What a Parasha we have in our
hands this week! Parashat Shemot opens up with the Shevatim and the next
generation of Am Yisrael now in Mitzrayim suffering from the new Pharaoh. After
we see Pharoah choosing to “forget” about how much good Yosef brought to
Mitzrayim from the interpretations of the dreams, he turned Am Yisrael into
slaves. Besides for the fact that Hashem teaches us the importance of Hakarat HaTov (appreciation & saying
thank you), Hashem tells us in the Torah that Pharoah commanded the midwives of
the Jewish Women who gave birth to kill all male newborns!
Why? Rashi says that the
magicians of Pharoah in the palace saw in the stars (astronomy) that there was
supposed to be the birth of the Mashiach (savior/redeemer) of Am Yisrael that
same day (either from a Mitzrit, Egyptian, or an Ivrit, Hebrew woman).
Let’s continue: the two famous
Midwives of the Jewish women in labor were Pu’ah
and Shifrah, or other names for Yocheved (Moshe’s mother) and Miriam
(Moshe’s sister). Pharoah quickly caught on that the women of Am Yisrael were
keeping the male newborns alive. What does the Pasuk tell us? “But the midwives feared God and they did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them,
and they caused the boys to live (Shemot 1:17).” Pharoah called upon his
servants to immediately bring over the two midwives. He confronted them
straight away and they answered blatantly “Because
the Hebrew women are unlike the Egyptian women, for they are experts; before
the midwife comes to them, they have given birth (1:18).”
Hold on! Let’s take the story a
step back. These are two Hebrew women, who are slaves, from the tribe that
doesn’t work (the Levi’im were the only tribe that were financed by the other
11 tribes to sit and learn Torah in Mitzrayim), which means they don’t help the
production of Egypt. Now these two Hebrew Levi women walk up to the king of
Egypt, the actual king of Egypt, not the secretary of the palace or one of the
ministers of the Police. The actual king of the entire state of Egypt! ALSO THEY COMPLETELY WENT AGAINST HIS WORD!
And its not like they went
against the word of the king on some trade between another enemy country or
they were spies; they greatened the possibility of helping the Hebrew women to
bring the Mashiach of the Hebrews,
of the slaves that continued the entire growth of Egypt’s economy.
Imagine today if two Iranian
women went against Ahmadinejad’s word (Imach Shemo). You think they will just
get laid off like Shifrah and Pu’ah?
No way.
What happened in the end with
these two brave Yereh Shamayim women? They were laid off no problem! Nothing
happened, not even one scratch on their holy tippy toes!
What does this teach us? Simple.
What Pasuk did we bring before? That Shifrah and Pu’ah FEARED GOD and therefore succeeded in going against the king of
Egypt’s word. When someone goes blinded into the world with Hashem behind
him/her and knowing and believing that Hashem is helping them no matter what,
even if its against the person that has most power in the entire world, they WILL SUCCEED!
If
Shifrah and Pu’ah can be saved from Pharoah, then what makes us think we cannot
be saved from the hands of the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination) and get closer to
Hashem by keeping Shabbat?
SHABBAT
SHALOM!
Judaism=Think.
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