SHEMOT

This week's Parshat Shemot means "names".  The Parsha starts by saying "Veile Shemot" and these are the names...  The vav in the beginning, means it is a continuation of last week's parsha.  Hashem loves his children so much. He counts them by name again. 

Shemot- names.  Here are personalized cupcakes with names!

Each and every one of us is unique and important.  In this week's parsha Bnei Yisrael start their difficult descent to Egypt.  After many years of hardship the Bnei Yisrael will finally come out of Egypt and receive the Torah, "Keish Echad Belev Edhad"- united.  We are all different and have different opinions.  The trick is to accept everyone for who they are so that we can have ACHDUT in our times and be together as one.  When will we learn this valuable lesson?


PARSHA POINTS:

·    The Parsha begins by recounting Yaakov and his family's move to Egypt.

·  A new King Pharaoh has been appointed over Egypt and he does not know the great things that Yosef did for Egypt.

·  The Egyptians, under Pharaoh’s rule, turn Bnei Yisrael into slaves.

·  The Egyptian astrologers predict that a Jewish man free the Jewish slaves. Pharaoh therefore orders all boys born to Bnei Yisrael to be thrown into the Nile River. The Jewish midwives, Shifrah and Puah don't listen to him.

·  A boy is born to a man from the tribe of Levi and his mother puts him in a reef basket on the river so the Egyptians will not discover him. The daughter of Pharaoh rescues him and names him Moshe.

·  Moshe grows up in Pharaoh’s palace. When he goes out to foresee the Jewish slaves, he sees an Egyptian beating a Jewish slave. Moshe rescues the slave by killing the Egyptian and is told on by other Jews who saw him. He escapes Pharaoh by running to Midyan.

·  In Midyan, Moshe helps the seven daughters of the high priest Yitro. He marries Yitro's daughter Tzipora and works as his shepherd. Moshe and Tzipora have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer.

·  One day, Moshe encounters a bush that is engulfed in flames but is not burning. Hashem talks to Moshe from that bush and tells him to go to Egypt to free Bnei Yisrael. Hashem gives him signs to show Pharaoh that will convince him to let Bnei Yisrael go.

· Moshe goes back to Mitzrayim and, along with his brother, meets with Pharaoh. Pharaoh refuses to listen to Moshe and ignores the signs. Pharaoh decides to punish Bnei Yisrael by making their workload even harder.

PARSHA PUZZLE:

Pharaoh was worried; he did not like the news,

He felt the rising power that came upon the Jews,

He decided to make them work hard and enslave them,

The Jews worked very hard, they all cried to Hashem.

Pharaoh instructed Shifra and Puah, the 2 midwives,

That if a boy is born, they cannot stay alive.

They both did not listen, the thought just made them quiver,

So Pharaoh instructed each boy must be thrown into the river.

We learn about the story of Moshe and Pharaoh’s daughter Batya,

How he was saved because he was placed in a teiva.

He was saved from the basket that was placed in the water,

And when he grew up he married Yitro’s daughter.

Moshe was in charge of his father in laws flock,

One day while he was watching the sheep, he got a little shock.

One of the sheep started running away,

When Moshe ran after it, he saw something on display.

Something that does not happen and something he removed.

He stared at it in awe, he was very moved.

What did he remove and what did he see?

If you know the answer, you know this parsha perfectly.

Cake with graham cracker crumbs and chocolate shoes.

(Answer:  He removed his shoes when he saw a burning bush that was burning and the bush was not destroyed.)

PLAYING WITH THE PARSHA:

·        Play the name game.  The first person begins with “I went on a trip and I took along Aliza.”  The next person continues with “I went on a trip and I took along Aliza and Bracha.”  Keep on going until you’ve reached the end of the alphabet.  This is a good memory game.

· Write down some Parsha questions before Shabbat.  Place them in a “basket” and pass it around the Shabbat table and each person picks a question and tries to answer it.  

                                    Here are some examples:

·  How many descendants of Yaakov came down with him

to Mitzraim?.

·  How many children were born at one time?

·  What were the names of the two midwives?

·   What did Paroah command his people to do to the boys?

·   Who were Moshe’s parents?

·  For how long did Moshe’s mother hide him?

·  Who gave Moshe his name? What does it mean?

·  What did Moshe do to the Mitzri who was hitting the Jew?

·  What was the first sign Hashem gave Moshe?

· What problem did Moshe have that he felt it would be too difficult to speak to Pharoah?

· Who did Moshe want to go speak instead of him?

·        Discuss what was unusual about the bush burning.  Think of other things that would be impossible to happen.  See how many things you can come up with.

SHABBAT IMABBA:
Here is a great way for my father and I to learn a little bit of Parsha each week, even though we live far from each other. ( I like the play on words of Abba in the word Shabbat and Imabba meaning "with Abba" and Ima Abba written together!  Thanks Abba and Ima :-)!

Hashem commands Moshe to remove his shoes from his feet.  The Pardes Yosef quotes the Medrash in Gemara Shabbat 129 saying: " Leolam yimkor adam afilu korot beito veyikach minaalayim leraglav."  A man should even sell the walls of his house and buy shoes for his feet.  From this we learn the importance of shoes to man.  Hashem commanded Moshe though to remove his shoes.  To step on holy land and to settle in Eretz Yisrael, "Shal naalecha", remove your shoes.  It is worthwhile to remove your shoes and live here in Eretz Yisrael.  ( I think my father is starting to get into making aliya :-)

In Parshat Shemot2/5 it says "    וַתִּשְׁלַח אֶת-אֲמָתָהּ וַתִּקָּחֶהָ
When the daughter of Pharoh saw the basket she stretched out her hand.The midrash tells us that there was a miracle and even though she could not reach the basket, her hand stretched out and she was able to reach it.  If she knew she could not reach it, why did she even stretch out her hand?  We learn from here that even if something seems beyond our reach, it is always important to try as hard as you can.  You never know.  You might be able to reach that which you never thought you can.....

Thought of the week:            

                            

The story of "Moshe and the Teiva" is a favorite of many Jewish children worldwide. Yocheved was forced to hide Moshe somewhere away from her house because it was only a matter of time before the Egyptians would find him. The Abarbanel explains that keeping Moshe in the house would endanger the entire family. An interesting question worth asking is why Yocheved specifically chose to hide Moshe in a little teiva on the banks of the Yeor?

The Midrash Raba explains that Pharaoh's astrologers saw that the Jewish leader who would take the Jews out of Egypt would have some sort of failure relating to water. As a result, Pharaoh decreed that all Jewish male babies be killed by drowning in the Yeor.  The Midrash explains that Yocheved hoped to confuse the astrologers by placing Moshe in the Yeor. She hoped that they would "see" that Moshe had met his fate in the water. The Abarbanel also explains that Yocheved hoped that a passerby would see Moshe and have mercy on him and save him. Of course, this is exactly what happened as Moshe was saved by Pharaoh's daughter, and was raised in Pharaoh's own house. This brings forth one of the most powerful lessons of the story: Not only was Pharaoh powerless to oppose Hashem's will of saving the Jews, but he unknowingly raised the very person who took them out of Egypt!     

 

Desserts of the week:

Moshe Bateva- (easy version)

What you will need:

1.     Small piece of Chocolate cake

2.     Graham crackers or Pettit bar cookies

3.     Clear jello

4.     Blue food coloring

5.     Plastic baby toy

·        Cut a rectangular piece of cake.

·        Line the cookies all around the cake.

·        Make the jello and add blue food coloring. Let cool.

·        Assemble around the “teiva”.

·        Place the plastic baby in the middle of the cake.

Moshe Bateva- more advanced…

What you will need:

1.     Rectangular cake.

2.     Green frosting

3.     “Chocolate rocks” – sold in the candy store.

4.     Decorating bags to put icing in

5.     Fondant

6.     Blue food coloring

7.     Brown food coloring

·         

 The Burning Bush

What you will need:    
Your favorite cake
whip or marshmallow fluff
crushed graham crackers or petit bars.
Bake your favorite cake.
frost with whip or fluff
add crushed cookies.
You can add a plastic bush.
I have a chocolate mold of shoes. (you can put toy shoes if you would like)
Man shaped cookie
 

 Decorate the man- give him eyes, nose, mouth, buttons etc…  Place the man on the cake.  Push him a bit into the cake so he stands.  Place the bush on the cake as well.  Rest the feet and shoes on the side of the cake.   

One more.... With the extra cookie dough.  Chocolate chips for nails...                    

Shal naalecha Meal Raglecha- remove your shoes- cookie feet...

Cupcakes:

Icing

Food coloring

Skewers

Paper                                                                   

6 eggs                                                       
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp vanilla sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tbsp cocoa (optional)

Beat eggs and sugar.
Sift together flour, baking powder and vanilla sugar.
Add to eggs alternating with the orange juice and oil .
Add cocoa if desired
Set aside the batter for 1 hr.  Pour batter into lined  muffin tins 2/3 full
Bake at 350 degrees  for 20-25 minutes


Glaze
1/2 to 3/4 cup whipped topping

6 oz baking chocolate or chocolate chips (optional)

Pour whipped topping into a saucepan.
Add chocolate and mix until it is creamy.
Let this sit for 10 minutes
Dip each cupcake  into the glaze and sprinkle your choice of topping. Refrigererate until it is set.

Colorful frosting:

Frosting:
2 egg whites
3½ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
food coloring
Beat the egg whites on medium high speed until stiff, but not dry. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar and orange juice. Beat for one minute or until the frosting is thick and glossy. Add a little additional water or sugar, if needed to get the right consistency. Add the color of your choice.
Spread the frosting on the tops of the cupcakes immediately.