Reb Jeff
  • Blog
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Resources
  • Wedding Officiation
  • Stay in Touch
  • Contact Me
  • Temple Sinai

Shemot: Pharaoh's Daughter

12/20/2013

 
Picture
After Pharaoh commanded that every Hebrew baby boy be thrown into the Nile, Moses' mother placed her infant son into a basket to float down the river instead of drown in it. You know the story. Moses was found by Pharaoh's daughter who recognized that he was a son of Hebrew slaves. She adopted him to be her own son and Moses was raised as a member of Pharaoh's court.

I wonder why. Why would a daughter of the mighty Pharaoh risk her status and her life by going against her father's decree? What did she have to gain by adopting a Hebrew slave? Did she yearn for a child of her own? Was it a rebellion against her father? Was it purely an act to save a life?

Pharaoh's daughter is regarded very positively by the rabbis. She is considered a woman who chose the path of righteousness against the sinful path of her father. In some regards, she is the epitome of the righteous gentile who saves the life of a Jew at great personal risk.

It is also possible that the character of Pharaoh's daughter in the Torah was inspired by another Pharaoh's daughter who is described much later in the Hebrew Bible. According to the Book of Kings, King Solomon married a daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. She became Solomon's wife (one of seven hundred) when Pharaoh gave her to him, apparently in an act of appeasement after an ill-fated Egyptian military expedition against the Canaanite city of Gezer  (I Kings 9). The editors of the book of Exodus may have had Solomon's wife in mind when they described the kind-hearted daughter of Pharaoh who recognized the child of a Hebrew slave, rescued him, and took him for her own.

We, too, can recognize Pharaoh's daughter in our own world. We, too, have seen non-Jews who choose to raise Jewish children to be their own and who nurture within them a love of Judaism and the Jewish people.

In the congregations I have served, I have seen many non-Jewish spouses who make the loving choice to honor the religious tradition of their husbands and wives by raising children in our faith. I have seen these non-Jewish men and women joyfully drive their children to Hebrew school, volunteer in the synagogue, and love their adopted communities. 

For a very long time, Jews tended to look askance at the non-Jewish spouses of intermarriage, as if they were the cause of a stain against our people. That has to end. Rather, we should look at these men and women the way we look at Pharaoh's daughter. They are shining examples of dedication and, sometimes, also of sacrifice.

The next time you hear a fellow Jew speak harshly of a "shiksa" or speak pejoratively of a non-Jewish man who has married a Jew, remember Pharaoh's daughter. Remember our debt to the people who choose to help raise the next generation of the Jewish people, even if it is not the people of their own faith.


Other Posts on This Theme:
Missing Pieces
How Does a Joyful Jew Respond to "Merry Christmas"?


Comments are closed.

    Welcome

    This blog is about living a joyful Jewish life and bringing joy to synagogues and the Jewish community. Join the conversation by commenting on posts and sharing your experiences. For more on the topic, read the First Post.
    "Like" Reb Jeff on FB

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address to subscribe to Reb Jeff posts by email

    Follow Reb Jeff's Tweets

    Recent Posts

    Purim & COVID-19
    ​The Honor of Heaven
    Chasing Our Own Tails
    Drilling Under Your Seat
    Change the World
    Self-Righteousness
    Where We Came From
    What We Must Believe
    ​Is Passover 7 or 8 Days?Origin Story
    Va'eira: Leadership​

    Jeff's Favorites

    • First Post
    • Searching for How the Bible Defines Marriage 
    • The Difference between God and Religion
    • In the Beginning of What?
    • Rape, Abortion and Judaism
    • Ten Thoughts about Being a Rabbi
    • Temple Dues and Don'ts
    • A Pesach Lesson from Yoga
    • The Purpose of the Torah

    Torah Portions

    Genesis
    Bereshit
    Noach
    Lech Lecha
    Vayera
    Chayei Sarah
    Toledot
    Vayetze
    Vayishlach
    Vayeshev
    Miketz
    Vayigash
    Vayechi

    Exodus
    Shemot
    Va'eira
    Bo
    Beshalach
    Yitro
    Mishpatim
    Terumah
    Tetzaveh
    Ki Tisa
    Vayakhel
    Pekudei

    Leviticus
    Vayikra
    Tzav
    Shemini
    Tazria
    Metzora
    Acharei Mot
    Kedoshim
    Emor
    Behar
    Bechukotai

    Numbers
    Bamidbar
    Naso
    Beha'alotecha
    Shelach
    Korach
    Chukat
    Balak
    Pinchas
    Matot
    Masei

    Deuteronomy
    Devarim
    Va'etchanan
    Ekev
    Re'eh
    Shoftim
    Ki Tetze
    Ki Tavo
    Nitzavim
    Vayelech
    Ha'azinu
    Vezot Haberachah

    Holidays
    Shabbat
    Rosh Chodesh
    Pesach/Passover
    Omer Period
    Yom HaShoah
    Yom HaZikaron
    Yom Ha'atzma'ut
    Pesach Sheini
    Lag B'Omer
    Yom Yerushalayim
    Shavuot
    Fast of Tammuz
    Tisha B'Av
    Tu B'Av
    Rosh Hashanah
    Days of Awe
    Yom Kippur
    Sukkot
    Hoshanah Rabbah
    Shmini Atzeret/
    Simchat Torah
    Chanukah
    Tu BiShvat
    Adar (Joy Increases!)
    Purim

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011

    Loading
    Jewish Bloggers
    Powered By Ringsurf
    Picture