The second book of the five books in the Torah is known in Hebrew as “Sefer Shemot”. It is the book in which the story of the Jews as a nation really begins.

In this shiur – the second of two examining the names of the books of the Torah and their significance – Rabbi Dunner explores the relationship between the first book of the Torah – “Sefer Bereishit” – and Sefer Shemot.

What is the underlying theme of each book? How can we glean the core essence of the first two books of the Torah, so that we appreciate both their uniqueness and their synergy with each other? Why does the book of Shemot begin with the names of Jacob’s children, seeing as they do not feature in the Exodus story?

Rabbi Dunner addresses these and other fundamental questions to gain an insight into the how’s and why’s of the origin of the Jewish people.