ מִצְרַיִם כִּי אֲנִי ה’ בִּנְטֹתִי אֶת יָדִי עַל מִצְרָיִם וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת :בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתּוֹכָם

“See, I place you in the role of master to Pharaoh, with your brother Aharon as your mouthpiece (navi). You shall repeat all that I command you, and your brother Aharon shall speak to Paraoh to let the Israelites depart from his land. But I will harden Paraoh’s heart, that I may multiply My signs and marvels in the land of Egypt. When Paraoh does not heed you, I will lay My hand upon Egypt and deliver My ranks, My people Bnei Yisrael, from the land of Egypt with extraordinary chastisements (shefatim gedolim). And the Egyptians shall know that I am Hashem, when I stretch out My hand over Egypt and bring out the Israelites from their midst.”

Shemot 7:1-5

We are told that Moshe was 80 and Aharon 83 years old at the time they asked Paraoh to let Bnei Yisrael leave Egypt.

The Sorcerers of Egypt

[Shemot 7:8-9:12]

Hashem tells Moshe that when he appears before Paraoh and Paraoh demands that he produce a marvel (mofet – מוֹפֵת), Moshe should tell Aharon to cast down his rod, which will miraculously turn into a serpent (tanin – תַנִּין). They do so, but Paraoh is not impressed: he summons the land’s finest sages and sorcerers (חֲכָמִים וְמְכַשְּׁפִים), and Egypt’s magicians (חַרְטֻמֵּי מִצְרַיִם) indeed manage to produce the same effect. However, Aharon’s serpent does swallow theirs. Still unimpressed, his heart having been hardened, Paraoh refuses to release Bnei Yisrael.

The First Plague: The Nile Turns to Blood – דם

[Shemot 7:14-24]

When Moshe reports this to Hashem, he is instructed to go in the morning to the bank of the Nile and have Aharon strike the water with his rod, turning it into blood along with all the other waterways of Egypt. This will cause the fish to die and the water to stink and become undrinkable.

This indeed comes to pass, yet the still-hearted Paraoh refuses to relent, since his magicians can produce the same effect. The desperate Egyptians are relegated to digging ditches for drinking water for seven full days.

The Second Plague: Frogs – צפרדע

[Shemot 7:25-8:11]

After a week of bloody Nile, Moshe returns to Paraoh and tells him if he does not let Bnei Yisrael go and worship Hashem in the wilderness, a plague of frogs (tzfardeim, sing. tzfardea) will be inflicted upon Egypt. When Paraoh proves still recalcitrant, Aharon holds his rod over the Nile once again and brings forth frogs which swarm everywhere.

Once again, the magicians manage to produce frogs, but a disgruntled Paraoh summons Moshe and asks him to remove the frogs. Moshe says that, in order that Paraoh recognize the might of Hashem, the frogs will retreat the next day. They do, but die off and are piled in stinking masses throughout Egypt. Freed of the nuisance, Paraoh returns to his stiff-hearted ways and reneges on letting Bnei Yisrael leave.

The Third Plague: Lice – כינים

[Shemot 8:12-15]

Hashem next instructs Aharon to strike the dust of the earth with his rod, turning it into lice (kinim). All the dust of Egypt swarms into lice and afflicts people and livestock alike. At this task, the magicians of Egypt are stymied. They tell Paraoh that they cannot reproduce this marvel and that it must be “the finger of G-d” (אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹקים הִוא). But Hashem stiffens Paraoh’s heart anew and he does not relent.

The Fourth Plague: Wild Beasts – ערוב

[Shemot 8:16-28]

Next, Moshe is told to warn Paraoh that Egypt will be overtaken with wild beasts (arov), with the exception of the region of Goshen, where Bnei Yisrael are enslaved. On this, Hashem declares, “I will make a distinction between My people and your people” (וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ).

When this comes to pass, Paraoh relents—but only partially. He grants Bnei Yisrael permission to worship (לְכוּ זִבְחוּ) Hashem, but while in Egypt. Moshe explains that their worship is offensive to the Egyptians and they need to go out three days’ distance into the wilderness. Paraoh agrees to the wilderness, provided Bnei Yisrael do not go far. He asks Moshe to plead with Hashem on his behalf. Moshe, per his word, intercedes with Hashem and the plague is removed. Once relief comes, Paraoh once again changes his mind and refuses to let Bnei Yisrael leave Egypt.

The Fifth Plague: Pestilence – דֶּבֶר

[Shemot 9:1-7]

Moshe now warns Paraoh that Egypt will be hit with a wave of pestilence that will kill off its livestock. Again, the livestock of Bnei Yisrael will be spared. Even when this happens and Paraoh sees plainly that Bnei Yisrael’s livestock are alive and well alone in all of Egypt, his heart remains hardened.

The Sixth Plague: Boils – שחין

[Shemot 9:8-12]

Hashem then tells Moshe and Aharon to each take handfuls of soot from a kiln (פִּיחַ כִּבְשָׁן) and, in the sight of Paraoh, throw it towards the sky, whereupon it will become a pervasive dust covering Egypt and causing boils. The magicians are unable to even attempt to replicate this marvel, because they are themselves afflicted. But Paraoh remains stiff-hearted.

The Seventh Plague: Hail – ברד

[Shemot 9:13-35]

Hashem emphasizes in his message to the Egyptians that He has let them survive thus far in order to demonstrate His power to them. If they continue to refuse to free Bnei Yisrael, He will rain down hail upon all of Egypt. This intense hail will kill all livestock, crops, and any other living things it comes into contact with. Those Egyptians who feared Hashem indeed brought in their livestock, while others did not, causing them to perish. The hail was extreme, described as “very heavy—fire flashing in the midst of the hail—such as had not fallen on the land of Egypt since it had become a nation” (וַיְהִי בָרָד וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד כָּבֵד מְאֹד אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה כָמֹהוּ בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מֵאָז הָיְתָה לְגוֹי). In the region of Goshen, where Bnei Yisrael lived, there was no hail.

Paraoh tells Moshe that he recognizes he is in the wrong and asks him to plead on his behalf before Hashem. Moshe tells him that he will spread out his hands and the hail will cease, “so that you may know that the earth is Hashem’s” (לְמַעַן תֵּדַע כִּי לַה’ הָאָרֶץ). However, Moshe informs Paraoh that he knows that Paraoh and his courtiers “do not yet fear Hashem” (טֶרֶם תִּירְאוּן מִפְּנֵי ה’ אֱלֹקים). At this point, the barley and flax crops have been ruined, while the wheat and emmer, which ripen late, have been spared. But the moment the hail ceases, just as Hashem foretold to Moshe, Paraoh once again refuses to let the people go.

Haftarah Summary – בקבצי את בית ישראל מן העמים

In years when Parashat Vaera falls out on Rosh Chodesh Shevat, the haftarah for Shabbat Rosh Chodesh is read.

The regular haftarah for Vaera concerns a much later period in Jewish history, when, besieged, the kingdom of Yehuda must decide whether to continue to ally with the Egyptians or capitulate to the Babylonians. It opens on a high note, promising a redemption of exiled Jews in the land of their forefathers. However, Yechezkel foretells that Egypt will prove, as it did ten years earlier during an earlier Babylonian siege of Yehuda, to be an untrustworthy ally. This time, Egypt will be exiled for forty years and harshly punished, as it is in our parsha. The haftarah concludes with Babylon as the instrument of G-d’s wrath against the Egyptians.

Notes

  1. In common speech, we refer to the Four-Letter Name (and A-donai) by the term “Hashem,” “The Name.” This is how I have proceeded to render it in these parsha guides; here I am using a writable version because it is so important to the context of this specific revelation. In the future, I will return to writing “Hashem” for the Four-Letter Name.
  2. The order they are related in the Mikra is slightly different from what follows; I have organized them, for clarity, such that each generation is indented beneath the previous one it belongs to.
Tamar Ron Marvin is a scholar, writer, and Jewish educator. She holds a Ph.D. in Medieval & Early Modern Jewish Studies and is currently a student at Yeshivat Maharat.
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