Group 1
(the unnamed midwives in this text)
(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׃ (יח) וַיִּקְרָ֤א מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֔ת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ן מַדּ֥וּעַ עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ן הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־הַיְלָדִֽים׃ (יט) וַתֹּאמַ֤רְןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה כִּ֣י לֹ֧א כַנָּשִׁ֛ים הַמִּצְרִיֹּ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת כִּֽי־חָי֣וֹת הֵ֔נָּה בְּטֶ֨רֶם תָּב֧וֹא אֲלֵהֶ֛ן הַמְיַלֶּ֖דֶת וְיָלָֽדוּ׃ (כ) וַיֵּ֥יטֶב אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֑ת וַיִּ֧רֶב הָעָ֛ם וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ מְאֹֽד׃ (כא) וַיְהִ֕י כִּֽי־יָֽרְא֥וּ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖ת אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיַּ֥עַשׂ לָהֶ֖ם בָּתִּֽים׃ (כב) וַיְצַ֣ו פַּרְעֹ֔ה לְכָל־עַמּ֖וֹ לֵאמֹ֑ר כָּל־הַבֵּ֣ן הַיִּלּ֗וֹד הַיְאֹ֙רָה֙ תַּשְׁלִיכֻ֔הוּ וְכָל־הַבַּ֖ת תְּחַיּֽוּן׃ (ס)
“Deeply wise in fundamental, life-sustaining ways, these women understood instinctively that Pharaoh should be disobeyed; and, with initiative, they act on this knowledge. Ultimately, these women’s defiance demans the male tyrant. Thus, from these women filled with a power rooted in moral reason an ethical concern for life, and the capacity to empathize, we learn a valuable lesson in political ethics: the very weakest in society can contribute to liberation by judiciously engaging in acts of civil disobedience.”
The locus classicus of non-violent resistance to an oppressive regime in the Hebrew Bible is to be found in the persons of two otherwise obscure women. Ex. 1:15 ff. tells of Shifra and Puah, the Hebrew mid wives who conscientiously disobeyed Pharoah's edict to kill all newborn Hebrew males. Jewish education, alas, has largely ignored Judaism's teaching about civil disobedience in response to the call of Divine imperative/conscience and the fact that its paradigm is to be found in these two heroic women.
Yet it is noteworthy and not mere accident that the Hebrew Bible sees fit to preserve the midwives' names. They came from nowhere, are introduced abruptly in the text and are not heard from later. Yet, their singularly courageous act merits their being mentioned by name if only in one verse. I feel that the Bible's very succinctness underscores the uniqueness of their act. By means of conspicuous brevity it captures and highlights the consequential nature of Shifra and Puah's disobedience for which they are handsomely rewarded....
It is time, it seems to me, to recoup for Shifra and Puah, and for the noble tradition of civil disobedience and response to God's ultimate call on our allegiance which they represent, their rightful place of prominence in Judaism.
Rabbi Axelrad gave out the Shifra and Puah award annually to people who demonstrated strength in the face of tyrannies.
1) Why do you think the Exodus 1:15-22 does not mention the names of the midwives?
2) Why do you think these midwives describe the Jewish woman as "vigorous" (כִּֽי־חָי֣וֹת הֵ֔נָּה)?
3) Why was the Pharaoh okay with allowing the girls to live while the boys were killed?
4) Why did Shifra and Puah put their lives on the line rather than kill the Jewish boys?
5) What do you make of Shifra and Puah's excuse for not killing Jewish boys? Why do you think it was successful?
Group 2
(Moses' older sister, not mentioned by name in this section of the Torah)
(1) A certain man of the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. (2) The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. (3) When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. (4) And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him. (5) The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, while her maidens walked along the Nile. She spied the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to fetch it. (6) When she opened it, she saw that it was a child, a boy crying. She took pity on it and said, “This must be a Hebrew child.” (7) Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a Hebrew nurse to suckle the child for you?” (8) And Pharaoh’s daughter answered, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. (9) And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it.
MIRIAM' was a prophet. As a child she offered a prophecy:
She said, "My mother will have a son who will save Yisrael."
When Moshe was born, the house filled with light. Her father kissed her on the head - 'your prophecy has been fulfilled,'
When they put Moshe in the river, he hit her on the head - 'where is your prophecy?!'
"His sister stood afar, to know what will happen to him" - to know, what will happen to her prophecy.
Miriam waited for the baby Moses for one hour at the shore of the Nile, as it is stated: “And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him” (Exodus 2:4). Therefore the Jewish people delayed their travels in the desert for seven days to wait for her when she was smitten with leprosy, as it is stated: “And Miriam was confined outside of the camp seven days; and the people journeyed not until Miriam was brought in again” (Numbers 12:15).
Questions to consider
1) Why do you think Miriam's name is left out of this passage?
2) Miriam is named a prophet in the book of Exodus, but Moses doesn't receive that title until later biblical books. Why do you think that is?
3) Miriam most often seen as a peripheral character throughout the bible. What does that say about her character, if anything?
4) Why is it significant that Miriam leads the people in song when they leave Egypt?
5) Miriam is said to provide wells of water in the desert. What is the significance of this metaphor?
Group 3
(Name never given in the Torah)
(ה) וַתֵּ֤רֶד בַּת־פַּרְעֹה֙ לִרְחֹ֣ץ עַל־הַיְאֹ֔ר וְנַעֲרֹתֶ֥יהָ הֹלְכֹ֖ת עַל־יַ֣ד הַיְאֹ֑ר וַתֵּ֤רֶא אֶת־הַתֵּבָה֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַסּ֔וּף וַתִּשְׁלַ֥ח אֶת־אֲמָתָ֖הּ וַתִּקָּחֶֽהָ (ו) וַתִּפְתַּח֙ וַתִּרְאֵ֣הוּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וְהִנֵּה־נַ֖עַר בֹּכֶ֑ה וַתַּחְמֹ֣ל עָלָ֔יו וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִיַּלְדֵ֥י הָֽעִבְרִ֖ים זֶֽה׃ (ז) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֲחֹתוֹ֮ אֶל־בַּת־פַּרְעֹה֒ הַאֵלֵ֗ךְ וְקָרָ֤אתִי לָךְ֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה מֵינֶ֔קֶת מִ֖ן הָעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת וְתֵינִ֥ק לָ֖ךְ אֶת־הַיָּֽלֶד׃ (ח) וַתֹּֽאמֶר־לָ֥הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֖ה לֵ֑כִי וַתֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה וַתִּקְרָ֖א אֶת־אֵ֥ם הַיָּֽלֶד׃ (ט) וַתֹּ֧אמֶר לָ֣הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה הֵילִ֜יכִי אֶת־הַיֶּ֤לֶד הַזֶּה֙ וְהֵינִקִ֣הוּ לִ֔י וַאֲנִ֖י אֶתֵּ֣ן אֶת־שְׂכָרֵ֑ךְ וַתִּקַּ֧ח הָאִשָּׁ֛ה הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַתְּנִיקֵֽהוּ׃
The Rabbis found the name bat-yah to be fitting for the daughter of Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus, since she (unwittingly) realized the divine plan when she kept alive the rescuer of Israel. The midrash relates that the daughter of Pharaoh received her new name of Bithiah (bat-yah; literally, the daughter of God) from God as reward for her actions. God told her: “Moses was not your son, yet you called him your son; you are not My daughter, but I call you My daughter.”
Pharoah's daughter was put to the test when the saw baby Moses on a raft in the water. Her handmaidens saw that she was about the rescue the boy and they attempted to dissuade her, and to heed her father's rules. They said to her: “Our mistress, it is the way of the world that when a king issues a decree, it is not heeded by the entire world, but his children and the members of his household do observe it, and you wish to transgress your father’s decree?” Immediately, Gabriel appeared and beat them to the ground, and they died.
Pharaoh's daughter unconciosly prophysized: “This” child fell into the Nile, but none other of the children of the Hebrews did so (she prophesied that Moses would be the last Hebrew child cast into the river). She was correct; Pharaoh’s astrologers saw in the stars that the one destined to save Israel would be punished through water, and they therefore had Pharaoh issue his decree (Ex. 1:22): “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile,” in order to kill the deliverer. Once Moses was saved from the water, the astrologers no longer saw that sign, so they cancelled the decree.
1) Why did Pharaoh's daughter take Moses out of the water?
2) Do you agree that Pharaoh's daughter knew Moses' true identity?
3) How do you think she was able to raise Moses in the palace, until the thumb of her father, the Pharaoh?
4) What kind of a leader was she to save Moses, allow Moses' mother to be the boy's nursemaid, and to have raised him as her own?
By the merit of the righteous women that generation was worthy to be redeemed from Egypt.