Parashat Shemot.

Exodus 1:1 to 6:1 · first portion of the book of Exodus

Full text with Rashi ›

When is it read?

diaspora and IsraelSaturday, January 2, 2027 Saturday, January 22, 2028 Saturday, January 6, 2029

Opening verses

וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃

1:1NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household:

רְאוּבֵ֣ן שִׁמְע֔וֹן לֵוִ֖י וִיהוּדָֽה׃

1:2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבְנְיָמִֽן׃

1:3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

Masoretic text and JPS 1917 translation.

The seven aliyot

Aliyah	Verses	Opening
1	Exodus 1:1 to 17	NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt with Jacob; every man came with his household:
2	Exodus 1:18 to 2:10	And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them: ‘Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?’
3	Exodus 2:11 to 25	And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
4	Exodus 3:1 to 15	Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb.
5	Exodus 3:16 to 4:17	Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying: I have surely remembered you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.
6	Exodus 4:18 to 31	And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him: ‘Let me go, I pray thee, and unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.’ And Jethro said to Moses: ‘Go in peace.’
7	Exodus 5:1 to 6:1	And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.’
Maftir	Exodus 5:22 to 6:1	And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said: ‘Lord, wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me?

Rashi on the first verse

וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Now these are the names of the children of Israel. Although scripture has already enumerated them by name whilst they were living, when they went down into Egypt (Genesis 46:8-27), it again enumerates them when it tells us of their death, thus showing how dear they were to G-d, that they are compared to the stars which also G-d brings out and brings in by number and name when they cease to shine, as it is said, (Isaiah 40:26) “He bringeth out their host by number, He calleth them all by name” (Exodus Rabbah 1:3; Tanchuma Yashan 1:1:2).

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Zion Torah's English rendering of Rashi's commentary, CC BY-SA 4.0.