Righteous Reward
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Sefer Shemot is filled with heroic actions. Perhaps the first of these are the actions of Shifrah and Puah, the Jewish midwives, traditionally identified as Yocheved and Miriam, mother and sister of Moshe Rabbenu. What did they do? They put their lives in danger on a regular basis as they defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill all Jewish boy babies born, assisting the women in their labor and ensuring the healthy survival of the babies. When Pharaoh ordered them to appear before him and explain their defiance, the Torah records their response, “...The [Jewish women] are experts; before the midwife comes to them, they have [already] given birth.” Hashem acknowledges their heroism, as the Torah continues: “God benefited the midwives – and the people increased and became very strong. And it was because the midwives yoru et haElokhim/ feared God that He made them houses.”
Several questions arise, the first obvious one being what kind of “houses” would constitute a reward? How does making them houses reflect their fear of God? If that is indeed the midwives’ reward, why is there an interval that declares that the people increased? How is that also a benefit to the midwives?
Let us begin with our last question first. When the midwives were summoned to Pharaoh’s court, they claimed they had no control over the births. When the Jewish population kept increasing in spite of the decree, the “excuse” the midwives gave gained credibility, and suspicion against them waned, explains Vayovenu Bamikra. This was not a reward, but a goodness done for them. Further, adds Rabbi Belsky ז"ך, that Shifrah and Puah could witness the fruit of their labor (no pun intended) indeed gave them a sense of satisfaction and goodness. Knowing that there are positive results should give each of us chizuk as we do what is right, even when we do not personally see the results.
Not everyone is given the opportunity to do specific mitzvoth. When Hashem saw that the midwives feared Hashem, He gave them the opportunity to save all these lives, writes Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz in Tiv Hatorah. How often do we plan on performing a mitzvah such as inviting guests to our Shabbos table, and circumstances arise that prevent us from performing the mitzvah. [Many years ago, I passed the initial screening to be a bone marrow donor. I was extremely disappointed when the follow up screening showed I was not the most suitable match. The opportunity to give life other than during childbirth had been taken from me. CKS] When on Rosh Hashanah we ask Hashem to write us in the Book of Merits, writes Rabbi Mattisyahu Salomon, we are asking Hashem not only to credit us with mitzvoth we have already performed, but to send other mitzvah our way when something needs to be done.
We are now ready to move on to what is the simplest definition of the reward Hashem gave the midwives, that He made for them “houses”. First, Rashi explains that the “houses” Hashem rewarded them with were the institutions of Royalty and of Priesthood that would descend from them. The priesthood is easy to understand, as Yocheved was the mother of Aharon, the first priest. The royalty would descend from Miriam whose descendent would marry into the Davidic family. We will explore another fascinating interpretation of these “houses” further on in our discussion.
But first here is another simple and logical explanation, presented by the Ohel Moshe, of the houses Hashem made for them. When one person helps another, one is credited not only for the particular act or kindness, but also for all the resulting good that ensued from that initial act. [How many times do we hear, “I owe all that I am to that one person who gave me my first start, who was the only one who believed in me, who introduced me to…, etc.” CKS] Hashem is here crediting Shifrah and Puah with all the descendants, all the families and houses that these saved babies later brought forth.
What we do during our lives affects us not only in this world, but also in the next world. If someone wrote a sefer and then died, every Rosh Hashanah his deeds are reevaluated as more students study, gain insight and are influenced from what he has written. Citing Rav Abramski z”l, the Ohel Moshe reinterprets the verses in Tehillim 92:13-14). “A righteous man will grow like a date palm… Planted in the house of Hashem, in the courtyards of our God will they [cause to] flourish.”Although usually translated simply as “they [the righteous] will flourish”, the actual grammatical translation is in the causative, the righteous will cause [others] to flourish, for their deeds continue to have influence over others.
The greatest influence one has is as a parent, and the children and all future descendants bring credit to the parents, continues the Ohel Moshe citing the GR”A. Therefore, although we often do mitzvoth or study l’iluy nishmat/for the elevation of someone’s soul, a son or daughter need not recite that phrase, for the merit is already credited to the parent. The living continue to heap praise upon those already gone from this earth by continuing to live within their parents’ righteous legacy.
The Malbim brings proof of the enduring legacy of those who have already passed by citing the first verse in the Book of Joshua: “It happened after the death of Moshe, servant of Hashem...” If Moshe had already died, how could he still be called “the servant of Hashem”? Because his legacy as the servant of Hashem continues to live on, not only through Joshua, but through each Jew until now and into eternity. Inspiring others is truly the best investment, for the dividends continue forever.
It was the self sacrifice, the fear of Hashem, and the desire to benefit others that brought the rewards of “houses” to the midwives, writes Rabbi Sorotskin z”l in Meged Yosef. When Hashem saw that Shifrah and Puah acted solely for the benefit of the women and the babies with no thought for themselves, Hashem recognized this as the necessary quality for leadership, and He therefore rewarded them with houses of leadership, of producing royalty and priesthood.
In a novel interpretation, Rashbam offers that the houses that Hashem provided were not the future dynasties, but houses during their lives. Pharaoh provided houses for the midwives to put them under house arrest to monitor their actions. It was a punishment from Pharaoh, not a reward. However, Vayovenu Bamikra offers another interesting interpretation, also during their lifetime. What were the houses Hashem provided for the midwives? First, Moshe would be safe as he was raised in the actual house of Pharaoh himself [royalty], and later Moshe would find safe haven in the house of Yitro [priesthood] when Moshe fled Egypt. These were the “houses” Hashem provided in recognition of the actions of the midwives.
The midwives’ actions were motivated solely by the fear of Hashem. But what is the connection between fear of Hashem and these houses? Rabbi Shrage Grossbard z”l and Rabbi Eliyahu Svei z”l almost seem to be playing off each other in their explanations. Both agree that a proper monarch, a proper priest, and one infused with the wisdom and Torah require selflessness and fear of Heaven, for each must put the needs of the other above his own. When one has developed this quality, one has earned a good name for himself, an excellent reputation. Rabbi Grossbard z’l then cites Rabbi Yochanan’s interpretation of the mishneh in Peikei Avot: “Rabbi Shimon said, “There are three crowns – the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship, but the crown of a good name surpasses them all.” Rabbi Yochanan does not see here a contradiction between three or four crowns. Rather, he explains that the crown of a good name is the prerequisite for leadership in the other areas.
Getting back to a simpler approach, Shifrah and Puah were actually instrumental in building true Jewish homes. Had they obeyed Pharaoh’s edict and killed the Jewish baby boys while allowing the girls to live, writes Rav Soloveitchik z”l from Yerushalayim, the girls would have grown up and married Egyptian men. There would not have been a beis avos/father’s family to which to trace back their lineage. Although the children would have been halachically Jewish, the homes would have been assimilated homes reflecting Egyptian culture and would not have remained Jewish homes. Rav Belsky z’l notes that keeping the boys alive was both a privilege and a responsibility. By taking on this responsibility through their fear of God, the midwives passed on this character trait to their own descendants, qualifying them for the leadership roles they would later take on.
We can see this fear of Heaven in their offspring. Moshe too defied Pharaoh in killing the Egyptian who was beating the Jewish slave. According to the Talmud, Calev from the tribe of Yehudah married Miriam. Their grandson was Hur who was killed trying to prevent the construction of the golden calf – the ultimate fear and awe of Heaven. Hur’s grandson, Bezalel, inherited this awe of Heaven and gained the privilege of building the Mishkan/Tabernacle and all its vessels, later to be used in the Beit Hamikdosh. These were the houses meant for building a relationship with God. As Rabbi Sternbach notes in Ohel Moshe, the rewards Shifrah and Puah received were not so much for their actions as for their fear and awe of Hashem.
What is yirat Shamayim that it is one of the six constant mitzvoth? It is the proper motivation and emotion behind the performance of mitzvoth, writes Rabbi Beyfus. This was not automatic on the part of the midwives, but required effort. According to Chazal, they were defying not only the royal edict, but also the lure and enticements of the man himself who, like Mrs. Potiphar, was trying to lure these women into sin. Like Yosef Hatzadik from the earlier time, they had to keep the vision of God before them so as to extricate themselves from the yetzer horo of Pharaoh. If we are to raise God fearing children, we must show them by example that we are resisting sin, even when it is difficult. It is only through fear of Hashem that we propel ourselves out of our natural state of inertia to do His will, writes Rabbi Coopersmith.
Rabbi Wolbe z”l offers a profound insight into the nature of yirat shamayim by contrasting it with emunah/faith. We are called ma’aminim bnei ma’aminim/believers, the offspring of believers. We are never called yereim bnei yereim/those in awe, the offspring of those in awe. When Moshe feared that Bnei Yisroel would not believe him, Hashem reassured him that they would believe him. Belief and faith has been implanted in us from the days of Avraham Avinu, even when you think it’s gone, the “pintele Yid’ emerges. On the other hand, Awe and fear of Hashem must be worked on constantly. It is the inner power you draw on to withstand challenges, to keep you from preying on others, as Amalek, who had no fear of God, did. Working on yirat Shamayim helps you grow, just as working a muscle makes it stronger. While faith and fear/awe are not interchangeable, they are intimately connected, and each is necessary to help raise strong Jewish children.
How can you work on yirat Shamayim and model it for your children? Rabbi Pincus z”l suggests pausing when you make a blessing, recite the blessing with emotion as you thank Hashem for the fruit. Recite Birkat Hamazon/Grace after Meals out loud, even if only the first one or two paragraphs. Let your children see that you have a relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu and you are not quickly dismissing Him with a few quickly uttered words.
We wish a newly married couple that they should merit building a bayit ne’eman b’Yisroel/ house full of faith among the people of Israel. Perhaps we should begin adding that they should also merit building a bayit maleh yirat Shamayim b’Yisroel/house filled with awe and fear of Heaven among the people of Yisroel. May our nation increase and grow stronger.