Rabbi's Sermons

Shabbat shalom!

Parashat Shemot, which opens the book of Exodus this week, is an extraordinary reading, in the sense that all the main actors are, in fact, actresses. The Parasha tells of no less than six women, who passed little Moshe along, from hand to hand, until he was saved, grew up, became the great Moshe who saved Israel from slavery in Egypt. How would Moshe have had survived, without the stubbornness of his sister, Miriam? The Torah in Exodus 2, describes that Miriam was looking at the side of the ark, where her brother was placed: "⁴ And his sister stood afar off to learn what would be done to him". The Midrash Shemot Rabba 1, glorifies the action of the girl, and continues: "Since Pharaoh decreed and said (in Exodus 1): ‘¹⁶ if it be a son then you shall kill him; but if it be a daughter then she shall live’, then Amram said: 'Is Israel lying with their wives for nothing?'. He immediately took out his wife Yocheved, separated from her, stood up, and expelled his wife when she was three months pregnant. And all Israel stood up and divorced their wives! His daughter (Miriam) told him: 'Father, your order is harsher than Pharaoh's. Pharaoh did not decree to kill but only the boys, and you decree for boys and girls. Evil Pharaoh, there will be doubt if his decree exists, but you are just and your decree ¡it is fulfilled!. He stood up and brought his wife back home. All Israel stood up and brought back their wives". In this way, Miriam spoke to her father, in a wise way and urged him to return to his wife and continue to procreate a new generation, despite the decree of Pharaoh. Amram and all the children of Israel were convinced. Miriam's stubbornness had protected us, so the people of Israel did not cease to exist.

How would Moshe have had survived without the humanity of the midwives – Shifra and Puá? In fact, the midwives did not follow Pharaoh's order to kill every newborn child of the Hebrew women. From the Torah, it is not clear whether it was the Hebrew midwives who took pity on their people, or the Egyptian midwives who had pity of the Hebrews’ babies. The Midrash Yalkut Shimoni, lists Puá and Shifra, as converts to the Hebrew people, whose reverence for God and love prevented them from obeying Pharaoh's order and killing the babies.

How could Moshe had survived without the courage of his mother, Yocheved? When Pharaoh realized that the midwives were not going to follow his instructions, he turned to all the people and said: “²² Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive”. Yocheved obeyed the instructions ironically and resentfully, by throwing her baby into the river, yes, but in a special ark, with the faint hope of rescuing him. Yocheved, also, did not agree to cooperate with the oppressor, she continued to have a family life and since her baby was born, she did everything possible to save him.

How could Moshe have gotten to safety, without the mercy of Pharaoh's daughter? Pharaoh's daughter saw the tender baby crying in the ark and felt sorry for him, although she knew that "This is one of the Hebrews’ children". And although she certainly knew her father's decree, she also did not obey the cruelty of the commandment. The love of a mother, surpassed her love for her father. Pharaoh's daughter saved the baby and called him "Moshe", and in exchange for this, the Midrash Vayikra Raba, gave her the name: "Batya", the daughter of God, as it explains: "God told Batya bat Paro: Moshe he was not your son and you called him your son, in the same way you are not my daughter, but I will call you my daughter". According to the Midrash, Batya was considered one of the nine people, not from the people of Israel, who had the privilege of entering heaven.

How could Moshe's son had been saved in the desert, without the ingenuity of Moshe’s wife, Tzipora? A strange event is related later on Exodus Ch. 4, that commentators found difficult to explain, during which, God threatened to kill Moshe's son in the desert. God turned to Moshe, but he did not respond. Didn't he hear the call? Was he terrified? Was he left helpless before a threatening God? On the contrary, Tzipora understood the cause of divine anger and acted on the spot. "²⁵ Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son...".

The common denominator of all these six women is that they led Moshe Rabeinu in a chain, from the hands of one, to the hands of the other, and that they knew how to understand complicated and unexpected situations. They were able to respond with wisdom and ingenuity. They all have in common, their actions based on faith and love, and not a belligerent action. Some of these women are Hebrew, slave women, and some of them are foreigners, that is, the weakest of the weak. And yet, the six of them, acted out of solidarity and a sense of human brotherhood.

The role of women in the redemption of Egypt would not be complete, without a dignified recognition to the work of thousands of Israel’s daughters, who did not abandon themselves to despair in light of horrible decrees, and simply decided to live! We do not know their names, but we must remember them with respect and admiration. This is precisely what Rabbi Uira's midrash does, providing an alternate history to the story of Israel's redemption from Egypt and recounting the following: "With the wages of righteous women from that generation, Israel was redeemed from Egypt. While they were going to draw water, God placed small fish in their jugs. And they drew half water and half fish and they came and prepared two pots, one of broth and the other of fish. And they accompanied their husbands to the fields. And they washed them and oiled them, they fed and quenched their thirst, they kissed them with their lips... And when they got pregnant, they stayed at home. And when it was time to give birth, they did it under the apple orchard as it is written in the Song of Songs Ch. 8: '⁵ I raised you up under the apple tree': And the Holy One, Blessed be He, sent from heaven, who would take care of them and clean them, and take care of the newborn and place two rings, one with oil and the other with honey as it is written in Deuteronomy Ch. 32: '¹³ He made him to drink honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock'. And since the Egyptians could recognize them, a miracle was performed and they hid them underground'.

So far, the text of this beautiful Midrash, which describes a fascinating collaboration between the women of that generation and God: The men remain in the fields, and they go to pump water and the Eternal helps them with small fish in their jugs; they bathe their tired men in forced labor, feed and take care for them, they love them and get pregnant. And the cooperation with the divinity continues until the moment of giving birth in nature under the apple orchards, without midwives, without nurses, only with the help of the Divinity. God himself takes care of them and their babies. They suckle them and give them honey and oil and when danger arises, they hide them under the ground, in holes or caves. Those babies born in the field are the first to know God when he reveals himself to Israel in the sea, and they remember His grace.

So, let us not forget the workers of the routine activities, those who sustain life even in Death Valley, those who have no weapons in hand but a phenomenal courage and an enormous love for life... Shortly, I will raise my Kiddush glass for the sanctification of Shabbat, but also for the lives of the women of Parashat Shemot! And for the lives of women to whom we, as men, owe so much, in each generation!

Shabat Shalom!

Rabbi David Laor

January 9^th 2026