by Yehuda HaKohen. “The King of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the first was Shifrah and the name of the second was Puah – and he said, `When you deliver the Hebrew women, and you see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, you are to kill him, and if it is a daughter, she shall live.’ But the midwives feared G-D and they did not do as the king of Egypt spoke to them, and they caused the boys to live.” (SHEMOT 1:15-17)
It is taught that Shifrah and Puah are alternate names for Yoheved and Miriam – mother and sister to Moshe and Aharon. We learn further that the midwives feared G-D and therefore HaShem built them “Houses in Israel” (the priesthood emerged from Yoheved and the Davidic dynasty descended from Miriam). But in order to properly grasp this idea, we must first appreciate what it means to “fear” G-D.
To fear G-D is actually the highest level of courage because when a person possesses genuine awe of HaShem as the Creator and Source of all that exists, he cannot possibly fear Pharaoh, poverty, prison, torture or even death. Truly fearing G-D requires a deep awareness of the Divine unity of Creation and an understanding that nothing exists outside HaShem, thereby eliminating the ability to fear anything subordinate. It is this elevated consciousness that enabled these women to give birth to the greatest leadership Israel has known.
Because the slave naturally fears his master and the Hebrews in Egypt were brought up to fear their oppressors, the behavior displayed by Yoheved and Miriam was a revolution against the social order of their day. HaShem had not promised the women any reward for endangering themselves and they had no guarantee that they would survive Pharaoh’s wrath. What Yoheved and Miriam did, however, was display the most ancient of Hebrew traditions.
When thrown into Nimrod’s furnace for his commitment to HaShem, our patriarch Avraham did not expect to be saved. Rather, he was willing to give up his life for the truth in his soul, regardless of whether or not he would live.
During the terrible Holocaust in Europe, there lived Jews willing to collaborate with the Nazis in order to make life easier for themselves and their families. These were pragmatic Jews who saw and understood that the Nazis were strong and their own people weak. The rational answer to their predicament was to attempt to survive by assisting the Germans. But there are prohibitions in the Torah for which one must be willing to give his life rather than transgress. One clear example is that a person must die rather than participate in the murder of his own people (obviously a common occurrence for Jews assisting Nazis). Fear of HaShem in such a situation is the soul not being prepared to contaminate itself through handing over one’s brother to a murderer. Therefore, a person with true fear of G-D could never have allowed himself to deliver fellow Jews to the slaughter. Life itself would no longer feel worth living after having betrayed the essence of his soul.
A person who genuinely fears HaShem has no personal fear for his own private safety and is automatically infused with a tremendous spirit of valor. While this is certainly not an easy level to attain, one can approach this great height through asking honest questions and being prepared to accept difficult answers. The true courage of fearing G-D involves emotional maturity, intellectual honesty and the willingness to burden a national responsibility. Yoheved and Miriam risked their lives for what was right, knowing that they could have very easily been killed and forgotten. Like Avraham, they feared G-D because that was the truth of their souls and not because they had any guarantees of survival.
Fear of G-D is not an insurance policy for the body but rather for the soul. It is a loyalty to one’s inner truth without any preconditions or expectations for reward. Only at this caliber can a person become courageous to the point of being unbreakable in the face of overwhelming adversity. Anything a person is threatened with simply becomes inconsequential when viewed within the context of HaShem being the timeless ultimate Reality without end that creates all, includes all and is at the same time beyond all.
In addition to being the wellspring of courage, fearing HaShem is the basis for attaining true love – the ability to give without expectations. Rabbi Akiva teaches that the commandment, “you shall love your fellow as yourself” is a mitzvah that encompasses the Torah in its entirety. It is the base that the Torah rests on in order to be fully revealed in our world. Genuine love entails being ready to take risks without fear that one’s feelings are not reciprocal. Whether it is a personal, national or universal love, one who truly cares does not fret about being exploited because genuine compassion exists only to give. The idea of true love is an incredibly high concept and the most essential foundation for understanding the Torah. But in order to achieve this level of compassion, one must first be an exceptionally courageous individual.
Moshe was destined to liberate Israel and to teach the Torah as a national constitution to live by in our homeland. But Moshe first grew up in the house of Pharaoh, a place signifying values that stand in stark contrast to his unique mission of leadership. In order to develop the necessary courage to bring Israel from slavery to freedom, Moshe grew up surrounded by the very power that stood against the fundamental essence of his task. It was precisely this environment that forced Moshe to ask true questions, grow to emotional maturity and realize his mission as Israel’s savior. He was therefore given a series of challenges that forced him to develop the necessary valor to overcome all obstacles and enter the world of love.
“It happened in those days that Moshe grew up and went out to his brethren and observed their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that and saw that there was no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.” (SHEMOT 2:11-12)
Moshe witnessed an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave and made a choice to intervene. It was here that he reached emotional maturity by being prepared to sacrifice his princedom in order to save his brother from harm. At this point Moshe left the world of Egyptian royalty and entered into the realm of Hebrew responsibility.
“He went out the next day and behold! Two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the wicked one, `Why do you strike your fellow?’ He replied, `Who appointed you as a dignitary, a ruler and a judge over us? Do you propose to murder me as you murdered the Egyptian?’ Moshe was frightened and he thought, `Indeed the matter is known!'” (SHEMOT 2:13-14)
The Torah states earlier that Moshe “saw that there was no man” yet here we see a Hebrew with knowledge of his deed. If the matter was known, then obviously there had been witnesses around when Moshe struck the Egyptian. When the verse writes that he “saw that there was no man” it is coming to teach that he saw no one willing to intervene. No Hebrew slave would stand up for his brother. Pirke Avot teaches that “where there is no man, be a man” – no one was intervening so Moshe neutralized the Egyptian himself, knowing that he could lose his royal status and possibly even his life. He took this risk because his soul could not bear the suffering of his brother.
Regarding his deed of killing the Egyptian, the Maharal of Prague teaches in Gvurot HaShem that “Moshe’s soul was clothed in greatness” – his soul now being one with his people. Moshe had not yet received any prophecy and he certainly had not been commanded to slay the Egyptian. In fact, the prophesied years of Hebrew bondage in Egypt were not even close to complete. Without receiving any Divine sign or command, Moshe’s soul could not bear the sight of Hebrew suffering. And this is the inner secret of Israel’s Redemption. The Geula comes when a person cannot bear the suffering of another. His soul then begins to believe in Redemption and he instinctively works to pragmatically attain it. Moshe was no longer a prince of Egypt but instead became the savior of Am Yisrael.
Not able to stomach strife among his people, Moshe attempted to make peace. When one responded by asking “do you propose to murder me, as you murdered the Egyptian?” Rashi explains that Moshe finally understood the slavery of Israel. The Jew threatened Moshe by implying that he could easily turn him over to the authorities. And at that moment Moshe realized why his people were enslaved. This Hebrew was willing to report Moshe to the Egyptians. But by exposing Moshe, he would not have merely been turning in one man but actually betraying the entire secret of Redemption. Moshe understood that a slave is incapable of keeping a secret and one incapable of keeping a secret can never be redeemed. If Israel could keep the secret of Ahavat Yisrael – of love and responsibility for the collective Hebrew Nation – they would be willing to sacrifice and could no longer be enslaved. When one cares for another to the extent that nothing can frighten him, this caring becomes the power of Israel’s salvation. Whether in Egypt, Europe, America or even Israel, one who understands the secret of Redemption can never cooperate with those seeking our destruction. And the courage to resist tyranny and injustice is really the first step in attaining a love that will bestow a great blessing on humanity and bring all Creation to ultimate perfection.
With Love of Israel,
-Yehuda HaKohen
Am Segula
