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The momentous second Book of Moses, and the similarly named portion of the week, Shemot, actually begins with the letter Vav, which means "and". So it's not "These are the names" but rather "AND these are the names" of the children of Israel. In my Hebrew Reading Classes I explain the richness of the Hebrew language deriving meaning even from the individual letters such as the Vav, which is called Vav HaChibur, which literally means "the hook that connects". And that is because when you add "and" to a word, you are by definition connecting it to what immediately precedes it.
What are we connecting to the Book of Exodus; what directly precedes it?
The Book of Genesis concludes with a genealogy of the various families that comprised the tribes at the time of Jacob's passing while the Book of Exodus details the process by which the tribes became a unified nation. By connecting the two, the Torah is telling us that the family structure doesn't get absorbed into the nation to the point where it loses its independent significance. And for that matter neither does the significance of the individual, which was also so important in our formation as a nation. As Jews, we can achieve greatness on all these levels.
The TriBeCa Synagogue expresses our deep appreciation to all those who responded to our end of year appeal. We look forward to a great 2021 with renewed commitment and resources to serving our community to our utmost capacity.
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