Pekudei | These are the Names

Pekudei | These are the Names - Siyyum on Sefer Shemot, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

The conventions we use for naming the books of Humash - as well as the weekly readings - have little or nothing to do with the overall theme of the book (or "Parasha"); they are simply the first significant word in that text. Hazal had other names for the Humashim - e.g. תורת כהנים and משנה תורה. Nonetheless, we may be able to find a subcurrent of the theme of "the names of Bnei Yisrael" that ties together the opening passage with the concluding section and informs the overall theme of חומש שמות. This understanding may also grant additional meaning to the conventional cheer we give when concluding a חומש, taken from יואב's words - חזק ונתחזק!

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