וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרָיְמָה אֵת יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ בָּאוּ׃

“These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household…”

Exodus 1:1

“One of the interesting things about Parashat Shemot, which literally means, “Names,” is that aside from the initial listing of all the names of Jacob and his sons who came to Egypt, there are no other explicit names mentioned in the Parashah until Moses is given his name by Pharaoh’s daughter. Even Pharaoh is the generic name for all kings of Egypt, but then, most of the time he is just referred to as, “King of Egypt” in the beginning of this parashah.”

Shemot, Gal Einai, Inner.org

“PaROH (פרעה, Pharaoh) represents a person’s imagination at the time that it disturbs (מפריע, maPhRiA) and distracts him from his ultimate goal, the World to Come. Pharaoh directed his decrees specifically against male children. This is because the Hebrew word ZaKhaR (male) can also be translated as “remember” (Likutey Moharan I, 54:6) . In other words, misapplied imagination keeps a person from remembering the World to Come.”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 324-332). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

“PaROH (פרעה Pharaoh) is similar to HaPhRaOt (הפרעות) disturbances or distractions). A person’s distracting thoughts enslave him ( Likutey Moharan I, 35:1)."

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 1041-1046). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

“Rabbi Shelomo asked: What is the worst thing the Evil Inclination can achieve? And he answered:

“To make man forget that he Is the son of a king.”

Martin Buber’s Ten Rungs, �Collected Hasidic Sayings, Citadel Press, pg. 94

“The Jews are called IVRim(עברים, Hebrews) because with their faith they OVeiR(עובר, get past) all their doubts and the challenges to their faith (Likutey Moharan I, 64:2).”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading . Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

The children of Israel groaned because of the bondage (2:23)

“Until this point, the children of Israel were so deeply sunk in their galut that they could not even sense it. But now, when the first budding of their redemption began to emerge, they could begin to feel the depth of their suffering.”

Chiddushei HaRim cited at Chabad.org

“Any exodus from trouble or suffering begins with one's cries and prayers to God (Likutey Halakhot V, p. 332)."

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 493-495). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

“Just as the entire nation of Israel experiences exile and redemption, so does each and every individual, as the verse says: “Draw near to my soul and redeem it” (Psalm 69:19). Therefore, a person should first pray for the redemption of his soul, before praying for the redemption of the nation.”

Toldot Yaakov Yosef, Shemini, cited in Baal Shem Tov, Genesis, Exodus, R’ Dr. Eliezer Shore, BST Publishing, pg. 112

“Precisely because Torah observance is so difficult in today’s decadent society, it is so much more precious. Our generation faces the last and greatest challenge: to withstand the greatest impurity that has ever been, and thereby uproot all evil from the world. Our seemingly humble accomplishments are much more important than they appear. They set the stage for the coming of Moshiach and the ultimate Redemption, may it be soon and in our days, Amen.”

Rebbe, Biala. Mevaser Tov on the Weekly Torah Portion (p. 104). Kindle Edition.

“This week’s Torah reading imbues us with the inner strength and spiritual power to demand positivity and blessing, and to reject our self-imposed limitation, our self-denigration and enslavement to narrow, shallow states of being. As long as we are in any form of exile, we must demand a better reality for ourselves and our world, and give our demands a voice in prayer. The first step to personal freedom and empowerment is simply to stop accepting slavery to our surroundings, upbringing, genetics, or our inner sensory and emotional environment. We must clearly realize that slavery is not our natural state. Life can be different. . .Just by realizing this, we are already beginning to turn away from our narrative of smallness and open ourselves to the possibility of freedom. When you expect more depth out of life, more depth of life becomes available. Your demand itself broadens your vessel to receive more Light. Demand depth from yourself, and your behavior, as well. Stop serving limited concepts of who you are and what you can be . . .”

Pinson, Dovber. Awakenings: Drawing Life from the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 145). IYYUN PUBLISHING. Kindle Edition.

“The evil forces always try to entrap a person and prevent him from doing good. These forces are symbolized by MitZRayIM (Egypt), which represents MeitZaRIM (narrow straits, constrictions)—i.e., the suffering and difficulties that result from sin. . . . the forces of evil pretend not to "know Joseph”—they do not recognize the tzaddik and his ability to assist people in their quest for Godliness. Instead, they seek to enslave and repress people with “hard labor”—these are the hard questions people have regarding their devotions and their difficulties in attaining clear answers (Zohar I, 27a).”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading . Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

“A person draws his main life force from the Torah, �through the tzaddik (Likutey Moharan I, 8).”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS�Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading . Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

“When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket (teivah) for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the rivers bank.”

Exodus 2:3

“Make an ark (teivah) of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.”

Genesis 6:14

Pharaoh’s daughter] saw the box among the rushes, and she sent her maid (“ammatah”) to fetch it (2:5)

​

“Another interpretation of this verse renders the Hebrew word ammatah as “her arm” rather than “her maid.” Ammatah also means “arm length.” This is to teach us that “her arm was extended for many arm-lengths” (to enable her to reach the basket).”

Talmud; Rashi cited at Chabad.org

“If Moses’ basket lay beyond her reach, why did Pharaoh’s daughter extend her arm? Could she possibly have anticipated the miracle that her hand would be “extended for many arm-lengths”? There is a profound lesson here for each and every one of us. Often, we are confronted with a situation that is beyond our capacity to rectify. Someone or something is crying out for our help, but there is nothing we can do: by all natural criteria, the matter is simply beyond our reach. So we resign ourselves to inactivity, reasoning that the little we can do won’t change matters anyway. But Pharaoh’s daughter heard a child’s cry and extended her arm. An unbridgeable distance lay between her and the basket containing the weeping infant, making her action seem utterly pointless. But because she did the maximum of which she was capable, she achieved the impossible. Because she extended her arm, G‑d extended its reach, enabling her to save a life and raise the greatest human being ever to walk the face of the earth.”

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, cited at Chabad.org

“The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Exodus 2:10

“Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah”

Genesis 41:45

וַתַּהַר הָאִשָּׁה וַתֵּד בֵּן וַתֵּרֶא אֹתוֹ כִּי־טוֹב הוּא וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ שְׁלֹשָה יְרָחִים׃

She saw him, that he was good (2:2)

“At the time when Moses was born, the whole house was filled with light. For it is written here, “She saw him that he was good,” and elsewhere it is written (Genesis 1:4), “G‑d saw the light that it was good.”

Talmud, Sotah 12a

She saw him, that he was good (2:2)

“At the time when Moses was born, the whole house was filled with light. For it is written here, “She saw him that he was good,” and elsewhere it is written (Genesis 1:4), “G‑d saw the light that it was good.”

Sotah 12a cited at Chabad.org, Parsha In-Depth

“Moses was completely good, which was why he was able to find good in others (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 2a).”

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading . Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

אִמְרוּ צַדִּיק כִּי־טוֹב

“Say of the Righteous, he is good.”

Isaiah 3:10

“Additionally, we find that Moses was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, who gave him the name Moshe, meaning “the one who was drawn from the water.” MoSheH (משה, Moses), which has the numerical value of 345, represents redemption; he elevates the Jews from ShMaD (שמד, destruction), which is numerically equivalent to 344, to RatZON (רצון, Divine Favor), which is numerically equivalent to 346 �(Likutey Moharan I, 215) . Pharaoh’s daughter was also elevated from idolatry to favor, and it was because of Moses that she converted to Judaism (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 268).”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 376-380). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

Mosheh - Hashem

משה - השם

Moses – The Name

“G‑d said to Moses: You want to know My name? I am called by My deeds. I might be called E‑l Sha‑dai, or Tzevakot, or Elokim, or HaVaYaH. When I judge My creatures, I am called Elokim. When I wage war on the wicked, I am called Tzevakot. When I tolerate the sins of man, I am called E‑l Sha‑dai. When I have compassion on My world, I am called HaVaYaH . . .”

Midrash Rabbah cited at Chabad.org

“The Patriarchs were the first to reveal Godliness in the world, but this revelation did not take place all at once. The revelation of truth is an ongoing process, one that can take many generations. However, each person is required to contribute his share. "

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading . Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

“We know that God is called Y-H-V-H (י-ה-ו-ה), which stands for היה (He was), הוה (He is), and יהיה (He always will be). If so, what does the Name Eheyeh (I Will Be) come to teach us? Though God always exists, at times His Presence is not manifest. Eheyeh signifies "I will be manifest"—i.e., the time will come when people will recognize Me (Likutey Halakhot III, p. 12a).”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 738-748). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

"Moses exclaimed, “Send [the redemption] with the one You intend to send [i.e., Mashiach]!" (Exodus 4:13) for he knew that he would not live to see the end of such a long exile. Then God assured him that Aaron would join him and rejoice over his appointment as leader of the nation (ibid., 4:14) hinting that joy is the key to enduring and eventually leaving the exile ( Likutey Halakhot II, p. 161a-322-163a).”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 552-557). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

וַיֹּאמֶר בִּי אֲדֹנָי שְׁלַח־נָא בְּיַד־תִּשְׁלָח׃

“O please, my G‑d! Send by the hand of him whom you shall send!” (4:13)

Said Moses: I know that I am not destined to take them into the Land and to be their future redeemer. You have other messengers—send them!”

Rashi cited at Chabad.org

“Shiloh”

שילה

משה

“Moshe”

“El Shaddai (אל שדי), The Egyptian (המצרי)”

5 30 10 300

5 300 40

משה

“Moshe”

​

“The Egyptian” (המצרי) = Level 40

“The Nazarene” (הנצרי) = Level 50

ישו הנצרי = ארץ מצרים

“Similarly, a person’s name is associated with life, as in the phrase “A living soul is his name” (Genesis 2:19) . The loss of one’s name (and reputation) is equivalent to death (Likutey Moharan II, 66).”

REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: EXODUS-LEVITICUS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (Kindle Locations 988-991). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.

וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא־לוֹ הָֽאָדָם� נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה הוּא שְׁמוֹ׃

“Mashiach (מָשִיחַ) is a permutation of the words, “a living name” (שֵׁם חַי); when the Jewish People awaken from their slumber in exile, Jewish names come alive too.”

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh. The Inner Dimension: Insight into the Weekly Torah Portion (p. 103). Gal Einai. Kindle Edition.

Shem Chai / Living Name = Mashiach/Messiah

And she called his name Moshe

“Someone who will save others by pulling them out of their calamity. ..the reason why I called him thus is so that he in turn would rescue others from their problems, just as I have pulled him out of the water (in which he would have drowned) . . . Moses was saved only so that in his life he would become the instrument of saving others.”

Sforno on Exodus 2:10:1-2

“The name she gave Moses was inspired by Divine input as is appropriate seeing that in due course this child would pull the Children of Israel out of their exile.”

Tur HaAroch, Exodus 2:10:1

“...you shall call his name Yeshua, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:21

קָרָאתָ אֶת־​שְׁמוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ כִּי הוּא יוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־​עַמּוֹ מֵחַטֹּאתֵיהֶם׃