The Difficult Road to Redemption

This week we excitedly begin a new book of the Torah. When we read a book, any book, someone might ask us: “What is it about?” It is sometimes difficult to encapsulate a book in a short phrase or comment, but it is a task that forces us to think about the central messages and to examine the storyline of the book in question. This is true about the Torah as well. Many of our sages tried to give titles or themes for the books of Chumash. As we begin Sefer Shemot, we might want to think about the central theme, the content of Sefer Shemot. What is the motif of the Sefer?

In his introduction to the Sefer, the Ramban makes this comment:

“The Book of Shemot is dedicated to the first Galut (Exile) …. and to the Redemption from it.”