By listing the names of Jacob's family members who went into Egypt the Torah reminds us of the number of people who affect our lives and our potential to affect the lives of numerous others.
By Rabbi Bradley Artson, provided by the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, for MyJewishLearning.com
In many ways, Sefer Sh'mot (the Book of Exodus) is the most Jewish book of the Torah.
It begins with the origins of the Jewish People as a nation--newly liberated from Egyptian slavery by the God who created the Universe, led to Mt. Sinai, where that same God established an eternal covenant with the Jewish People.
The Mishkan
The remainder of Sefer Sh'mot details the content of that covenant in the many mitzvot (commandments) that comprise Jewish practice and then authorizes the building of a place of worship, the Mishkan (Tabernacle) so that God can dwell amidst the Jews.
Sh'mot has it all--a wonderful story of God's saving love, extensive mitzvot so Jews can reciprocate and concretize that love, and a form of worship where both God and Jews can celebrate their relationship together. Why, with all those great details, would Sefer Sh'mot start with a long list of names?
The book begins "These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household..." The narrative proceeds to list each of those children, even though the list already appeared throughout the Book of Genesis.
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