Parashat Vaera 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא
Read on 1 January 2022 / 28 Tevet 5782.
Parashat Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Torah Portion: Exodus 6:2-9:35 https://tikkun.io/#/r/2-6-2
Parashat Vaera tells of the first seven Plagues of Egypt.
Triennial year 3
1: 8:16-23 · 8 p’sukim ·
2: 8:24-28 · 5 p’sukim ·
3: 9:1-7 · 7 p’sukim ·
4: 9:8-16 · 9 p’sukim ·
5: 9:17-21 · 5 p’sukim ·
6: 9:22-26 · 5 p’sukim ·
7: 9:27-35 · 9 p’sukim ·
maf: 9:33-35 · 3 p’sukim ·
Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 · 23 p’sukim
Parashat Vaera 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא
Read on 1 January 2022 / 28 Tevet 5782.
Parashat Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Torah Portion: Exodus 6:2-9:35 https://tikkun.io/#/r/2-6-2
Parashat Vaera tells of the first seven Plagues of Egypt.
Triennial year 3
1: 8:16-23 · 8 p’sukim ·
2: 8:24-28 · 5 p’sukim ·
3: 9:1-7 · 7 p’sukim ·
4: 9:8-16 · 9 p’sukim ·
5: 9:17-21 · 5 p’sukim ·
6: 9:22-26 · 5 p’sukim ·
7: 9:27-35 · 9 p’sukim ·
maf: 9:33-35 · 3 p’sukim ·
Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 · 23 p’sukim
As Vaera starts, Hashem reveals Himself to Moses saying he is YHVH. Moshe Rabbeinu’s predecessors, our patriarchs, only knew G-d as El Shaddai. Hashem has many names, each referring to a different attribute, which is how we mortals relate to Him. This latter Name is sometimes translated as Hashem’s attribute of providing enough. In fact, according to commentary in the Etz Chaim Humash, “Shaddai” comes from the word meaning “breasts” and thus it is G-d’s attribute of nurturing.
While Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew G-d as YHVH, they didn’t clearly understand the relevance of that name, which is Mercy. Consider that G-d is now going to reveal the nature of that name, indicating Mercy, by remembering and acknowledging his covenant with the Patriarchs to provide for us the Promised Land. G-d has now heard the groaning of our ancestors under the bondage of the Egyptian taskmasters by freeing our people so they can fulfill that promise to our forefathers. Thus in His Mercy, He will redeem our people.
Consider also the other main name by which Hashem is known and occurs often in the preceding verses, Elohim. This is considered to be G-d’s attribute of Justice. So as Hashem is expressing His Mercy to the Israelites, He is also going to visit Justice to the Egyptians. They will now see consequences of their enslaving our ancestors in the form of the various plagues they are about to experience.
Pharaoh has been warned and given multiple opportunities to relent and repent his cruelty. As he continues to “dig his heels in” and not release the Israelites, he invites further justice upon himself and his people.
{We now see the full expression of G-d’s might and power.G-d reveals Himself to Moses as YHVH, which will be the main name going forward. Hashem has heard the groaning of the Israelites and will now free them from bondage to be His people. The four phrases, “I will free you…and deliver you…I will redeem you…I will take you (to the land promised to the Patriarchs)…” is seen as a basis for the four cups of wine during the Pesah seder. Hashem tells them to confront Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Moses complains that his own people didn’t listen to him, Pharaoh won’t either. G-d tells him to go with Aaron and He will tell them what to say. The heads of clans of Reuben and Simeon are listed, then the clans of Levi that discusses the genealogy of Moses and Aaron.
Hashem tells Moses that he will go with Aaron who will be the spokesperson, since Moses had a speech impediment. Hashem tells him that he will further harden Pharaoh’s heart (stubbornness) and create signs and plagues to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelites. Moses is now 80 years old and Aaron is 83. G-d tells Moses to take his staff, throw it down and it will become a serpent as a sign that G-d is all powerful and that Pharaoh should follow through. Pharaoh had his magicians also turn their staffs into serpents, but then Aaron’s “serpent” swallowed them up. Pharaoh did not relent. Moses then meets Pharaoh the next morning and delivers the first plague by putting that same staff in the Nile which turns to blood and kills all the fish. Pharaoh’s magicians do the same and he does not relent. The next plagues are an infestation of frogs.
Pharaoh’s magicians can also bring forth frogs, but they can’t make them go away. Now Pharaoh asks Moses to have Hashem get rid of them which he does. Pharaoh’s heart was then still hardened and did not relent. The next plagues were lice, swarms of insects (which didn’t appear in Goshen where the Israelites lived). Pharoah tells Moses that if he makes the insects go away, he’ll let them go off in the Wilderness for the three-day festival for Hashem. Once Moses does that, Pharaoh again goes back on his word.
The next plague is pestilence of the Egyptians livestock. The sixth plague was boils. The seventh was hail, and the Egyptians were warned. Pharaoh now is repentant. Once again, Pharaoh goes back on his word to let the Israelites go worship Hashem.}
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