Shemot, שְׁמוֹת - Names
Torah Portion: Exodus 1:1-6:1
Exodus 1:1–17
1 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already. 6 Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and escape out of the land.” 11 Therefore, they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel. 13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
15 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, 16 and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared Elohim, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
Today’s Meditation:
The story of the midwives is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. They decide not to tell the truth and save babies from being murdered. It is a beautiful story of dedication. In verse 17, we read, “But the midwives feared Elohim, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.” They feared and respected Hashem so much that they didn’t do what the King asked of them. This is the most pro-life story in all of Scripture. Perhaps there are times in our lives when it is wiser to fear Hashem and do what we must, even if it means disobeying someone in authority. As we will read tomorrow, their households were blessed for actually being disobedient to the King’s orders. We can assume from this teaching that Hashem would do the same for us in a similar situation.
Today’s Challenge:
Think of a situation in your life where you righteously defended someone, and as a result, you could not tell the truth or had to disobey your authority. Or you may be in a situation right now where Hashem is calling you to do something brave. Pray and ask Him for strength to defend what is right. Unfortunately, there may be times when you fail to dispel the truth or disobey authority, which could result in jail time, job loss, or a fine. This is where you must be sure to have heard from G-d on how to handle a difficult situation. Be in prayer and listen with an open ear. You may have to pay the cost of defending what is right, but in the end, you will have done what is good and will be blessed for doing so.
