Parashat Vaeraפָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא

Vaera (“I Appeared”) opens as God promises to redeem the enslaved Israelites and bring them to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh repeatedly refuses to let the Israelites go, God sends a series of plagues: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, death of livestock, boils, and hail. More than a record of plagues, Vaera (Exodus 6:2-9:35) is about God's self-revelation and covenant faithfulness. It opens with God making Himself known to Moses by the divine name YHVH, in contrast to the patriarchs, who knew Him as El Shaddai (Exodus 6:3). The portion frames the Exodus around the "four expressions of redemption" (Exodus 6:6-7): "I will bring you out," "I will deliver you," "I will redeem you," and "I will take you to Me for a people." It also wrestles with Moses's self-doubt and "uncircumcised lips," the theological problem of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart, and divine judgments (shefatim) against Egypt. A recurring refrain ties the plagues to a purpose larger than punishment: "that you shall know that I am the LORD."

The Haftarah for Vaera is Ezekiel 28:25-29:21, read in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities. The thematic link is direct: just as Moses is sent to confront Pharaoh, Ezekiel prophesies judgment against Egypt, portraying Pharaoh as "the great dragon" (tannin) lying in the Nile who arrogantly boasts, "My Nile is my own; I made it for myself" (Ezekiel 29:3). This mirrors Vaera's defiant Pharaoh humbled by divine power and echoes the first plague, the Nile turned to blood. Both texts share the refrain that Egypt and Israel "shall know that I am the LORD," and both close with the promise of Israel's redemption. When Vaera coincides with Shabbat Rosh Chodesh, the Rosh Chodesh haftarah is read instead.

Vaera is the source of several well-known passages. Exodus 6:6-7's "four expressions of redemption" are traditionally cited as the basis for the four cups of wine at the Passover seder. Exodus 6:3, where God declares He appeared to the patriarchs as El Shaddai but was not known to them by the name YHVH, is a theologically pivotal verse. And in Exodus 8:15, Pharaoh's own magicians concede before the plague of lice, "This is the finger of God." Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion and the second in the Book of Exodus, comprising 121 verses, and it narrates the first seven of the ten plagues: blood, frogs, lice, wild animals/swarms, pestilence of livestock, boils, and hail.