I write these reflections while sitting in a beit midrash in Jerusalem, having just graduated from Maimonides last year. Everywhere one turns in Israel today, there are signs reading b’yachad nenatzeach (together we will prevail), reminding us of the power of a united Am Yisrael. For some, these signs also have religious connotations. This is one of the first lessons of Sefer Shemot, as we move from stories about individuals and families to one about the birth of a nation.
The second perek of this week’s parsha tells the story of Moshe's birth and how he came to be raised by Batya, the daughter of Pharaoh. It begins by introducing Moshe’s parents as follows: וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִ֖ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־בַּת־לֵוִֽי, a man from the house of Levi went and took a woman (as a wife) from the house of Levi. The next pasuk continues וַתַּ֥הַר הָאִשָּׁ֖ה וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֑ן, and the woman conceived and had a son. Rashi fills in the details and explains that the “man from the house of Levi” is Amram, the “woman from the house of Levi” is Yocheved, and the child is Moshe (or, as he was originally named, Avigdor).
The story continues by describing Moshe’s experience on the Nile River: - וַתֵּתַצַּ֥ב אֲחֹת֖וֹ מֵרָחֹ֑ק לְדֵעָ֕ה מַה־יֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה לֽוֹ, And his sister (Miriam) stationed herself at a distance to watch what would happen to him (Moshe).
- תֵּ֤רֶד בַּת־פַּרְעֹה֙ לִרְחֹ֣ץ עַל־הַיְאֹ֔ר, The daughter of Pharaoh (Batya) went down to bathe in the water...
- פְתַּח֙ וַתִּרְאֵ֣הוּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד, She (Batya) opened the basket and saw the child (Moshe)…
- וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִיַּלְדֵ֥י הָֽעִבְרִ֖ים זֶֽה, and she (Batya) said, “This must be a Hebrew child” (Moshe).
- וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֲחֹתוֹ֮ אֶל־בַּת־פַּרְעֹה, The sister (Miriam) said to the daughter of Pharaoh (Batya)…
- תֹּֽאמֶר־לָ֥הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֖ה לֵ֑כִי וַתֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה וַתִּקְרָ֖א אֶת־אֵ֥ם הַיָּֽלֶד, And the daughter of Pharoah (Batya) said to her (Miriam), “Yes,” so the girl (Miriam) went and got the child’s (Moshe’s) mother (Yocheved).
- וַתֹּ֧אמֶר לָ֣הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה הֵילִ֜יכִי אֶת־הַיֶּ֤לֶד הַזֶּה֙ וְהֵינִקִ֣הוּ לִ֔י וַאֲנִ֖י אֶתֵּ֣ן אֶת־שְׂכָרֵ֑ךְ וַתִּקַּ֧ח הָאִשָּׁ֛ה הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַתְּנִיקֵֽהוּ, And the daughter of Pharaoh (Batya) said to her (Yocheved), “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will pay you your wages.” So the woman (Batya) took the child (Moshe) and nursed it.
In our Chumash class at Maimonides, Rabbi David Ehrenkranz would always tell us to never use vague pronouns. Why, then, does the Torah hide the names of all the characters in this origin story, and instead use vague pronouns? The Amudie Aish gives two answers to this question. The first focuses on the importance of the nation. In Parshat Shemot we begin to learn the history of the Jewish people. If we were provided with a list of individual names, we may have thought that this – like Sefer Bereishit, where we learned the stories of the Avot – is just a story about Moshe and his family. The Torah hides the names here to shift our attention from the individuals to the nation.
Second, on a similar note, most of the individuals in this story are among the biggest tzadikim in the Tanach. Amram is said to be one of the four people who never sinned; Ahron served as the first Kohen Gadol; Miriam was the first neviah; and Moshe, among other things, was the greatest navi who ever lived. While these individuals did amazing things – forming, saving, and serving the Jewish people – the Torah expressly leaves their names out of this part of the story to ensure that everyone understands, at the outset, that it was Hashem who enabled all of these things to happen.
As we move to a new sefer, and hopefully to a new and better period for the Jewish people, it is important to refocus our energy on the power of our unity and the ultimate source of our strength. Shabbat shalom! | 