Exodus 1:1

There is an obligation each week to study the text of the weekly parsha twice and Targum Onkelos (or Rashi or other comparable commentary) once. This is called “shnayim mikra v’echad targum.” The Baal HaTurim tells us that the first words in the Book of Exodus – “v’eileh shemos B’nei Yisroel” in Hebrew - form one long acronym. It stands, he tells us, for “v’adam asher lomeid haseder shnayim mikra v’echad targum b’kol naim yashir yichyeh shanim rabbos aruchim l’olam.” This translates as, “A person who learns the parsha shnayim mikra v’echad targum in a sweet, direct voice will live for many long years.”