Shifra/Pu'ah, Yocheved, and Batya “on one foot”:
Several women were involved in saving the Jewish people and Moses at the beginning of Exodus. This looks at their stories.
Act 1
(15) The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, (16) saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: [More precisely, the brick or stone supports used by Egyptian women during childbirth] 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. (18) So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, letting the boys live?” (19) The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous [literally “animals”]. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.” (20) And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly. (21) And [God] established households for the midwives, because they feared God. (22) Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Exodus, after the Israelites had been enslaved.
The rabbis noticed that in the last verse it seems to be addressed to all of the Egyptians, telling them to drown their newborn sons. They came up with an explanation for this that the astrologers could predict when the redeemer of the Israelites would be born, but they didn’t know whether he would be born to an Israelite or an Egyptian. Thus, for one day, Pharaoh wanted all newborn boys to be killed (Midrash Tanchuma Vayakel 4:9)
While the rabbis connect the midwives with Moses’ mother and sister, this connection is not made explicitly in the text (See Appendix A).
1. What might have motivated the Hebrew midwives?
2. How might the midwives have been feeling when they were called in before Pharoah?
3. Tikva Frymer-Kensky points out that the term “Hebrew midwives” could mean “midwives who were Hebrews” or “midwives to the Hebrews” (but potentially Egyptian themselves) [the Masoretic vowels suggest the former, the Septuagint is ambiguous, and Josephus says the latter in Antiquities II 206-7]. How would this change how you see them?
Act 2
(1) A certain member of the house of Levi went and took [into his household as his wife] a woman of Levi. (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.
Context: This is the next part of the story. Some connect the boat to a second womb, while some connect it to Noah’s Ark (both are described as a “teivah”, the only 2 uses of the word in the Bible).
While Moses’ mother is unnamed here, she is later identified as Yocheved (Exodus 6:20, Numbers 26:59). Similarly, his sister is identified later as Miriam (Numbers 26:59, 1 Chronicles 6:3).
1. How might you go about hiding a newborn baby these days for 3 months?
2. What moments have you let a child go, or been let go by a parent? What was that like?
3. Moses’s mother follows Pharaoh’s orders precisely — she puts her baby boy in the Nile. Have you ever followed orders in a way that undermines them?
Rabbi Anita Silvert gives a 2016 ELI Talk (Jewish TED Talk) about parenting as an act of letting go.
Act 3
(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. (10) When the child grew up [and no longer nursed], she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses, [Heb. Mosheh from Egyptian for “born of”; here associated with mashah “draw out.” ] explaining, “I drew him out of the water.”
Context: This is the next part of the story. The Rabbis give Pharaoh’s daughter the name “Batya”, meaning “Daughter of G-d” (based on 1 Chronicles 4:18, which refers to “Bitya, the daughter of Pharaoh, though that verse requires a lot of work to make it fit with our story). She needed somebody to nurse the baby because, not being pregnant, she wasn’t making milk (and there was no formula at this time).
1. Why might Pharaoh’s daughter have chosen to defy her father?
2. What might Pharaoh’s daughter have told her father when Moses came to live with her around age 2 or 3?
3. If you had only 2-3 years to impart Judaism to an infant, knowing that they might not consciously remember anything you did, how might you do it?
A Cinematic Midrash
Context: This is the beginning of the 1998 film "Prince of Egypt".
With appreciation to Sarah Laughed, by Vanessa Ochs, Reading the Women of the Bible, by Tikva Frymer-Kensky, and The Women’s Bible Commentary, by Carol Newsom and Sharon Ringe.
Appendix A: Yocheved, a poem
Yocheved
By: Jamie Wendt
Used with permission of the poet
I saw the alligators waiting,
fishermen tossing nets off their canoes,
whitish green waters rushing
busily, a business, as if the world were not
ending under mothers’ noses.
My womb was still
sore and large, still bleeding
itself empty from this baby, unnamed boy,
my breasts ached to milk.
The second I pushed
his basket, I saw my own mother
behind my heavy eyes –
the basket weaver. Under torchlight,
when the screams of new mothers were hushed
in birth, like mine, she weaved
sacred coffins of hope. I silenced
a boy out of me, whom Pharaoh’s men
would not steal and butcher. I alone
had decided that. And
I will always be waiting within the sand
city, my breath among the reeds,
weaving the wind with a lullaby
that will save my son.
Appendix B: A D’var Torah About Batya
For John Conway’s Bar-Mitzvah
Has anyone here ever heard of or watched the show: The Good Place? For those who haven’t, The Good Place is about someone who dies and ends up in heaven but it turns out she was mixed up with someone else and she really belongs in the bad place (Hell). She later has to learn ethics and become a better person than she was on earth to earn her spot in heaven. This has something to do with my Torah portion but we’ll get back that later.
Pharaoh's daughter was raised by the man who ordered the deaths of thousands of Israelite children, saw a child in the Nile and decided to save it despite knowing (or at least guessing/assuming) that it was a Hebrew child. Why did she do it? Was it simply out of the goodness of her heart or for another reason?
I have a few theories about this. The first theory is that seeing what happened directly altered her perspective. Maybe she had heard about slaves, but actually seeing their suffering in person made her care. Seeing something in person, makes you more likely to care about it. For example, if you read a book about the beauty of Yellowstone National Park, while living in Chicago you may not care that much about protecting nature/the environment. But actually visiting YNP (like I did this past summer) makes it more real & makes you care much more.
Another theory is divine intervention. It’s possible that God knew he would need Moses alive to free the slaves so maybe, when Moses came near Pharaoh’s daughter, God interfered and made her adopt Moses. A third theory is that Pharaoh's daughter just disagreed with her father and acted out against him. Some historians make note of the fact that when Pharaoh's daughter found Moses while bathing in the Nile she was literally and metaphorically cleansing herself of her fathers’ ideology. Also, the name Moses means ”he who pulls” which could have possibly been Pharaoh's daughter predicting that Moses would pull the Israelites out of Egypt.
Coming back to The Good Place, the main character started off as a “bad” person, making bad choices, but she was capable of more than her original label. She eventually was able to realize the consequences of her actions and started making better choices to become a better person.
This show inspires my interpretation of this Torah portion. Pharaoh’s daughter started off as a part of a group of people making bad choices; when she was faced with the consequence of those choices, she made different choices and even eventually joined the Israelites (according to the rabbinic midrash), just like the heroine of The Good Place.
Appendix C: The Full Story
(א) וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִ֖ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־בַּת־לֵוִֽי׃ (ב) וַתַּ֥הַר הָאִשָּׁ֖ה וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֑ן וַתֵּ֤רֶא אֹתוֹ֙ כִּי־ט֣וֹב ה֔וּא וַֽתִּצְפְּנֵ֖הוּ שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה יְרָחִֽים׃ (ג) וְלֹא־יָכְלָ֣ה עוֹד֮ הַצְּפִינוֹ֒ וַתִּֽקַּֽח־לוֹ֙ תֵּ֣בַת גֹּ֔מֶא וַתַּחְמְרָ֥הֿ בַחֵמָ֖ר וּבַזָּ֑פֶת וַתָּ֤שֶׂם בָּהּ֙ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וַתָּ֥שֶׂם בַּסּ֖וּף עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר׃ (ד) וַתֵּתַצַּ֥ב אֲחֹת֖וֹ מֵרָחֹ֑ק לְדֵעָ֕ה מַה־יֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה לֽוֹ׃ (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׃ (י) וַיִּגְדַּ֣ל הַיֶּ֗לֶד וַתְּבִאֵ֙הוּ֙ לְבַת־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַֽיְהִי־לָ֖הּ לְבֵ֑ן וַתִּקְרָ֤א שְׁמוֹ֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַתֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֥י מִן־הַמַּ֖יִם מְשִׁיתִֽהוּ׃
(15) The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, (16) saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: [More precisely, the brick or stone supports used by Egyptian women during childbirth] 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. (18) So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, letting the boys live?” (19) The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.” (20) And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly. (21) And [God] established households for the midwives, because they feared God. (22) Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (1) A certain member of the house of Levi went and took [into his household as his wife] a woman of Levi. (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. (10) When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses [ Heb. Mosheh from Egyptian for “born of”; here associated with mashah “draw out.”] explaining, “I drew him out of the water.”
Appendix D: Rabbinic Texts About Shifra and Pu’ah
(יג) כְּשֶׁרָאָה שֶׁהֵם פָּרִים וְרָבִים, גָּזַר עַל הַזְּכָרִים, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמות א, טו): וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לַמְיַלְּדֹת וגו'. מִי הָיוּ הַמְיַלְּדוֹת, רַב אָמַר כַּלָּה וַחֲמוֹתָהּ, יוֹכֶבֶד וֶאֱלִישֶׁבַע בַּת עֲמִּינָדָב. רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן אָמַר, אִשָּׁה וּבִתָּהּ, יוֹכֶבֶד וּמִרְיָם. וְלֹא הָיוּ לְמִרְיָם אֶלָּא חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים, שֶׁאַהֲרֹן גָּדוֹל מִמּשֶׁה שָׁלשׁ שָׁנִים. אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה הוֹלֶכֶת הָיְתָה עִם יוֹכֶבֶד אִמָּהּ וְעוֹשָׂה צְרָכֶיהָ, וְהָיְתָה זְרִיזָה, שֶׁעַד שֶׁהַתִּינוֹק קָטָן הוּא נִכָּר. הוּא שֶׁאָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה (משלי כ, יא): גַּם בְּמַעֲלָלָיו יִתְנַכֶּר נָעַר וגו'. אֲשֶׁר שֵׁם הָאַחַת שִׁפְרָה, שֶׁהָיְתָה מְשַׁפֶּרֶת אֶת הַתִּינוֹק, כְּשֶׁהוּא יוֹצֵא מָלֵא דָּם, פּוּעָה שֶׁהָיְתָה נוֹפַעַת יַיִן בַּתִּינוֹק אַחַר אִמָּהּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שִׁפְרָה, שֶׁפָּרוּ וְרָבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלֶיהָ. פּוּעָה, שֶׁהָיְתָה מַפִּיעָה אֶת הַתִּינוֹק כְּשֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים מֵת. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שִׁפְרָה, שֶׁשִּׁפְּרָה מַעֲשֶׂיהָ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים. דָּבָר אַחֵר, פּוּעָה, שֶׁהוֹפִיעָה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאלֹהִים. דָּבָר אַחֵר, פּוּעָה, שֶׁהוֹפִיעָה פָּנִים כְּנֶגֶד פַּרְעֹה, וְזָקְפָה חָטְמָהּ בּוֹ, וְאָמְרָה לוֹ, אוֹי לוֹ לְאוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ כְּשֶׁיָּבוֹא הָאֱלֹהִים לִפָּרַע מִמֶּנּוּ. נִתְמַלֵּא עָלֶיהָ חֵמָה לְהָרְגָהּ. שִׁפְרָה, שֶׁהָיְתָה מְשַׁפֶּרֶת עַל דִּבְרֵי בִתָּהּ וּמְפַיֶּסֶת עָלֶיהָ. אָמְרָה לוֹ, אַתָּה מַשְׁגִּיחַ עָלֶיהָ, תִּינֹקֶת הִיא וְאֵינָהּ יוֹדַעַת כְּלוּם. רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר רַב יִצְחָק אָמַר, שִׁפְרָה, שֶׁהֶעֱמִידָה יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאלֹהִים, שֶׁבִּשְׁבִילָם נִבְרְאוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁכָּתוּב בָּהֶם (איוב כו, יג): בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה. פּוּעָה, שֶׁהוֹפִיעָה פָּנִים כְּנֶגֶד אָבִיהָ, שֶׁהָיָה עַמְרָם רֹאשׁ סַנְהֶדְּרִין בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁגָּזַר פַּרְעֹה וְאָמַר (שמות א, כב): כָּל הַבֵּן הַיִּלּוֹד, אָמַר עַמְרָם וְלָרִיק יִשְׂרָאֵל מוֹלִידִים, מִיָּד הוֹצִיא אֶת יוֹכֶבֶד וּפֵרַשׁ עַצְמוֹ מִתַּשְׁמִישׁ הַמִּטָּה, וְגֵרַשׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ כְּשֶׁהִיא מְעֻבֶּרֶת מִשְׁלשָׁה חֳדָשִׁים, עָמְדוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגֵרְשׁוּ אֶת נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶן. אָמְרָה לוֹ בִּתּוֹ גְּזֵרָתְךָ קָשָׁה מִשֶּׁל פַּרְעֹה, שֶׁפַּרְעֹה לֹא גָזַר אֶלָּא עַל הַזְּכָרִים, וְאַתָּה עַל הַזְּכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת. פַּרְעֹה רָשָׁע הוּא וּגְזֵרָתוֹ סָפֵק מִתְקַיֶּמֶת סָפֵק אֵינָהּ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת, אֲבָל אַתָּה צַדִּיק וּגְזֵרָתְךָ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת. עָמַד הוּא וְהֶחֱזִיר אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ, עָמְדוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהֶחֱזִירוּ נְשׁוֹתֵיהֶם. הֱוֵי פּוּעָה, שֶׁהוֹפִיעָה פָּנִים כְּנֶגֶד אָבִיהָ.
(13) “The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shifra and the name of the other was Pu’a” (Exodus 1:15).
When he saw that they were procreating, he issued a decree against the males 29This is Pharaoh’s second decree. – that is what is written: “The king of Egypt said to the midwives….” Who were the midwives? Rav said: A daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, Yokheved and Elisheva daughter of Aminadav. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman says: A woman and her daughter, Yokheved and Miriam.
And Miriam was no more than five years old, as Aaron was three years older than Moses. Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: She would go with her mother Yokheved and assist her, and she was very quick. While the child is still young, his [character] is recognizable. That is what Solomon said: “Even a lad is recognized through his deeds” (Proverbs 20:11).
“…the name of one was Shifra [and the name of the other was Pu’a],” because she would attend to [meshaperet] the baby when he would emerge covered in blood; “Pu’a,” because she would express [nofa’at] wine into the babies after her mother [had attended to them].
Alternatively, Shifra, because Israel procreated [sheparu veravu] in her day; Pu’a, who would revive [mapia] the baby when they would say it was dead.
Alternatively, Shifra, because she made her actions pleasing [shipera] before God; Pu’a, because she caused Israel to appear [hofia] before God. Alternatively, Pu’a, because she was impudent [hofia panim] to Pharaoh and had her nose in the air toward him, and she said to him: ‘Woe unto that man when God will come and punish him.’ He became filled with fury and sought to kill her. Shifra, because she eased [meshaperet] the words of her daughter and placated him toward her. She said to him: ‘Are you paying attention to her? She is a child and knows nothing.’
Rabbi Ḥanina bar Rav Yitzḥak said: Shifra, because she preserved Israel for God, and it was for their sake that the heavens were created, regarding which it is written: “By his wind the heavens are calm [shifra]” (Job 26:13). Pu’a, because she was impudent [hofia panim] toward her father. Amram was the head of the Sanhedrin at that time. Once Pharaoh issued his decree and said: “Every son that is born you shall cast him into the Nile” (Exodus 1:22), Amram said: ‘Isn’t Israel begetting children for naught?’ Immediately, he separated from Yokheved and abstained from sexual relations.
He divorced his wife when she was three months pregnant. All Israel arose and divorced their wives. His daughter said to him: ‘Your decree is harsher than Pharaoh’s, as Pharaoh decreed only against the males, and you, against the males and the females. Pharaoh is wicked and it is uncertain whether his decree will be fulfilled or whether it will not be fulfilled. However, you are righteous and your decree will be fulfilled.’ He arose and remarried his wife. All Israel arose and remarried their wives. That is Pu’a, who was impudent toward her father.
§ The verse states: “And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah” (Exodus 1:15). Rav and Shmuel disagree as to the proper interpretation of this verse. One says that these midwives were a woman and her daughter, and one says that they were a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law. According to the one who says that they were a woman and her daughter, the women were Yochebed, the mother of Moses and Aaron, and her daughter, Miriam. And according to the one who says that they were a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, the verse is referring to Yochebed and her daughter-in-law Elisheba, the wife of Aaron. It is taught in a baraita according to the one who says that they were a woman and her daughter, because it is taught in a baraita: With regard to Shiphrah, who is referred to in the verse, this is really a reference to Yochebed. And why was she called Shiphrah? Because she would prepare [mishapperet] the newborn. Alternatively, she is referred to as Shiphrah because the Jewish people increased and multiplied [shepparu verabbu] in her days, due to her assistance. The baraita continues: With regard to Puah, who is referred to in the verse, this is really a reference to Miriam. And why was she called Puah? Because she would make a comforting sound [po’a] as she would remove the child from the womb of the mother. Alternatively, the word Puah is related to one of the verbs that describe speaking, as she would speak [po’a] through divine inspiration and say: In the future, my mother will give birth to a son who will save the Jewish people.
(ג) אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה מִרְיָם וְיוֹכֶבֶד הֵן הֵן הָיוּ חַיּוֹתֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, דִּכְתִיב (שמות א, טו): שֵׁם הָאַחַת שִׁפְרָה וְשֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִית פּוּעָה, שִׁפְרָה זוֹ יוֹכֶבֶד שֶׁהָיְתָה מְשַׁפֶּרֶת אֶת הַיְלָדִים. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שֶׁפָּרָה וְרָבָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שֶׁפָּרוּ וְרָבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל יָדֶיהָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שֶׁשִּׁפְּרוּ אוֹתָן בְּמִצְווֹת וּבְמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שִׁפְרָה לְשֵׁם שֶׁבַח, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איוב כו, יג): בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה. פּוּעָה זוֹ מִרְיָם, שֶׁהָיְתָה פּוֹעָה בָּאִשָּׁה וְהַוְלַד יוֹצֵא. דָּבָר אַחֵר, פּוּעָה שֶׁהָיְתָה פּוֹעָה וּבוֹכָה עַל אָחִיהָ משֶׁה שֶׁהֻשְׁלַךְ לַיְאוֹר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ב, ד): וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ מֵרָחֹק. דָּבָר אַחֵר, פּוּעָה שֶׁהוֹפִיעָה אֶת מַעֲשֵֵֹה אָחִיהָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שֶׁפָּעַת בִּפְנֵי פַּרְעֹה וְאָמְרָה לוֹ אוֹי לְךָ מִיּוֹם הַדִּין.
(3)Rabbi Yehuda said: Miriam and Yokheved were the midwives of the Israelites. As it is written: “The name of one was Shifra and the name of the second was Pu’a” (Exodus 1:15). Shifra, this is Yokheved, who would tend to [mishaperet] the children. Alternatively, it is because she procreated [shepara verava].11She gave birth to Moses at the age of one hundred and thirty. Alternatively, it is because the Israelites procreated due to her. Alternatively, it is because they bettered [shiperu] [the Israelite women] with mitzvot and good deeds. Alternatively, Shifra [is the name given her] as praise [of her character], as it is stated: “With His breath the heavens were calmed [shifra]” (Job 26:13).
Pu’a, this is Miriam, as she would make a comforting sound [po’a] to the woman, and the child would emerge. Alternatively, Pu’a, as she would cry [po’a] and weep over her brother Moses who was cast into the Nile, as it is stated: “His sister stood at a distance” (Exodus 2:4). Alternatively, Pu’a, as she revealed [hofia] the actions of her brother.12She prophesied about him before he was born (Etz Yosef). Alternatively, as she stood boldly [pa’at] before Pharaoh and said to him: ‘Woe to you on the Day of Judgment.’
(יח) ועתה אדוני המלך עיני כל מצרים עליך לתת להם עצה בחכמתך, באשר על ישראל לאבדם ולהמעיטם מן הארץ. ויען המלך אותם לאמור, הבו אתם עצה בדבר הזה ונדעה מה לעשות להם. ויען סריס אחד מיועצי המלך ושמו איוב מארם נהרים, מארץ עוץ את המלך לאמור. אם על המלך טוב ישמע נא את עצת עבדו, ויאמר לו המלך דבר. וידבר איוב לפני המלך והשרים, ולפני כל זקני מצרים לאמור. הנה עצת המלך אשר יעץ בימים ההם בעבודת בני ישראל, טובה היא מאוד ולא תשביתו מעליהם המלאכה ההיא עד עולם. ואולם זאת העצה היעוצה עליהם אשר תוכלו להמעיטם בה, אם על המלך טוב לעשותה. הנה אנחנו יריאים מהמלחמה זה ימים רבים ונאמר בפרות ישראל הארץ, יגרשו אותנו מן הארץ כאשר תקראנה מלחמה. אם על המלך טוב יצא דבר מלכות מלפניו ויכתב בדתי מצרים ולא יעבור, אשר כל זכר הילוד לעברים ישפך דמו ארצה. והיה בעשותכם הדבר הזה כאשר ימותו כל זכר בבני ישראל, וחדלה מעלינו רעת מלחמותיהם. יעשה פרעה ויקרא לכל המיילדות העבריות, ויצווה אליהן על הדבר הזה לעשותו. וייטב הדבר בעיני המלך והשרים, ויעש המלך כדבר איוב. וישלח פרעה ויקרא למיילדות העבריות, אשר שם האחת שפרה ושם השנית פועה. ותבאן המיילדות לפני המלך, ותעמודנה לפניו. ויאמר המלך אליהן, בילדכן את העבריות וראיתן על האבנים אם בן הוא והמיתן אותו ואם בת היא וחיה. והיה אם לא תעשו הדבר הזה, ושרפתי אתכן ואת כל בתיכם באש. ותיראן המיילדות את האלוקים, ולא שמעו אל מלך מצרים ואל כל דבריו. והיה בלדת האישה העברית על המיילדת בן או בת ועשתה המיילדת את כל צרכי הילד והחיה אותו, ככה יעשו המיילדות כל הימים. ויוגד למלך את הדבר הזה וישלח ויקרא למיילדות ויאמר אליהן, מדוע עשיתן הדבר הזה ותחיין את הילדים. ותעננה המיילדות ותדברנה שתיהן לפני המלך לאמור. אל יאמר המלך כי כנשים המצריות העבריות, כי כל בנות ישראל חיות הנה בטרם תבוא אליהן המיילדת וילדו. ואנחנו שפחותיך זה ימים רבים לא ילדה אישה עברית עלינו, כי כל נשי ישראל מיילדות הן לנפשם כי חיות הנה.
(18) Now, oh lord our king, the eyes of all Egypt are turned unto thee to give them counsel according to thy wisdom, so that they may prevail over the Israelites to exterminate them, or to lessen them in the land. And the king answered unto them saying: Counsel ye in this matter that we may know what should be done unto them. And one of the king's counselors, and his name was Job, from Mesopotamia, in the land of Uz, answered unto the king saying: If the king please let him listen to the counsel of his servant. And the king said unto him: Speak. And Job spoke before the king and the princes and the elders of Egypt, saying: Behold the counsel which the king hath counseled in these days, concerning tasking the Israelites with work is very good, and it should not be departed from forever, but this would be my counsel whereby they could be lessened, if it please the king to afflict them; behold, we have been for a long time in fear of war, and we have said, if Israel become fruitful in the land they will drive us away from the land in case of war. And now, if it please the king, let a royal decree be issued, and let it be recorded in the laws of Egypt, and let it be made irrevokable, that every male child born unto Israel, shall have its blood spilt upon the ground. And if you do this and all their male children shall have been slain, the evil they could do us in case of war would be removed. Let, then, the king send for the midwives of the Hebrews, and order them to do according to this thing. And this counsel seemed good in the eyes of the king and princes, and the king did as Job had spoken, and the king sent for the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, and the midwives appeared before the king, and they stood before him, and the king said unto them: When ye do the office of a midwife for the Hebrew women and see them upon the stools, if it be a son then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter then she shall live. And if you will not do this thing, then I will burn you and all your household with fire. But the midwives feared God and they did not listen to the voice of the king of Egypt, but when the Hebrew women brought forth to the midwife, be it a son or a daughter, the midwife would do everything that was wanted for the child, and they let it live. Thus did the midwives do all the days. And this thing was told unto the king who had the midwives called, and he said unto them: Why have ye done this thing and have saved the male children alive? And the midwives answered unto the king, saying: Let not our king imagine that the Hebrew women are like unto the Egyptian women, for all the children of Israel are lively and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them; and as to us, thy handmaids, for many days no Hebrew women hath been delivered by us, because all the Hebrew women are their own midwives for they are all lively.
Appendix E: Commentators on Shifra and Puah
Appendix F: Yocheved in the Talmud
Appendix G: Midrashim and Commentary on Yocheved
בַּיּוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי נָשִׂיא לִבְנֵי גָד אֶלְיָסָף בֶּן דְּעוּאֵל (במדבר ז, מב)..., (במדבר ז, מג): אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה, הִתְחִיל לְהַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנוֹ כְּנֶגֶד מַה שֶּׁאֵרַע לָהֶם מִיּוֹם שֶׁיָּרְדוּ יַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו לְמִצְרַיִם עַד שֶׁיָּצְאוּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: קָרְבָּנוֹ קַעֲרַת כֶּסֶף אַחַת, כְּנֶגֶד יוֹכֶבֶד אֵם משֶׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהּ (שמות ב, א): וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ מִבֵּית לֵוִי וַיִּקַּח אֶת בַּת לֵוִי, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁגֵּרְשָׁהּ עַמְרָם וְחָזַר וּלְקָחָהּ, וּלְכָךְ הִקְרִיב קְעָרָה שֶׁלֹא תִּקְרֵי קַעֲרַת, אֶלָּא קְרַעַת, לְפִי שֶׁנִּקְרַעַת מִמֶּנּוּ, אֲתוֹיֵי דְּדֵין הוּא אֲתוֹיֵי דְּדֵין. כֶּסֶף אַחַת, שֶׁנִּתְאַוָּה עַמְרָם לְהַחֲזִירָהּ לְאִשָּׁה עַל יְדֵי מִרְיָם אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן, וּלְכָךְ כְּתִיב כֶּסֶף, עַל שֵׁם הַתַּאֲוָה, כְּמָה דְתֵימָא (תהלים פד, ג): נִכְסְפָה וְגַם כָּלְתָה נַפְשִׁי וגו', וְאוֹמֵר (בראשית לא, ל): כִּי נִכְסֹף נִכְסַפְתָּה לְבֵית אָבִיךָ וגו'. אַחַת, אַל תִּקְרֵי אַחַת אֶלָּא אֲחוֹת, שֶׁבְּעֵת שֶׁהָיְתָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן נִתְנַבָּאת וְאָמְרָה לְאָבִיהָ שֶׁיַּחֲזִיר אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁעָתִיד לְהוֹלִיד מִמֶּנָּהּ בֵּן שֶׁיִּגְאֹל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, עַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (שמות טו, כ): וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן וגו', וְכִי אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן וְלֹא אֲחוֹת משֶׁה, אֶלָּא שֶׁהָיְתָה נְבוּאָתָהּ בְּעֵת שֶׁהָיְתָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן וְלֹא אֲחוֹת משֶׁה, שֶׁעֲדַיִן לֹא נוֹלַד משֶׁה, וּלְפִיכָךְ בְּעֵת שֶׁהֻשְּׁלַךְ משֶׁה לַיְאוֹר הָלְכָה וְרָאֲתָה מַה יֶּאֱרַע לְמשֶׁה וּמַה יִּהְיֶה בְּסוֹף נְבוּאָתָהּ, כְּמָה דְתֵימָא (שמות ב, ד): וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ מֵרָחֹק וגו'. הֱוֵי כֶּסֶף אַחַת. (במדבר ז, מג): שְׁלשִׁים וּמֵאָה מִשְׁקָלָה, לְפִי שֶׁהָיְתָה בַּת מֵאָה וּשְׁלשִׁים שָׁנָה בְּעֵת שֶׁנּוֹלַד משֶׁה, הָא כֵיצַד, לְפִי שֶׁיּוֹכֶבֶד נוֹלְדָה בֵּין הַחוֹמוֹת בְּעֵת שֶׁיָּרְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִצְרַיִם, וּלְפִיכָךְ נִכְנְסָה בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן הַיּוֹרְדִים לְמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית מו, טו): כָּל נֶפֶשׁ בָּנָיו וּבְנוֹתָיו שְׁלשִׁים וְשָׁלשׁ. בִּכְלָלָן אַתְּ מוֹצֵא שְׁלשִׁים וְשָׁלשׁ וּבִפְרָטָן אֵין אַתְּ מוֹצֵא כִּי אִם שְׁלשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם, לָמָּה, שֶׁיּוֹכֶבֶד נוֹלְדָה בֵּין הַחוֹמוֹת וְהָיְתָה מִן הַבָּאִים לְמִצְרַיִם, אֵין אָנוּ יוֹדְעִים שֶׁבְּמִצְרַיִם נוֹלְדָה, אַחַר שֶׁלֹא הֻזְכַּר שְׁמָהּ עִם שְׁמוֹת הַבָּאִים, אֶלָּא לוֹמַר לָךְ שֶׁבְּמִצְרַיִם נוֹלְדָה בֵּין הַחוֹמוֹת בְּעֵת שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, אֲבָל לֹא הוֹרְתָה בְּמִצְרַיִם. צֵא וַחֲשֹׁב מִיּוֹם שֶׁיָּרְדוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לְמִצְרַיִם עַד יוֹם שֶׁנּוֹלַד משֶׁה הֵן מֵאָה וּשְׁלשִׁים שָׁנָה, לְפִי שֶׁ'רד"ו' שָׁנִים עָשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם, מִנַּיִן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית מב, ג): רְד"וּ שָׁמָּה, צֵא מֵהֶן שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיוּ לְמשֶׁה בְּעֵת שֶׁיָּצְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם, נִשְׁתַּיְרוּ מֵאָה וּשְׁלשִׁים, הָא לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁיּוֹכֶבֶד בַּת מֵאָה וּשְׁלשִׁים שָׁנָה הָיְתָה בְּעֵת שֶׁנּוֹלַד משֶׁה. (במדבר ז, מג):...
“On the sixth day, prince of the children of Gad, Elyasaf son of Deuel” (Numbers 7:42)....
Rabbi Berekhya said: He began presenting his offering corresponding to what befell them from the day that Jacob and his sons descended to Egypt, until they departed. That is what is written: “His offering was one silver dish,” corresponding to Yokheved, Moses’s mother, in whose regard it is stated: “A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1); it teaches that Amram divorced her and then took her back. That is why he presented a dish. Do not read it as ke’arat, but rather, as keraat, because she was severed [nikraat] from him. The letters of this are the letters of that. “One silver [kesef],” as Amram longed to take her back as a wife on account of Miriam, Aaron’s sister. That is why it is called kesef, because of the longing, just as it says: “My soul longs [nikhsefa], and also yearns, [for the courtyards of the Lord]” (Psalms 84:3). And it says: “Because you longed [nikhsof nikhsafta] for your father’s house…” (Genesis 31:30).
“One [aḥat],” do not read it as aḥat, but rather, as aḥot, sister, as when she was Aaron’s sister, she prophesied and said to her father that he should take back his wife, who was destined to bear a son who would redeem Israel. In that regard it is stated: “Miriam the prophetess, sister of Aaron…” (Exodus 15:20). Was she Aaron’s sister and not Moses’s sister? It is because Moses had not yet been born, and that is why, when Moses was cast into the Nile, she went and saw what would befall Moses and what would be the fate of her prophecy, just as it says: “His sister stationed herself at a distance [to ascertain what would be done to him]” (Exodus 2:4). That is, “one silver.”
“Its weight one hundred and thirty” (Numbers 7:43), it is because she [Yokheved] was one hundred and thirty years old when Moses was born. How so? It is because Yokheved was born between the walls when Israel descended to Egypt. That is why she entered into the tally of those who descended to Egypt, as it is stated: “All the people, his sons and his daughters, thirty-three” (Genesis 46:15). In the generalization, you find thirty-three, but in the details, you find only thirty-two. Why? It is because Yokheved was born between the walls, and was among those who arrived in Egypt. Do we not know that she was born in Egypt; after all, her name was not mentioned with the names of those who arrived? It is, rather, to say to you that she was born in Egypt between the walls when they entered Egypt, but her conception was not in Egypt. Go out and reckon: From the day that our ancestors descended to Egypt until the day that Moses was born, there were one hundred and thirty years, as Israel was in Egypt for two hundred and ten years. From where is it derived? “Descend [redu] there” (Genesis 42:2). Subtract from them eighty years, that was Moses’s age when Israel departed from Egypt; one hundred and thirty remain. We learn that Yokheved was one hundred and thirty years old when Moses was born....
(Ib. 2, 1) And there went a man of the house of Levi and took a daughter of Levi. Where did he go? asked R. Chisda b. Zabina: "He went for the advice of his daughter." We are taught: Amran was considered the greatest man of his generation and as soon as Pharaoh decreed that every son who is born ye shall cast into the river, he said to himself: "In vain do we get married." He therefore divorced his wife. The rest of the people following his example did likewise. Thereupon his daughter said to him: "Father thy decree is even worse than Pharaoh's; for he issued a decree against sons, but thou hast issued a decree against both sons and daughters; Pharaoh's decree affects merely this world but thy decree will affect this world and the future world. As to the decree of Pharaoh, the wicked, whether it will endure or not [we do not know], but as to thine who art righteous the decree will surely endure, as it is said (Job. 22, 28) And if thou decree a thing it will be fulfilled unto thee." He immediately remarried his wife, whereupon the rest of the people also remarried their wives. If so then it should be written, he re-took instead of took? Said R. Juda b. Zabina: "This means that he made a real wedding ceremony, he made her sit under a canopy with Aaron and Miriam dancing before her while the ministering angels recited, (Ps. 113, 9) The joyful mother of children." The daughter of Levi refers to Jochebed who became pregnant on her way to Egypt and who gave birth between the walls of Egypt, as it is said (Num. 26, 59) Whom [her mother] bore to Levi in Egypt; i.e., her birth was in Egypt, but not her pregnancy." Hence why does the passage call her daughter? Said R. Juda b. Bizna: "At that time she became as young as a veritable girl."
“The woman conceived and bore a son” – Rabbi Yehuda said: Her birth is juxtaposed with her conception; just as her conception was painless, so too, her birth was painless. From here it is derived that righteous women were not included in the verdict of Eve. “She saw that he was good [tov].” It was taught that Rabbi Meir says: His name was Tov. Rabbi Yoshiya says: His name was Toviya. Rabbi Yehuda says: He was fit for prophecy. Others say: He was born circumcised. The Rabbis say: At the moment that Moses was born, the entire house was illuminated; here it is written: “She saw that he was good [tov].” There it is written: “God saw the light, that it was good [tov]” (Genesis 1:4).
“She hid him for three months” because the Egyptians counted only from the moment that he remarried her, but she had already been three months pregnant from the outset.
“She was no longer able to hide him, and she took for him a wicker basket and coated it with clay and with pitch; she placed the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the Nile” (Exodus 2:3).
“She was no longer able to hide him” (Exodus 2:3). Why? It is because the Egyptians were going into each and every house in which they thought that a baby had been born, and would take a small Egyptian baby there and would cause him to cry, so that the Israelite baby would hear his voice and cry with him. That is what is written: “Catch us foxes, little foxes [that ruin vineyards…]” (Song of Songs 2:15).
Appendix H: Batya in the Talmud
וְכַמָּה? אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה: שְׁתֵּי אַמּוֹת הָיָה, וְהֶעֱמִידוֹ עַל שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה, וְאָמְרִי לַהּ עַל שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה, וְאָמְרִי לַהּ עַל עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבַּע. בְּמַתְנִיתָא תָּנָא: עַל שִׁשִּׁים, וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּאַמָּתָהּ שֶׁל בַּת פַּרְעֹה
How much was it stretched? Rabbi Yirmeya said: The scepter was two cubits, and he made it twelve cubits. And some say that he made it sixteen cubits, and yet others say twenty-four cubits. It was taught in a baraita: He made it sixty cubits. And similarly you find with the arm of Pharaoh’s daughter, which she stretched out to take Moshe.
ברייתא שבעה אבות שכבו בכבוד העולם ולא שלטה בהם רמה ותולעה אברהם יצחק ויעקב ועמרם אבי משה ובנימין בן יעקב וישי וכלאב וי״א אף דוד שנאמר לכן שמח לבי ויגל כבודי אף בשרי ישכון לבטח. שבעה נכנסו בחייהם לגן עדן אלו הם שרח דכתיב אנכי שלומי אמוני ישראל אני שהשלמתי מנין הנכנסים לגן עדן. ובתיה בת פרעה דכתיב ילדה את ירד אמר הקב״ה אינו קורא למשה אלא בשם שקראתו שנאמר ויקרא אליו אלהים [וגו׳] הוא שאמר דוד ישלח ממרום יקחני ימשני ממים רבים. כי מן המים משיתהו אמר הקב״ה והביאה ישועה לישראל והוציאן לחיים הריני מאריך לך בחיים אמר כרתי ברית עם אבותיכם והם בהלכות אבותיהם זו שעזבה מלכות ונדבקה בם איני משלם לה.
BARAITHA. Seven patriarchs died in universal honour, and the worms and maggots had no power over them, viz. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Amram the father of Moses, Benjamin the son of Jacob, Jesse and Chileab. Some add: David, as it is stated, Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also dwelleth in safety.
Seven entered Paradise in their lifetime, viz.: [Seraḥ [the daughter of Asher], Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, Hiram, king of Tyre, Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, Eliezer [the servant of Abraham], the grandson of Judah the Prince, Jabez and some add, R. Joshua b. Levi].
GEMARA. Seraḥ, as it is written, I am of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel [which is interpreted,] It is I who completed the number of entrants to the Garden of Eden. Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, as it is written, And his wife Hajehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor … and these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh whom Mered took. God said, ‘I will call Moses by no other name than she called him’, as it is stated, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: Moses, Moses. To this David alluded when he exclaimed, He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. [It is written,] And she called his name Moses, and said: Because I drew him out of the water. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Because she caused salvation to come to Israel and brought them forth to life, behold, I will prolong her life’. He [also] said, ‘I have made a covenant with your fathers and they followed in the path of their fathers. This woman, however, who has forsaken her royal status and attached herself to you, shall I not reward her?’
Appendix H: Batya in the Midrashim and Commentaries
“To bathe in the Nile” (Exodus 2:5) – to wash off the idolatry of her father’s home. “While her maidens were walking [holekhot],” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The term halikha here is nothing other than an expression of death, and likewise it says: “Behold, I am going [holekh] to die” (Genesis 25:32). They said to her: ‘Our mistress, the way of the world is that a king issues a decree and the entire world does not fulfill it, but his children and the members of his household fulfill it; and you are violating the command of your father.’ Immediately, [the angel] Gabriel came and slammed them onto the ground [and killed them].
“She sent her maidservant [amatah] and she took it.” Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, one says her arm, and one says her maidservant. The reason for the one who says “her arm” is that amatah is written. The reason for the one who says “her maidservant” is that yadah is not written. According to the opinion of the one who says her maidservant, when Gabriel came and slammed them onto the ground, he spared one of them, as it is not the way of a princess to remain alone.
They raise an objection: According to the one who says “her hand,” let it write “yadah.” This is not difficult, as this is the reason that amatah is written, because her arm was stretched. We learned: Likewise you find: “You have broken [shibarta] the teeth of the wicked” (Psalms 3:8); do not read it as shibarta, but rather as shirbavta, that you enlarged and extended.
The Rabbis say: Pharaoh’s daughter was a leper; that is why she went to bathe. When she touched the basket she was cured. That is why she had compassion for Moses and loved him exceedingly.
“The child grew.” She nursed him for twenty-four months and you say “the child grew”? Rather, it was that he was growing in a manner that was atypical in the land.
“She brought her to Pharaoh’s daughter…” Pharaoh’s daughter was kissing, hugging, and loving him as though he were her son, and would not take him out of the king’s palace. Because he was beautiful, everyone desired to see him, and anyone who saw him would not leave him. Pharaoh would kiss him and hug him, and he would take Pharaoh’s crown and place it on his head, as he was destined to do when he grew older.
Likewise, the Holy One blessed be He said to Ḥiram: “I have drawn fire from your midst….” (Ezekiel 28:18), and likewise Pharaoh’s daughter was raising the one who was destined to exact retribution from her father. The messianic king, too, who is destined to exact retribution from Edom, resides with them in the same country, as it is stated: “There the calf will graze and there it will lie [and consume its branches]” (Isaiah 27:10).
The magicians of Egypt were sitting there, and said: ‘we are afraid of this one who takes your crown and places it on his head, lest he be the one regarding whom we said that he is destined to wrest your kingdom from you.’ Some of them said to behead him, some said to burn him. Yitro was sitting in their midst and saying to them: ‘This boy has no intelligence. Rather, test him. Bring before him a bowl with gold and a hot coal. If he extends his hand to the gold, he has intelligence and [you should] execute him; and if he extends his hand to the coal, he has no intelligence and he has no sentence of death.’ Immediately, they brought it before him and he extended his hand to take the gold. Gabriel came and pushed his hand. He seized the coal and placed his hand with the coal into his mouth, and his tongue was burned. From that he became “slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10).
“She named him Moses” – from here you learn the reward of those who perform of acts of kindness. Although Moses had many names, the name that was set for him throughout the Torah was only the one that Batya daughter of Pharaoh called him. Even the Holy One blessed be He did not call him by any other name.
רַבִּי סִימוֹן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי וְרַבִּי חָמָא אֲבוּהָ דְּרַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָא בְּשֵׁם רַב, אָמְרֵי, לֹא נִתַּן דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים אֶלָּא לִדָּרֵשׁ, (דברי הימים א ד, יח): וְאִשְׁתּוֹ הַיְּהֻדִיָּה יָלְדָה אֶת יֶרֶד אֲבִי גְדוֹר וגו', וְאִשְׁתּוֹ הַיְּהֻדִיָּה, זוֹ יוֹכֶבֶד, וְכִי מִשִּׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל יְהוּדָה הָיְתָה וַהֲלוֹא מִשִּׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל לֵוִי הָיְתָה וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָהּ יְהֻדִיָּה, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁהֶעֱמִידָה יְהוּדִים בָּעוֹלָם. ... וְאֵלֶּה בְּנֵי בִּתְיָה בַת פַּרְעֹה, רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְבִתְיָה בַּת פַּרְעֹה, משֶׁה לֹא הָיָה בְּנֵךְ וּקְרָאתוֹ בְּנֵךְ, אַף אַתְּ לֹא אַתְּ בִּתִּי וַאֲנִי קוֹרֵא אוֹתָךְ בִּתִּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי בִּתְיָה, בַּת יָהּ. (דברי הימים א ד, יח):
Rabbi Simon, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, and Rabbi Ḥama father of Rabbi Hoshaya, in the name of Rav, said: Chronicles was given only for expounding. “His Judahite wife bore Yered father of Gedor, [Ḥever father of Sokho, and Yekutiel father of Zano'aḥ; these are the sons of Bitya daughter of Pharaoh whom Mered took as a wife]” (I Chronicles 4:18). “His Judahite wife” – this is Yokheved. Was she from the tribe of Judah? Was she not from the tribe of Levi? Why was she called Judahite? It is because she brought Jews into the world.
... “These are the sons of Bitya daughter of Pharaoh” (I Chronicles 4:18) – Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: The Holy One blessed be He said to Bitya daughter of Pharaoh: ‘Moses was not your son, but you called him your son; you, too, are not My daughter, but I call you My daughter,’ as it is stated: “These are the sons of Bitya,” the daughter of God [bat Yah].
Appendix I: Interpretations of “Bitya the daughter of Pharaoh”, from 1 Chronicles 4:18
ברייתא שבעה אבות שכבו בכבוד העולם ולא שלטה בהם רמה ותולעה אברהם יצחק ויעקב ועמרם אבי משה ובנימין בן יעקב וישי וכלאב וי״א אף דוד שנאמר לכן שמח לבי ויגל כבודי אף בשרי ישכון לבטח. שבעה נכנסו בחייהם לגן עדן אלו הם שרח דכתיב אנכי שלומי אמוני ישראל אני שהשלמתי מנין הנכנסים לגן עדן. ובתיה בת פרעה דכתיב ילדה את ירד אמר הקב״ה אינו קורא למשה אלא בשם שקראתו שנאמר ויקרא אליו אלהים [וגו׳] הוא שאמר דוד ישלח ממרום יקחני ימשני ממים רבים. כי מן המים משיתהו אמר הקב״ה והביאה ישועה לישראל והוציאן לחיים הריני מאריך לך בחיים אמר כרתי ברית עם אבותיכם והם בהלכות אבותיהם זו שעזבה מלכות ונדבקה בם איני משלם לה.
BARAITHA. Seven patriarchs died in universal honour, and the worms and maggots had no power over them, viz. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Amram the father of Moses, Benjamin the son of Jacob, Jesse and Chileab. Some add: David, as it is stated, Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also dwelleth in safety.
Seven entered Paradise in their lifetime, viz.: [Seraḥ [the daughter of Asher], Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, Hiram, king of Tyre, Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, Eliezer [the servant of Abraham], the grandson of Judah the Prince, Jabez and some add, R. Joshua b. Levi].
GEMARA. Seraḥ, as it is written, I am of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel [which is interpreted,] It is I who completed the number of entrants to the Garden of Eden. Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, as it is written, And his wife Hajehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor … and these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh whom Mered took. God said, ‘I will call Moses by no other name than she called him’, as it is stated, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: Moses, Moses. To this David alluded when he exclaimed, He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. [It is written,] And she called his name Moses, and said: Because I drew him out of the water. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Because she caused salvation to come to Israel and brought them forth to life, behold, I will prolong her life’. He [also] said, ‘I have made a covenant with your fathers and they followed in the path of their fathers. This woman, however, who has forsaken her royal status and attached herself to you, shall I not reward her?’
“Bore Yered” (I Chronicles 4:18) – this is Moses. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa and Rabbi Simon: Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: “Yered” – because he brought down [horid] the Torah from [the heavens] above to [the earth] below. Alternatively: “Yered” – because he brought down the Divine Presence from [the heavens] above to [the earth] below. Rabbi Simon said: Yered is nothing other than an expression of kingship, just as it says: “He will rule [veyerd] from sea to sea” (Psalms 72:8); and it is written: “For he ruled [rodeh] over the entire region beyond the river” (I Kings 5:4).
“Father of Gedor” (I Chronicles 4:18) – Rabbi Huna bar Aḥa said: Many fence builders [goderin] stood for Israel, but [Moses] was the father of them all. “Ḥever” (I Chronicles 4:18) – because he connected [ḥiber] the children to their Father in Heaven; alternatively, “Ḥever” – who prevented [he’evir] calamity from coming to the world. “Father of Sokho” (I Chronicles 4:18) – as he was the father of the prophets who see [sokhin] by means of the Divine Spirit. Rabbi Levi said: It is an Arabic expression, as in Arabia they call prophets sakhya. “Yekutiel” (I Chronicles 4:18) – Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Sima said: He rendered the children hopeful [mekavin] toward their Father in Heaven. “Father of Zano’aḥ” (I Chronicles 4:18) – this is Moses, who was the father of those who cause abandonment [mazniḥim], who caused them to abandon idol worship. That is what is written: “[He took the calf which they had made, burnt it with fire, ground it to powder, and] scattered it over the water, [and he made the children of Israel drink from it]” (Exodus 32:20).
“These are the sons of Bitya daughter of Pharaoh” (I Chronicles 4:18) – Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: The Holy One blessed be He said to Bitya daughter of Pharaoh: ‘Moses was not your son, but you called him your son; you, too, are not My daughter, but I call you My daughter,’ as it is stated: “These are the sons of Bitya,” the daughter of God [bat Yah].
“Whom Mered took” (I Chronicles 4:18) – this is Caleb. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon: One said: He rebelled [marad] against the counsel of the scouts, and she rebelled [mareda] against the counsel of her father; let the rebel come and take the rebel. One said: He rescued the flock, and she rescued the shepherd.
Moses was called ten names: Yered, Ḥever, Yekutiel, Avi Gedor, Avi Sokho, Avi Zano’aḥ. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: Toviya is also his name. That is what is written: “She saw him that he was good [tov]” (Exodus 2:2) – that he was Toviya. Rabbi Yishmael bar Ami said: Shemaya is also his name. Rabbi Yehoshua bar Neḥemya came and explained this verse: “Shemaya son of Netanel the scribe [from the Levites] recorded them [before the king, the princes, Tzadok the priest, Aḥimelekh son of Evyatar, and the heads of the patrilineal houses of the priests and of the Levites]” (I Chronicles 24:6): “Shemaya” – because the Lord heard [shama Yah] his prayer. “Son of Netanel” – a son to whom the Torah was given [shenitena] from hand to hand. “The scribe” – because he was the scribe of Israel. “Levite” – because he was from the tribe of Levi. “Before the king and the princes” – before the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, and [before] His court. “Tzadok” – this is Aaron the priest. “Aḥimelekh” – because he was the brother [aḥ] of the king [melekh]. “Son of Evyatar” – because through him, the Holy One blessed be He overlooked [viter] for them the incident of the calf. Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa: Levite was also his name after the forebear of his family: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?” (Exodus 4:14). And Moses, that is ten. The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: As you live, from all the names that you were called, I will call you only by the name that Bitya daughter of Pharaoh called you: “She called his name Moses” (Exodus 2:10). “He called to Moses.”