These are Aaron and Moses...These are Moses and Aaron (Ex. 6:26, 27)
Aaron, the first kohen (priest), embodied the proper worship of G-d, and by extension, symbolizes prayer in general. The job of the kohanim was to offer the sacrifices in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In our time, when we have no Temple, prayer must take the place of these sacrifices. Moses, on the other hand, epitomized and symbolized Torah study. The juxtaposition of the two names and their repetition in the reverse order teaches us that there are times in our daily lives when one aspect takes precedence over the other. Sometimes we stress prayer as a preparation for performing mitzvot (commandments) and studying Torah, and sometimes we study first in order to pray more effectively. (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
And I will take you out from under the burdens of Egypt (Ex.6:6)
It is far easier to physically take the Jews out of galut (exile) than it is to remove the inner galut from within every Jew. (Rabbi Yaakov Shimshon of Shpitovka)
And I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt, and I will deliver you from their bondage (Ex. 6:6)
Would it not have made more sense for G-d to mention the release from bondage first, and then promise the Jews that they would be redeemed? Were they not first physically released from slavery before they left Egypt? However, it was only after the fact, after the Jews had actually left the Egyptian exile, that they could appreciate precisely how bitter it had been. Only then could they truly understand what it meant to be delivered from bondage. (Tiferet Uziel)
Behold, the Children of Israel have not hearkened unto me (Ex. 6:12)
What does G-d answer when Moses complains that the Jews will not listen to him? "These are the heads of their fathers' houses." The Jewish people were not to blame for their inattention to Moses' message; the fault was that of the Jewish leaders, who were closed to the idea of the Redemption and unwilling to spread the message. (Ohr Hachaim)
Reprinted from the Parashat Vaera 2002/5763 edition of L’Chaim, a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization.
