(טו) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאַחַת֙ שִׁפְרָ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית פּוּעָֽה׃ (טז) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר בְּיַלֶּדְכֶן֙ אֶת־הָֽעִבְרִיּ֔וֹת וּרְאִיתֶ֖ן עַל־הָאָבְנָ֑יִם אִם־בֵּ֥ן הוּא֙ וַהֲמִתֶּ֣ן אֹת֔וֹ וְאִם־בַּ֥ת הִ֖יא וָחָֽיָה׃ (יז) וַתִּירֶ֤אןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְלֹ֣א עָשׂ֔וּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר דִּבֶּ֥ר אֲלֵיהֶ֖ן מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־הַיְלָדִֽים׃
(15) The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, (16) He spoke to them saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” (17) The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.
למילדות העבריות וגו'. צריך לדעת מה אמר להם באמירה זו. ואולי כי האמירה היא שקרא ואמר העבריות אשר שם האחת וגו' כי להיות שבאו לפניו הרבה ולא היה מכיר אלו המילדות לזה קרא בשמותם ליחד להם הדיבור לצד שהיו גדולות של כל המילדות ורצה להטיל הדבר עליהן כי כן דרך השררה. עוד ירצה שהוא עשה אותן גדולות ושרות בקריאה זו על כל המילדות ואשר על כן פרט את שמותן, ולזה חזר לומר פעם אחרת ויאמר בילדכן וגו' פי' שהציווי לא לשתיהן לבד אלא לכל המילדות אלא שאלו יהיו עליהם שרות.
"למילדות העבריות, to the Hebrew midwives, etc.."
I'd like to know what Pharaoh said to the midwives the first time he spoke with them, for the Torah implies that Pharaoh spoke with them twice, (by repeating the word(s) "and he said" in verse 15 and then again in 16.
Perhaps the answer is hinted to us with the words of verse 15, "the name of one was Shifrah, whereas the name of the other one was Puah."
No doubt there were many midwives who attended at Jewish women's births in Egypt. Certainly the Pharaoh did not trouble himself to know any of them by name except those whom he entrusted with a specific task.
The Torah tells us that Pharaoh spoke to them by their names in verse 15, thus selecting them to perform a royal command. By calling them by their given names, the king elevated them to the status of "midwives-in-chief."
He therefore must have continued his instructions (in verse 16) to saying: "when you deliver the babies of Hebrew women..."
This second speech of Pharaoh's implies to me that the order he was giving applied not only to Shifrah and Puah but to all the Hebrew midwives. He instructed them directly as a sign of promoting them over their colleagues.
Or HaChaim (literally "light of life") is the magnum opus of Chaim ben Moshe ibn Attar who was born in Salé, Morocco, in 1696, lived much of his life in Livorno, Italy and died in Jerusalem on 7 July 1743.
Questions for discussion:
- What anomalies in the short Biblical text do you think caught the Or HaChaim's eye?
- What struck the author of this commentary as odd about the scene in these verses?
- How do you think Pharaoh was used to being treated by those in helping professions?
- How does he assert his control over those people?
- How do you think Shifrah and Puah felt as they stood before the Pharaoh in that moment?
- What can we learn about the relationship between those in power and the powerless from this commentary of the Or HaChaim?