There are days that split history in two. October 7th, 2023 was one of them. A day of unthinkable brutality, shattered homes, broken assumptions, and devastating loss. A day when the question of Jewish safety stopped being philosophical and became heartbreakingly real.

And yet, when we open Parashat Shemot, we find Torah already anticipating the deeper question:

Will suffering change us — or name us?

The answer is embedded in the verse that begins Israel’s awakening.

וַיְהִי בַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים הָהֵם וַיָּמָת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וַיֵּאָנְחוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הָעֲבֹדָה וַיִּזְעָקוּ וַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים מִן־הָעֲבֹדָה.
“It came to pass in those many days that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel groaned from the labor and cried out, and their cry rose up to God from the labor.”
Shemot / Exodus 2:23

Even here — before miracles, before liberation — the Torah names us B’nei Yisrael: children of Israel. Not “slaves.” Not “victims.” Not “the oppressed.” We are named for relationship, inheritance, and wrestling, not subjugation.

The name Yisrael was given to Jacob after wrestling the angel:........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)