El Rachamin, The God of Compassion
-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
Introduction:
What is your understanding of the word compassion? How can you show it to others?
Last week, when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and died. Joseph wept over him and kissed him. He commanded his servants and the physicians to embalm the body of Jacob, and even the Egyptians mourned. Joseph spoke to Pharaoh to let him go back to Canaan to bury his father at Machpelah, which Abraham bought as a possession for burial.
Now that Jacob was gone, the brothers of Joseph were frightened. They thought Joseph might take vengeance for all the evil things they had done to him. But Joseph calmed and assured his brothers that he would provide for them and their little ones. Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. Before he died, he comforted his brothers, saying that Adonai YHVH would surely visit them and bring them out of the land of Egypt, which He had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and their father Jacob.
Baruch Hashem, we are now in the book of Exodus, and our Torah portion deals with the fulfillment of Genesis 15:13, where Adonai YHVH said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.” So how would this happen?
First, they should multiply (vv.6–8). Chapter 1 of Exodus begins with the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt. The time came when Joseph, his brothers, and that generation died, but the children of Israel multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty, filling the land and triggering Pharaoh’s fear. Eventually, the growth of Adonai’s chosen nation was amazing! Imagine—from 70 men (Gen. 46:27) to 603,550 (Num. 1:46). The promise of Adonai to Abraham was finally fulfilled.
Second, the new Pharaoh did not know Joseph (vv.8–9). The question is, why, and who was this new king? For some Bible scholars, this king was not only new as a person but also the start of a new dynasty. There is also a study that a group of people (of Asiatic Semitic origin) migrated into Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period. According to Manetho, an Egyptian priest in the 3rd century B.C. who wrote a history of Egypt, these people were the Hyksos, who ruled for about 150 years. Their kings were Egyptianized to the point that they adopted the gods of the land. Probably, the new king who did not know Joseph was a Hyksos king, and since they were foreigners in the land of Egypt, they would have had no knowledge of Joseph.
This new king seems to be a type of Nimrod, for they used the same words: “Come, let us.” During the time of Nimrod, they made bricks for stone to reach the heavens. Similarly, the new king of Egypt invited his people to deal shrewdly with the Israelites, using bricks and mortar to punish and oppress them. But the more the Egyptians oppressed Israel, the more they multiplied and grew. This could be the start of antisemitism—hatred or strong dislike of Jews, or actions that express hatred or dislike of Jews.
Despite this, Adonai YHVH showed His compassion to the oppressed nation of Israel. How?
He dealt well with the Hebrew midwives (vv.15–22). Since the Israelites multiplied and grew exceedingly, the new king of Egypt spoke to Shiphrah and Puah to kill the newborn boys. But they feared Adonai YHVH and saved the male children alive. Nothing can stand in the way of Adonai—what He said will happen. Their fear of God, not man, allowed them to act compassionately—preserving life when Pharaoh demanded death.
He spared Moshe (2:1–10). Not only did the king command the midwives to kill the male child, he also commanded all his people that every newborn male should be cast into the river. At this time, Moshe was born from the house of Levi. He was hidden for three months, but eventually he was placed inside a basket made of papyrus and set afloat on the river. The daughter of Pharaoh found him crying, and she had compassion on him. She hired a maiden to take care of Moshe, and he grew to become the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Compassion means providential care: He was engaged in their lives specifically with Moses.
He heard the groaning of Israel (vv.23–25). During this time, the oppression of the children of Israel continued, so they cried out, and their cry came up to Adonai. How did He hear their groaning? First, He remembered His covenant with the Patriarchs. This is what Joseph had told his brothers before he died—that Adonai would surely visit them and bring them out of the land (Gen. 50:24). Second, He looked upon them and acknowledged them (v.25). The NLT Bible says it well: “He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.” This was the beginning of Moshe’s calling to bring the children of Israel out of bondage. Compassion means attentiveness: He is always attentive to the needs of His people… When the weak cry out to God, He answers them.
Although Joseph, who became the savior of the children of Israel during the famine, was dead, Adonai YHVH—their God—was alive to save, protect, and care for them.
God’s compassion is His covenant love in action, moving Him to hear, to remember, to see, and to know His people. Pharaohs may rise and fall, dynasties may shift, but His compassion toward His people never changes.
The world’s powers often oppose God’s people, yet His mercy outlasts every throne. Where are you tempted to trust in human power instead of God’s unchanging covenant care?
Exodus 3:7
I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings.”
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
In the Haftarah portion, Adonai YHVH will show His compassion for His chosen nation.
First, He will restore Israel. In Romans 9:4, they are described as the role model of the earth—to whom belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Torah, the service of God, and the promises. In Isaiah 27:6, Israel will become a vine with deep roots. They will blossom and be used by Adonai not only as a role model but also as a blessing to the whole earth. Again, this will be a fulfillment of Adonai’s covenant with Abraham—that all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 12:3).
Second, the faithful people of Israel will be gathered one by one and brought back to their own land. Because of Israel’s stubbornness, they experienced exile. But Adonai sent prophets to remind them that, in spite of their failures as His chosen people, one thing cannot fail—and that is the compassion and faithfulness of Adonai YHVH to Israel.
Jeremiah 31:34b
“For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Jeremiah 23:3
“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply.”
On Exodus 2:25, Tim Hegg comments: “The final phrase… וַיֵּדַע אֱלֹהִים, ‘and God knew,’ should be understood as a covenant term… like a faithful husband expressing fidelity to the covenant of marriage.
In Isaiah’s vision of Adonai restoring Israel as a fruitful vine—His compassion flows from His covenant loyalty.
Compassion is the heartbeat of God’s covenant—it gathers the scattered, restores the broken, and makes His people fruitful again.
Israel’s story reminds us that God restores even after discipline. What broken places in your life need His restoring compassion today? Will you let Him bring you back and make you fruitful for His purposes?
Jeremiah 31:10–11
“He who scattered Israel will gather him and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock. For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from the hand too strong for him.”
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
In the Apostolic portion, we see the compassion of Adonai YHVH not only for Moshe but also for his parents. The key was their genuine emunah (faith). Hebrews 11 emphasizes the importance of faith, without which it is impossible to please Adonai. It is difficult to hide a newborn baby, but it was surely an act of faith for Moshe’s parents. They did not fear the King of Egypt. They trusted that Adonai YHVH would save the baby boy who would deliver Israel from the land of Egypt. One thing is clear here: faith can lead to Adonai’s compassion.
The compassion Adonai showed in sparing Moshe through his parents’ faith becomes the paradigm of compassionate redemption that points forward to Messiah Yeshua.
Faith opens the door for compassion. When we trust God above our fears, His mercy moves to protect, redeem, and deliver.
Moshe’s parents acted in faith, and God responded with compassion that shaped Israel’s future. What act of faith is God asking of you right now, that could open the way for His compassion to work in your life and in others’?
Psalm 145:18–19
“The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them.”
The connection of our parasha is about the compassion of Adonai YHVH. In the Torah, He was compassionate with the nation of Israel by hearing their groaning, remembering His covenant with the patriarchs, and saving Moshe from the command of the King of Egypt. In the Haftarah, Adonai showed His compassion to Israel by restoring them and bringing them back to their land. In the Apostolic portion, through the faith of Moshe’s parents, who were not afraid of the King’s command, Adonai YHVH had compassion on them and spared Moshe.
Back to the introduction: Compassion is more than feeling pity; it is recognizing the suffering of others and being moved to take action. True compassion mirrors Adonai’s heart—it hears the cry of the afflicted, remembers covenant promises, sees the needs of the broken, and steps in to help. We can show compassion by entering into someone’s pain, praying with them, providing for their needs, forgiving offenses, or simply walking alongside them in their struggles. Compassion is a tangible expression of love for those who are suffering—just like God’s compassion for His people Israel. When they suffered and were oppressed by the Egyptians, He helped and delivered them because of His love.
Compassion is the covenant heartbeat of God—unceasing, unfailing, and unstoppable across every generation.
Isaiah 49:13
“Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and will have COMPASSION on His afflicted.”
Psalm 86:15
“But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
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-- S O U R C E S --
reformjudaism.orgrts.edu
mindrenewers.com
bible.org
beliefnet.com
thetorah.com
dictionary.cambridge.com
theologyofwork.org
thelonghaulwithisaiah.wordpress.com
abideinchrist.com
seekingourgod.com
The MacArthur Study Bible
torahresource.com
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