This week’s Torah reading is the first of the book of Shemos which means names. It is the 13th Parsha from and including
Bereishis. This Parsha records the beginning of our first exile amongst the nations and it is part of the prophecy that was told to Abraham by Hashem. The Torah starts off by saying, V’ei’leh she’mos Be’nei Yisroel ha’ba’im, or “and these are the names of the children of Israel.” See Exodus 1:1. The Gematria of this term is 1449. The last letters rearranged, spells Tehilim. Another verse with the same number can be found in Psalms 92, where it says le’hagid ba’boker chas’dei’cha, ve’e’mu’nas’cha ba’leilos, or “to tell your kindness in the morning and your faith in the night.” Artscroll commentators say that the morning refers to the redemption and the night is equivalent to the exile. This is appropriate for the beginning of the parsha since it mirrors the theme of the Parsha. In fact, in every exile we are admitted with open arms and eventually, the tide turns until they make it impossible for us to even breath. Hashem has to come to rescue us. I found another related Gematria of 1449 in Ha’azinu where it says , si’arum avoseichem tzur yeladcha, split between two sentences. See Deut 32: 17-18. What I found interesting about this phrase is that the Roshei Tevos (first letters) of each of the four words is the initial of my four Hebrew names, Avraham, Yehuda Tzvi, and Shmaryahu. In my humble opinion, it means that Hashem will show me exile and redemption as well, provided I do teshuva. To me, teshuva or repentance is a daily requirement for my thoughts and actions. From the moment I wake up to the last second before I fall asleep, I try to improve my character. As it is noted in Pirkei Avos, or Ethics of our Fathers, do teshuva the last day of your life and every day could be the last day of the gift of life, which we must constantly appreciate and thank Hashem for that.

With my kaleidescope Gematria, if we add the next word to the above phrase, mitzraymah, we have 1834. Another phrase with same number can be found in the Ana Beco’ach prayer, where it says nah gibor dorshei y’chud’cha ki’va’vas shum’reim, or
“Please O Strong one, those who foster your oneness, guard them like the pupil of the eye.” According to the Zohar, this sentence should be said especially on Tuesday and the angels that take our prayers to heaven that day are Vo’zo’no’yo’o’lo,
lo’ho’do’yo’o’lo and mo’cho’no’yo’o’lo’.We even see an allusion to freedom between the words gibor and dorshei that spells the phrase, Dror, or freedom. So powerful is this prayer that if we merit it, it can set us free.

As noted previously, where a birth and death is recorded in the Torah, you will find the legacy of the person.
Over here, it says vayehi lah livein, vatikrah shemo Moshe. The last letters spells the word na’a’vah or dwelling and the first letters rearranged spells the word Shalom, or peace and together, it can be read as na’a’vah Shalom, or peaceful dwelling. See Exodus 2:10. How does this relate to Moshe? Moshe was the one who brought us the Ten Commandments and he was commandned by Hashem to build a Tabernacle, which is our first House of Prayer. He brought Holiness down to earth.The Gematria of the phrase, na’a’vah shalom equals 438, which is also Beis Hashem or the House of G-d. Moreover, we also see another allusion to the Holy Temple. The beginning of the phrase says vayigdal hayeled va’tive’aihu le’vas paraoh vayehi lah
le’vein, or “and the child grew and she brought him to Pharoah’s daughter and she was to him a son.” The Gematria of this phrase is 1457. Another phrase with the same number is Beis Hamikdosh (861) Yerushalayim (591). Rashi says in Deut. 3:25, that the goodly mountain refers to Jerusalem and the levanon refers to the Temple. Likewise, with aid of Gematria, we see his legacy was not ony the Tabernacle but his end goal was our Holy Temple in Jerusalem, that would bring peace to the world. Remember, we always pray for peace. Our last blessing in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer is a blessing for peace.

The phrase, vatikrah shemo Moshe equals 1398, which is a blessing in the Shemone Esrei, baruch Ata Hashem , Melech oheiv tzedaka u’mishpat, or blessings that come from Hashem, the King who loves righteousness and judgment. Remember was the law giver and he was also the Judge of the people as noted in Parshas Yisro. As such, it is appropriate that his legacy is also one of law giver and Judge.

Eventhough he grew up in the house of foreign royalty, his mission in life was for the Children of Israel to have their own royal palace and that was the Beis Hamikdosh or the House of Hashem, may it speedily come in our generation.

Sincerely,
Avraham David
Ma’amakim