As we begin Shemot, we step with the Torah from family stories into the birth of a people. Together, we notice how names slowly disappear as slavery takes hold, and how identity shifts from who we are to what we are forced to be. We linger over Moses’ early life, set adrift in a life-saving ark, growing up between worlds, and learning when to act and when to see. We trace the echoes of Genesis as creation gives way to national becoming.

From Miriam’s courage to Moses’ hesitation at the burning bush, this episode invites us to ask how leaders are formed, how miracles are recognized, and how God’s promise to be with us unfolds in uncertainty. As Exodus begins, we find ourselves at the threshold of liberation, still unsure of the path ahead, but no longer unnamed.

For more reading, here is this year's blog post about the parsha:

https://miko284.com/2026/01/08/and-these-are-the-names-the-opening-of-the-book-of-exodus/