Beth HaDerech; Messianic Jewish Congregation, Toronto, Canada

Mashiach like unto Moshe

Weekly Sidra: Shemot (Names) Torah Portion: Shemot /Exodus 1:1-6:1 Haftorah: Yermiyahu /Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 According to the yearly Torah cycle, this week we are reading the weekly Parasha called Shemot which means Names in Hebrew and begins the book of Exodus 1:1-6:1. This portion of Scripture details the birth of Moshe. At the time of Moshe’ birth the people of Israel were slaves to the kingdom of Pharaoh and Egypt / Mitzrayim. The root word of Mitzrayim, according to Brown, Driver and Briggs, is mem/tzadi/resh, metzeir, meaning to border, to shut or to limit. Other sources claim the etymology of the word Mitzrayim lies in tzar, either  or the verb, means to bind, tie up, be restricted, narrow, scant, or cramped, while , a noun, means straits, or distress, and as an adjective means narrow, or tight. All commentators agree that Mitzrayim, the word, represents hardship, distress, oppression, a narrow place or straits etc. They were oppressed by the Egyptians and no matter how hard they worked, their lives were ultimately spent in bitter futility. They were without mercy in their condition and needed a saviour (a Mashiach type). This can be compared to the life of sin and death. This is similar to the situation Israel was in during the 1st Century under Roman rule when Yeshua was born. This is also a situation, at least spiritually, that we’re all in until...