Vaeira - and I appeared

The second reading from the book of Exodus and the fourteenth reading from the Torah is called Va’era, which means “and I appeared.” This name comes from the opening words of Exodus 6:3, where God says to Moses, “And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty [El Shaddai], but by My name, the Lord [YHWH], I was not known to them.” In this passage, God reaffirms His covenant with the patriarchs and reveals Himself to Moses in a deeper way, emphasizing His faithfulness and power to fulfill His promises.

The portion begins with God declaring His four promises of redemption to the Israelites: He will bring them out from under their burdens, rescue them from slavery, redeem them with an outstretched arm and great judgments, and take them to Himself as His people (Exodus 6:6-7). These promises form the foundation of Jewish tradition, symbolized in the four cups of wine at the Passover Seder.

The narrative then shifts to the dramatic confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh. God commands Moses to demand the release of the Israelites, but Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened. In response, God unleashes the first seven of the ten plagues upon Egypt: turning the Nile into blood, sending swarms of frogs, gnats, and flies, causing the livestock to die, bringing painful boils upon the Egyptians, and devastating their land with hail. Each plague demonstrates God’s sovereignty over nature and the gods of Egypt, systematically dismantling Pharaoh’s power and forcing Egypt to acknowledge the God of Israel.

This portion sets the stage for the climactic events of the Exodus, as God’s promise to redeem His people unfolds with power and purpose.

Questions raised this week

1. (B) What is meant by the "uncircumcised lips" of Moses? (6:12; 30) How might this connect with the discouragement of Israel (6:9) and the hard heart of pharoah?

2. (A) Who hardened Pharaoh's heart and why?

Compare this parasha with Romans 9 (specifically verse 18). In light of this Torah portion, how are we to understand the hardening mentioned in Romans 9? How are we to understand the nature of Pharaoh's calling according to Romans 9?

3. (C) Why does it mention Moses and Aaron's ages? Is there something to learn? Does God work outside our neat framework of age stages of life? It just made me think about disqualifying ourselves when God doesn't...

4. (C) Why does the text detail the genealogy in the middle of the narrative? Does it help us frame Moses' self doubting amongst the mention of many many famous people who are to come? Again a theme of self disqualification on the backdrop of the bigger picture God is intimately involved in placing you within.