Parashat Shemot

The Book of Names – A New Year and Book

January 9, 2026 | 19 Tevet 5786

Exodus 1:1–6:1

“The Book of Names”
Before we begin the brief synopsis, let’s address the obvious question:

Why is the second book of the Torah called The Book of Names — and not Exodus?

It’s a great question and one that goes straight to the heart of what the Torah is trying to teach us.

Most English Bibles call this book Exodus, because the central historical event is the Israelites leaving Egypt. But that title comes from the Greek and Latin translations, not from Jewish tradition.

In Hebrew, it is called it שְׁמוֹת — Shemot — “The Book of Names.”

So why “Names,” and not “Exodus”?

Because Judaism doesn’t name books after their plotline.

We name them after their soul.

And the soul of Shemot is this truth:

Even in slavery, we were not anonymous.

Even in darkness, we were not forgotten.

G-d knew our names.

A Brief Prelude — Welcome to Shemot, The Book of Names

Not Exodus.

Not Slavery.

Not Redemption.

Not Miracles.

Just… Names.

The book opens tenderly:

וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל

“These are the names of the Children of Israel…”

(Exodus 1:1)

Names we already read back in Genesis — repeated again, as if the Torah wants to pause and reassure us:

I remember who you are.

I have not forgotten you.

Rashi — the great medieval Torah scholar — asks:

Why repeat these names now?

And he answers with a Midrash (a commentary) filled with love:

Just as G-d lovingly counts the stars and calls each by name,

so too does He lovingly count and name Israel.

Because names matter.

Not statistics.

Not reports.

Not labels.

Names.

A name is identity.

A name is relationship.

A name says:

You matter. You are known. You are loved.

G-d Still Knows Our Names — Even in Darkness

As the Israelites descend into slavery and suffering, the Torah tells us:

וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים… וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים… וַיֵּדַע אֱלֹהִים

“And G-d heard…

And G-d saw…

And G-d knew.”

(Exodus 2:24–25)

And again:

כִּֽי־רָאֹה רָאִיתִי אֶת־עֳנִי עַמִּי… וְאֶת־צַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתִּי

“I have surely seen the suffering of My people…

and I have heard their cries.”

(Exodus 3:7)

It is as if the Torah gently whispers:

Before the world forgets who you are,

know that G-d has not forgotten your name.

Even when the world fails to see you —

He does.

Through every chapter — even the painful ones — G-d says:

You are not lost.

You are not invisible.

I know your name.

A Brief Synopsis of This Week’s Parsha

This week’s Parsha begins with names — the sons of Jacob who came down to Egypt.

Time passes.

A new Pharaoh arises — one who “did not know Joseph.”

Gratitude fades.

Suspicion grows.

Fear becomes policy.

The Israelites are enslaved.

Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the newborn boys — but Shifra and Puah courageously refuse.

Moses is born. Hidden. Then placed in a basket upon the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and raises him. Moses grows, witnesses injustice, and flees to Midian.

There — at the Burning Bush — G-d calls to him:

כִּֽי־רָאֹה רָאִיתִי אֶת־עֳנִי עַמִּי… וְאֶת־צַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתִּי

“I have surely seen the suffering of My people…

and I have heard their cries.”

(Exodus 3:7)

It is the beginning of redemption.

And it all begins with G-d remembering our names.

One More Thought About “The Book of Names”

Our Rabbis note that our tradition does not call this book:

• The Book of Slavery
  • The Book of Moses
  • The Book of Miracles

but rather:

Sefer Shemot — The Book of Names

Because before suffering begins —
before identity is blurred by oppression —

the Torah pauses to tell us:

You matter.
You are known.
Your name is precious.

The Midrash teaches that G-d counts the people of Israel just as He counts the stars…

Because love counts.

What This Parsha Means for Israel

Shemot speaks gently yet powerfully to the heart of Israel.

Our people have walked through history with both vulnerability and extraordinary resilience. Too often the world has seen us as “the Jews,” rather than as souls with names and stories.

But in Shemot, G-d reminds us:

“וָאֵרֵד לְהַצִּילוֹ”

“And I will come down to save them.”

(Exodus 3:8)

Not a distant G-d.

A present one.

Every soldier, every child, every parent lighting candles, each one is known before Heaven.

And when G-d says He hears our cries, He speaks to every generation.

This Parsha tells Israel:

You are not forgotten.

You are not alone.

You are loved.

And that truth still holds.

What This Parsha Means for the United States

Our remarkable nation also stands at a reflective moment.

It is easy, too easy, to sort people into labels.

But Shemot invites us to see one another not as categories but as sacred reflections of the Divine.

Because the danger begins when Pharaoh stops seeing people and starts seeing numbers.

A healthy society is one that calls people by name.

America is at its best when compassion guides strength, when humility balances power,
and when we remember that every life is a world unto itself.

This Parsha gently whispers:

May we look at one another with kinder eyes a lesson we each need to learn and use in our lives.

What This Parsha Means for Our Community Here at Ocean Reef

And here, in our little corner of paradise, something beautiful happens.

People of different faiths
pray together,
sing together,
learn together,
support one another.

Christians attend Shabbat services.
Members of our Jewish community join Christian worship and Bible study.

Not out of curiosity, but out of love and deep respect.

Here we model
— quietly but powerfully —

that honoring G-d means honoring one another.

Here, names matter.

We greet one another warmly.
We notice when someone is missing.
We show up, not as members of different faith groups, but as neighbors, friends, family.

Ocean Reef reminds us that unity
is not sameness but shared humanity rooted in grace and gratitude.

And I believe G-d smiles upon that.

From Genesis to Names (Exodus) — Our Journey Continues

Genesis taught us about family
about dreams and struggle
blessing and imperfection.

Names | Exodus teaches us
how a family becomes a people and a nation
and how faith becomes our anchor.

And woven through every chapter is one unbroken promise:

G-d knows our names.

A Closing Reflection

As I watched the yachts slip into open water this week, it struck me that each vessel bears a name…

And so do we.

Each life has direction.
Each journey has purpose.
Each soul holds light.

May we enter this new year:

seeing one another more gently
speaking more kindly
walking together more faithfully

And may we always greet one another by name.

A Prayer for Peace

רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם

Master of the Universe,

And may we soon see the day

“וְעָשׂוּ כֻלָּם אֲגֻדָּה אֶחָת לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ”

“When all people join together as one to do Your will.”

 

 

Shabbat Shalom,