דף נושא: יוכבד

A certain member of the house of Levi went and took [into his household as his wife] a woman of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. 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.

The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam.

שפרה SHIPHRAH — This was Jochebed; she bore this additional name because she used to put the babe after its birth into good physical condition (משפרת) by the care she bestowed upon it (Sotah 11b).

A Sage teaches: Amram, the father of Moses, was the great man of his generation. Once he saw that the wicked Pharaoh said: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive” (Exodus 1:22), he said: We are laboring for nothing by bringing children into the world to be killed. Therefore, he arose and divorced his wife. All others who saw this followed his example and arose and divorced their wives.His daughter, Miriam, said to him: Father, your decree is more harsh for the Jewish people than that of Pharaoh, as Pharaoh decreed only with regard to the males, but you decreed both on the males and on the females. And now no children will be born. Additionally, Pharaoh decreed to kill them only in this world, but you decreed in this world and in the World-to-Come, as those not born will not enter the World-to-Come. Miriam continued: Additionally, concerning Pharaoh the wicked, it is uncertain whether his decree will be fulfilled, and it is uncertain if his decree will not be fulfilled. You are a righteous person, and as such, your decrees will certainly be fulfilled, as it is stated with regard to the righteous: “You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto you” (Job 22:28). Amram accepted his daughter’s words and arose and brought back, i.e., remarried, his wife, and all others who saw this followed his example and arose and brought back their wives. The Gemara asks: If Amram remarried Jochebed, rather than say: “And took for a wife a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1), it should have stated: “And returned for a wife the daughter of Levi.” Rav Yehuda bar Zevina says: He performed an act of marriage just as one would do for a first marriage. He sat her on a palanquin [appiryon], and Aaron and Miriam danced before her, and the ministering angels said: “A joyful mother of children” (Psalms 113:9). The verse is referring to Jochebed as “a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1). The Gemara asks: Is it possible that this is Jochebed? Jochebed was then 130 years old and the verse still calls her a daughter? Jochebed’s age is established based on a tradition concerning the number of the descendants of Jacob who came to Egypt, as follows: While the verse states that Leah had thirty-three descendants (Genesis 46:15), only thirty-two were enumerated. This was explained as Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: The “daughter of Levi” is Jochebed, whose conception was on the road, as the family of Jacob descended to Egypt, and she was born between the walls, i.e., in Egypt, as it is stated: “And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt” (Numbers 26:59).

“All the people who were coming with Jacob to Egypt, the products of his loins, aside from the wives of Jacob's sons; all the people were sixty-six” (Genesis 46:26). “And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two people; all the people of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy” (Genesis 46:27). “All the people who were coming…. And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him…” – Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: Have you ever in your days seen a person give another sixty-six cups, and then give him another three, and he counts them as seventy? Rather, this is Yokheved, who completed the tally of Israel in Egypt. Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: Yokheved was conceived in the land of Canaan, and born in the land of Egypt. That is what is written: “The name of Amram's wife was Yokheved, [daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt]” (Numbers 26:59) – she was born at the gates of Egypt. And Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: The Holy One blessed be He is accustomed to count this tribe while it is still in its mother’s womb. That is what is written: “For Yedutun, the sons of Yedutun: Gedalyahu, and Tzeri, and Yeshayahu, Ḥashavyahu, and Matityahu, [six]” (I Chronicles 25:3) – they are five [who are mentioned] specifically, but a total of six. However, there is “Shimi” (I Chronicles 25:17). The Holy One blessed be He counted him while he was still in his mother’s womb. And were a person to say to you: “The tenth was Shimi” (I Chronicles 25:17), say to him: Tenth for the platform. And Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: [From the time] our patriarch Jacob would engage in conjugal relations, the Holy One blessed be He would call [his future children] souls. That is what is written: “Or tallied one-quarter [rova] of Israel” (Numbers 23:10). Rabbi Berekhya said: It is like sap, which is absorbed even before it has emerged. Some say: Jacob completed the tally with them. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is analogous to two of the emperor’s legions, the Decumani and the Augustiani. When the emperor is counted with these they are deemed complete, and when the emperor is counted with those, as well, they are deemed complete. Some say: The Holy One blessed be He completed the tally with them. Some say: Ḥushim son of Dan completed the tally with them. In Rabbi Meir’s Torah they found it written: “The son of Dan: Ḥushim.” That is what is written: “They came to the Gilad, and to the land of Taḥtim Ḥodshi, [and they came to Dan Yaan]” (II Samuel 24:6) – Beit Yeraḥ, Yeraḥ Sinim. A measure for a measure: Dan entered in his darkened state before his father, and was blessed with seventy thousand. Benjamin entered with ten, and was blessed with forty thousand. Some say: Seraḥ daughter of Asher completed the tally with them. That is what is written: “A wise woman called from the city…. He approached her, and the woman said: Are you Yoav?” (II Samuel 20:16–17). She said to him: ‘Your name is Yoav, to say that you are a father [av] to Israel, but you are nothing but a reaper, and you do not correspond to your name. Are you and David not versed in Torah, or has Torah now ceased [to be in effect]? Is it not written: “When you approach a city to wage war against it, you shall call to it for peace”?’ (Deuteronomy 20:10). He said to her: ‘Who are you?’ She said to him: “I am the peaceful [shelumei] and loyal [emunei] of Israel” (II Samuel 20:19) – I am the one who completed [shehishlamti] the tally [minyanan] of Israel in Egypt. I am the one who delivered the loyal to the loyal – Joseph to Moses. Why “do you seek to destroy a city” (II Samuel 20:19), and I, who am “a mother in Israel”? (II Samuel 20:19). Immediately, “Yoav answered and said: Far be it, far be it from me [that I would ruin or destroy]” (II Samuel 20:20). “Far be it, far be it,” twice – far be it from David, far be it from Yoav, far be it from the kingdom of the house of David. “[The matter] is not so. Rather, a man from Mount Ephraim, Sheva son of Bikhri is his name, has raised his hand against the king, against David (II Samuel 20:21) – if [he already said] “against the king,” why [did he also say] “against David”; if “against David,” why “against the king”? Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon: Anyone who is impudent to a king, it is as though he was impudent to a Torah scholar; all the more so, [if he is impudent] to a king and a Torah scholar. Rabbi Yudan said: Anyone who is impudent to a king, it is as though he is impudent to the Divine Presence. “[The woman] said…Behold, his head will be cast to you” (II Samuel 20:21). How did she know? It is because she said: ‘Anyone who is impudent to the kingdom of the house of David, will be beheaded from above.’ Immediately, “the woman came to all the people, in her wisdom” (II Samuel 20:22). She said to them: ‘Do you not know the exploits of David? What nation stood against him? What kingdom stood against him?’ They said to her: ‘What does he want?’ She said to them: ‘One thousand men; are one thousand men not preferable to destroying your entire city?’ They said to her: ‘Let each and every one give in accordance with what he has.’ She said to them: ‘Perhaps, as the result of appeasement, he will forgo a bit.’ She made herself out as though she was going to appease and returned; from one thousand to five hundred, to one hundred, to ten, to one, and he is a guest. ‘Who is it?’ ‘It is Sheva son of Bikhri.’ Immediately, they severed his head. It is taught: A group of people to whom the gentiles said: ‘Give us one of you and we will kill him, and if not, we will kill all of you,’ they shall all be killed, and they shall not deliver one soul of Israel. But if they designated him for them, like Sheva son of Bikhri, they shall give, and all of them shall not be killed. Rabbi Yehuda said: In what case are these matters stated? It is when he is inside and they are outside. But if he is inside and they are inside, since he will be killed and they will be killed, they shall deliver him to them and all of them will not be killed. Like it says: “The woman came to all the people” (II Samuel 20:22) – since he will be killed and you will be killed, give him to them and let you all not be killed. Rabbi Shimon says: Anyone who revolts against the kingdom of the house of David is liable to death. Ulla ben Kishar was sought by the empire. He rose and fled to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi to Lod. They sent a messenger after him. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi approached [Ulla ben Kishar] and appeased him. He said to him: ‘It is preferable that this man [i.e. you] be killed, and let the entire community not be punished on his account.’ He appeased him and he delivered him to [the messenger]. Elijah was accustomed to speak with [Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi]. Once he did this, [Elijah] did not come to him any longer. He fasted over him for thirty days, and he appeared to him. [Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi] said to him: ‘What is the reason that my master absented himself?’ He said to him: ‘Do I associate with informers?’ He said to him: ‘Is it not a baraita: A group of people…’ He said to him: ‘Is that a mishna of the pious? That act should have been performed by others and not by you.’ It is taught: When Nebuchadnezzar ascended to conquer Yehoyakim, he ascended and encamped at Daphne at Antioch. The Great Sanhedrin descended to greet him. They said to him: ‘Has the time arrived for this house to be destroyed?’ He said to them: ‘No, but Yehoyakim king of Judah has revolted against me. Give him to me and I will go.’ They went and said to Yehoyakim: ‘Nebuchadnezzar wants you.’ He said to them: ‘Is this how one acts? Does one disregard one life in favor of another life? Is it not so written: “You shall not hand over a slave to his master”?’ (Deuteronomy 23:16). They said to him: ‘Is this not what your ancestor did to Sheva son of Bikhri? That is what is written: “Behold, his head is cast to you over the wall”’ (II Samuel 20:21). When [Yehoyakim] did not heed them, they rose, took him, and lowered him [to Nebuchadnezzar], who dismembered him.

The Gemara presents a mnemonic for the following discussion: Ḥanina called; Yoḥanan and his wife; Elazar and redemption; and Shmuel in my studies. Rabbi Ḥanina says: Proof for the aforementioned statement can be derived from here: “And the neighbors gave him a name, saying: There is a son born to Naomi” (Ruth 4:17). And did Naomi give birth to the son? But didn’t Ruth give birth to him? Rather, Ruth gave birth and Naomi raised him. Therefore, he was called by her name: “A son born to Naomi.” Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Proof for the aforementioned statement can be derived from here: “And his wife Hajehudijah gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah, and these are the sons of Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took” (I Chronicles 4:18). Mered is Caleb, and why was his name called Mered? Because he rebelled [marad] against the counsel of the spies. And according to the midrash, Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel all refer to Moses our teacher. And did Bithiah give birth to Moses? But didn’t Jochebed give birth to him? Rather, Jochebed gave birth to him and Bithiah raised him. Therefore, he was called by her name as though she had given birth to him.