Parshat Va'eira Exodus 6 2 to 9 35 Va'eira "and I appeared" First Portion Exodus Chapter 6 God spoke to Moses, and He said to him, I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob with the name Almighty God, but with My name YHWH, I did not become known to them. And also, I established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings in which they sojourned. And also, I heard the moans of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians are holding in bondage, and I remembered My covenant. Therefore, say to the children of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will take you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will save you from their labor, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. And I will take you to Me as a people, and I will be a God to you, and you will know that I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land, concerning which I raised My hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as a heritage; I am the Lord.' Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel, but they did not hearken to Moses because of their shortness of breath and because of their hard labor. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Come, speak to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he will let the children of Israel out of his land. But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, Behold, the children of Israel did not hearken to me. How then will Pharaoh hearken to me, seeing that I am of closed lips? So the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and He commanded them concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Second Portion These following are the heads of the fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn: Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Karmi, these are the families of Reuben. And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Saul, the son of the Canaanitess, these are the families of Simeon. And these are the names of Levi's sons after their generations: Gershon, Kehath, and Merari, and the years of Levi's life were one hundred thirty seven years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei to their families. And the sons of Kehath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, and the years of Kehath's life were one hundred thirty three years. And the sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi; these are the families of the Levites according to their generations. Amram took Jochebed, his aunt, as his wife, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, and the years of Amram's life were one hundred thirty seven years. And the sons of Izhar were Korah and Nepheg and Zichri. And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. Aaron took to himself for a wife, Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. Eleazar, the son of Aaron, took himself one of the daughters of Putiel to himself as a wife, and she bore him Phinehas; these are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families. That is Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, Take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt with their legions. They are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel out of Egypt; they are Moses and Aaron. Now it came to pass on the day that the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, Third Portion that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh everything that I speak to you. But Moses said before the Lord, Behold, I am of closed lips; so how will Pharaoh hearken to me? Exodus Chapter 7 The Lord said to Moses, See! I have made you a lord over Pharaoh, and Aaron, your brother, will be your speaker. You shall speak all that I command you, and Aaron, your brother, shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will increase My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not hearken to you, and I will lay My hand upon the Egyptians, and I will take My legions, My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt with great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth My hand over Egypt, and I will take the children of Israel out of their midst. Moses and Aaron did; as the Lord commanded them, so they did. And Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. Fourth Portion The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Provide a sign for yourselves,' you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your staff, and cast it before Pharaoh; it will become a serpent.' Thereupon, Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the Lord had commanded; Aaron cast his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then, Pharaoh too summoned the wise men and the magicians, and the necromancers of Egypt also did likewise with their magic. Each one of them cast down his staff, and they became serpents; but Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs. But Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken. The Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is heavy; he has refused to let the people out. Go to Pharaoh in the morning; behold, he is going forth to the water, and you shall stand opposite him on the bank of the Nile, and the staff that was turned into a serpent you shall take in your hand. And you shall say to him, 'The Lord God of the Hebrews sent me to you, saying, Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me in the desert, but behold, until now, you have not hearkened. So said the Lord, With this you will know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will smite with the staff that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile, and it will turn to blood. And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become putrid, and the Egyptians will weary in their efforts to drink water from the Nile.' The Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch forth your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their canals, over their ponds, and over all their bodies of water, and they will become blood, and there will be blood throughout the entire land of Egypt, even in wood and in stone.' Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord had commanded, and he raised the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile turned to blood. And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became putrid; the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile, and there was blood throughout the entire land of Egypt. And the necromancers of Egypt did likewise with their secret rites, and Pharaoh's heart was steadfast, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had spoken. Pharaoh turned and went home, and he paid no heed even to this. All the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink because they could not drink from the water of the Nile. Seven full days passed after the Lord had smitten the Nile. The Lord said to Moses, Come to Pharaoh and say to him, 'So said the Lord, Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your borders with frogs. And the Nile will swarm with frogs, and they will go up and come into your house and into your bedroom and upon your bed and into the house of your servants and into your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading troughs; and into you and into your people and into all your servants, the frogs will ascend. ' Exodus Chapter 8 The Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, stretch forth your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the ponds, and bring up the frogs on the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched forth his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the necromancers did likewise with their secret rites, and they brought up the frogs on the land of Egypt. Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let out the people of Israel so that they may sacrifice to the Lord. And Moses said to Pharaoh, Boast of your superiority over me. For when shall I entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and from your houses, that they should remain only in the Nile? And he Pharaoh said, For tomorrow. And he Moses said, As you say, in order that you should know that there is none like the Lord, our God. Fifth Portion And the frogs will depart from you and from your houses and from your servants and from your people; only in the Nile will they remain. And Moses and Aaron went away from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs that He had brought upon Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to Moses' word, and the frogs died from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. They gathered them into many heaps, and the land stank. When Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken. The Lord said to Moses, Say to Aaron, 'Stretch forth your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and it shall become lice throughout the entire land of Egypt.' They did so, and Aaron stretched forth his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and the lice were upon man and beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout the entire land of Egypt. And the necromancers did likewise with their secret rites to bring out the lice, but they could not, and the lice were upon man and beast. So the necromancers said to Pharaoh, It is the finger of God, but Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken. And the Lord said to Moses, Arise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, behold, he is going out to the water, and you shall say to him, 'So said the Lord, Let My people go out and serve Me. For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will incite against you and against your servants and against your people and in your houses a mixture of noxious creatures, and the houses of Egypt will be filled with the mixture of noxious creatures, as well as the land upon which they are. And I will separate on that day the land of Goshen, upon which My people stand, that there will be no mixture of noxious creatures there, in order that you know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. Sixth Portion And I will make a redemption between My people and your people; this sign will come about tomorrow. ' The Lord did so, and a heavy mixture of noxious creatures came to Pharaoh's house and his servants' house, and throughout the entire land of Egypt, the land was destroyed because of the mixture of noxious creatures. Thereupon, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and he said, Go, sacrifice to your God in the land. But Moses said, It is improper to do that, for we will sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to God our Lord. Will we sacrifice the deity of the Egyptians before their eyes, and they will not stone us? Let us go for a three day journey in the desert and sacrifice to the Lord, our God, as He will say to us. Pharaoh said, I will let you go out, and you will sacrifice to the Lord, your God, in the desert, but do not go far away; entreat Him on my behalf. Moses said, Behold, I am going away from you, and I will entreat the Lord, and the mixture of noxious creatures will depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only let Pharaoh not tease anymore, by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. So Moses went away from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. And the Lord did according to Moses' word, and He removed the mixture of noxious creatures from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one was left. But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go. Exodus Chapter 9 The Lord said to Moses, Come to Pharaoh and speak to him, 'So said the Lord, God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if you refuse to let them go, and you still hold on to them, behold, the hand of the Lord will be upon your livestock that is in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the cattle, and upon the sheep, a very severe pestilence. And the Lord will make a separation between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, and nothing of the children of Israel will die. ' The Lord set an appointed time, saying, Tomorrow, God will do this thing in the land. God did this thing on the morrow, and all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the children of Israel not one died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel died, but Pharaoh's heart became hardened, and he did not let the people out. The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, Take yourselves handfuls of furnace soot, and Moses shall cast it heavenward before Pharaoh's eyes. And it will become dust upon the entire land of Egypt, and it will become boils, breaking out into blisters upon man and upon beast throughout the entire land of Egypt. So they took furnace soot, and they stood before Pharaoh, and Moses cast it heavenward, and it became boils breaking out into blisters upon man and upon beast. And the necromancers could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were upon the necromancers and upon all Egypt. But the Lord strengthened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord spoke to Moses. The Lord said to Moses, Rise early in the morning and stand erect before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'So said the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go so that they may worship Me. Because this time, I am sending all My plagues into your heart and into your servants and into your people, in order that you know that there is none like Me in the entire earth. For if now I had stretched forth My hand, and I had smitten you and your people with pestilence, you would have been annihilated from the earth. But, for this reason I have allowed you to stand, in order to show you My strength and in order to declare My name all over the earth. Seventh Portion If you still tread upon My people, not letting them out, behold, I am going to rain down at this time tomorrow a very heavy hail, the likes of which has never been in Egypt from the day of its being founded until now. And now, send, gather in your livestock and all that you have in the field, any man or beast that is found in the field and not brought into the house the hail shall fall on them, and they will die. ' He who feared the word of the Lord of Pharaoh's servants drove his servants and his livestock into the houses. But he who did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. The Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth your hand heavenward, and hail will be upon the entire land of Egypt, upon man and upon beast and upon all the vegetation of the field in the land of Egypt. So Moses stretched forth his staff heavenward, and the Lord gave forth thunder and hail, and fire came down to the earth, and the Lord rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. And there was hail, and fire flaming within the hail, very heavy, the likes of which had never been throughout the entire land of Egypt since it had become a nation. The hail struck throughout the entire land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail struck all the vegetation of the field, and it broke all the trees of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail. So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, I have sinned this time. The Lord is the righteous One, and I and my people are the guilty ones. Entreat the Lord, and let it be enough of God's thunder and hail, and I will let you go, and you shall not continue to stand. And Moses said to him, When I leave the city, I will spread my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, in order that you know that the land is the Lord's. But you and your servants I know that you still do not fear the Lord God, though the flax and the barley have been broken, for the barley is in the ear, and the flax is in the stalk. The wheat and the spelt, however, have not been broken because they ripen late. Moses went away from Pharaoh, out of the city, and he spread out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain did not come down to earth. And Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased; so he continued to sin, and he strengthened his heart, he and his servants. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go out, as the Lord had spoken through the hand of Moses.