The Hinge Between Promise and Exile
Opening: Context and Verse This is the opening line of Sefer Shemot — Exodus — a threshold verse that ushers us into a new era in Israel’s story. It begins with a deceptively familiar formula: וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמֹות֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵיתֹ֖ו בָּֽאוּ׃ “And these are the names of the sons of…