Lessons for Humanity from the Weekly Parshah "AND THESE ARE THE
NAMES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL": With the beginning of the book
of SHEMOS, "Exodus", Israel enters the world stage as a people.
Pharaoh himself, their oppressor, recognizes them as "the PEOPLE
of the Children of Israel, many and mighty." (Ex. 1:9). Their
servitude in Egypt is in fulfillment of the promise given to
their founding father, Abraham: "Surely KNOW that your seed will
be strangers in a land that is not theirs and they will serve
them and they will oppress them. And also the people that they
will serve I will judge, and afterwards they will go forth with
great wealth" (Gen. 15:13-14). The Exodus of the People of
Israel from Egypt is the pivotal event in the history of
mankind, paradigm of all true freedom and liberation, the
eternal proof that G-d is not only the Creator of the natural
world but also directs and controls all aspects of human affairs
with HASHGACHAH PRATIS - "providence in every detail" - for
good. For the sake of G-d's