Parsha Talk Va'era 5786 2026

Parashat Va’era [Exodus 6:2-9:35] is the second parashah in the Book of Exodus, and a lot happens. Moses returns to Egypt and takes the mantle of leadership, appearing before Pharaoh with his brother, Aaron, his mouthpiece. In one place, God tells Moses, who is concerned about his public speaking deficiencies, that he will be like God, and Aaron his prophet. Very quickly, the text moves through the first 7 plagues, preparing for the denoument next week, with the last three plagues and the Exodus, the actual leaving of Egypt. There is so much to say about this parashah, but we focused on the roles of Moses and Aaron. We were missing Jeremy again this week, who is sitting shivah for his father, Michael Kaplan z”l, who died last Friday and was buried on Sunday. Our condolences to Jeremy and his family. We continue to keep in mind Ran Gvili, who remains the single hostage whose body has not been returned for its much deserved proper and dignified burial. We also keep in mind the soldiers defending Israel as part of the Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.