A teaching of the Rebbe on the parsha adapted for children
At the beginning of parashah Shemot the Torah lists again the names of the Children of Israel, although they have already been particularly mentioned in previous parashot. Why does the Torah mention the names again? And what can we learn from this for our daily service to G-d?
In the Midrash there are two explanations: 1) The Torah wants to mention the praise of the Children of Israel, who during all the years of the hard exile in Egypt, did not change their names. They were not influenced by the Egyptians and did not seek to resemble them, but took care of their Jewish identity; 2) the people of Israel are like the stars in the sky. In Sefer Tehilim it says that G-d calls each star by name, to highlight its importance: "He counts the stars by their number, he calls them all by name." Something that has no name can disappear more easily, it does not matter. To highlight the importance of the Children of Israel, the Torah again mentions them by name, to affirm that they will not disappear into the darkness of exile in Egypt, and that they live and exist forever like the stars. The two explanations are related and complement each other: G-d calls the Children of Israel by name to give them the strength to live and exist without being influenced by the exile, but to take care of their Jewish identity.
The Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that: “In each generation and generation, in each day and day, the man must see himself as leaving Egypt today”. My personal departure from Egypt "every day and day" is not to be influenced by the exile that surrounds us, but to illuminate it with the light of the geulah. G-d calls me every moment with my Jewish name, unique in his class, like a “star that shines in the sky”. I must take advantage of the strength that was given to me to illuminate the world around me with the light of the Torah and its mitzvot. This is also the best preparation to receive our righteous Messiah soon in our days.
