Optics and Consequences

And Bnai Yisrael was fruitful, swarmed, multiplied, and became very mighty. The land was filled with them. And a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Yosef. And he said to his nation, “Behold, the nation Bnai Yisrael is many and mightier than us. Let us take wise counsel, lest they become many. And it will be that when war will occur it, too, will join our enemy, do battle with us, and ascend from the land.” (Sefer Shemot 1:7-10)

I. A population explosion

The above passages discuss the antecedents to the enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt. They describe the explosive growth of Bnai Yisrael and Paroh’s response. Why did the expansion of the nation’s population provoke Paroh’s fears and his extreme response?

Let us consider a related issue. The Torah tells us that “the land was filled with them”. To what land does this refer? Did the Jewish people overrun the Land of Egypt? If this is the case, then it is difficult to understand how Paroh succeeded in subduing the largest component of his country’s population. Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra responds to this question. In Sefer Beresheit, Yaakov and his family arrived in Egypt. Yosef negotiated their settlement in the district of Goshen. According to Ibn Ezra, the district of Goshen was now filled with the members of the family.[1] If Bnai Yisrael was contained within the district of Goshen, why was Paroh fearful? 

The passages explain that Paroh did not trust Bnai Yisrael. He questioned the loyalty of Yaakov’s descendants. Was this simply a result of their number? A careful reading of Paroh’s message to his nation is revealing. Paroh refers to Yaakov’s descendants as “the nation Bnai Yisrael”. Paroh was the first person to describe Yaakov’s clan as a nation! In other words, Yaakov’s descendants are no longer a family residing in Goshen. They fill its borders! They have grown into a nation. 

Now, Paroh’s fear becomes clearer. Yaakov’s descendants had grown from a family into a nation – so large it filled the borders of Goshen. A foreign clan can be contained within the fabric of the host nation. But an alien nation has its own unique identity. As a nation, it has its own culture, interests, and goals. These interests and goals may be different and even compete with those of its host nation. Paroh expressed his fear to his people. “Bnai Yisrael is a nation. These people are not members of our nation. They have their own national agenda. Can we trust them, or will these Jews pursue their own interests at our expense?”

And they placed upon it tax-officers to oppress them with their burden. They build storage-cities for Paroh – Pitom and Ramses. To the degree they oppressed them, they multiplied and expanded. The Egyptians were tormented by Bnai Yisrael. And they subjugated Bnai Yisrael with rigor. They made their lives bitter with arduous labor – with mortar and bricks, and every sort of work in the field. All the labor that they forced them to perform was arduous. And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives – one’s name was Shifra and the name of the second [was] Pu’ah. He said, “When you birth the Hebrew women and you see [the infant] on the labor-stool, if it is a male, kill him. If it is a female, sustain her.” (Sefer Shemot 1:11-16)

II. Paroh’s response

The Torah describes the measures taken by Porah in response to his fears. It is not completely clear from the passages whether these measures were instituted simultaneously, or sequentially.[2] Also, what was Paroh’s strategy? How did his measures address his fears?

Ibn Ezra explains that the answer to the second question is found in these passages. The passages explain that despite the measures taken by Paroh, Bnai Yisrael’s population continued to grow. Ibn Ezra explains the all the measures implemented by Paroh shared a single objective. His goal was to arrest population growth. 

Ibn Ezra further explains that Paroh’s initiatives were sequential. As each failed, Paroh instituted his next measure. First, Paroh levied a labor tax. He required that Bnai Yisrael provide workers for state projects. His objective was to disrupt family life and thereby, procreation. When this failed, he authorized his ministers and the Egyptian people to subjugate the Jews and to oppress them with grueling labor. He reasoned that exhausted slaves would not procreate. When Bnai Yisrael’s population continued to expand even under these trying circumstances, he implemented his policy of genocide.[3] 

III. Introduction of genocide

The final step in the above passages is Paroh’s program of genocide. The program had two stages. In the above passages, Paroh directs the Hebrew midwives to kill the male children they deliver. The midwives disregard Paroh’s directive. Paroh responds by enlisting the Egyptian people as his agents. They are to seek out Jewish male infants and drown them. Why did Paroh initially seek the cooperation of the midwives?

Ibn Ezra explains that Paroh did not want to openly promote genocide. His preference was to clandestinely implement his program. He attempted to enlist the midwives to covertly kill the male infants at birth.[4] Nachmanides – Ramban – provides important details. The midwives would kill the infants but claim that the babies had died in childbirth. 

Ramban further explains that Paroh implemented a covert plan because he was not confident that the Egyptian people were prepared to tolerate a formal program of genocide. Enlisting the general population into this program would take time, planning, and an organized propaganda operation.  When Paroh’s covert plan failed he was forced to take the steps required to transform the Egyptian people into agents of genocide.[5]

And the midwives feared the L-rd. They did not do as the king of Egypt told them. They sustained the children. (Sefer Shemot 1:17)

IV. The defiance of the midwives

The above passage describes the brave defiance of the midwives. They refused to participate in Paroh’s wicked plan. However, the Torah adds, “They sustained the children”. This phrase suggests that their defiance extended beyond disobeying Paroh’s orders. They took positive measures to assure the survival of the children they delivered. What were these measures?

Ibn Ezra offers a surprising and amazing response. The midwives became more conscientious in their work. They approached their responsibilities with an enthusiasm and commitment that was previously lacking.[6] In other words, before Paroh attempted to enlist them, these midwives had not made their best effort on behalf of every child. After Paroh attempted to make them his agents, they became more scrupulous in and committed to their work.

This interpretation of the passage raises questions. First, why were the midwives initially less diligent in their work? Second, how did Paroh’s actions motivate them to a higher level of commitment? Ibn Ezra does not discuss these issues.

V. Responding to misery

It is unlikely that the midwives were intentionally careless in their work. It is more likely that internal forces undermined their commitment. To understand these forces, one must imagine oneself in their situation. The Jewish people were oppressed. They were subjected to terrible suffering; their lives were miserable. The midwives were charged with bringing infants into a world in which they were doomed to share the fate of their parents – endless suffering and misery. The ambivalence produced by this situation is understandable. This ambivalence undermined their commitment. They continued to do their work, but their vigor and efforts were not maximal. 

How did Paroh’s efforts to recruit them change their attitude? This is difficult to know. However, apparently, Paroh’s approach to them evoked their self-awareness. They became aware of their behavior – that they were not doing their best work. Can we better understand this sequence? How did Paroh’s approach to them produce a heightened self-awareness?

VI. Paroh’s recruitment

Perhaps, the midwives were responding to a troubling mystery. Why did Paroh approach them? How could he believe that they would act as his agents in the murder of their own children? What did Paroh observe in them that suggested they would participate in his repulsive scheme? These questions provoked introspection. Suddenly, these midwives became aware of their ambivalence and its effect upon them. They realized that Paroh had studied them. He had observed their work. He recognized they had given up hope for a better future. They bemoaned the outcome of their efforts – another life doomed to misery. His observations suggested to Paroh that these midwives might be susceptible to his coercion. They might be forced to become his agents. When they realized that their own behavior had created the “optics” that invited Paroh to approach them, they immediately rejected their ambivalence and applied themselves to their work with renewed vigor and commitment.

This analysis reminds us to be mindful of how we present ourselves to others. This applies to us as individuals and as a community and nation. For example, we wish to be respected as Jews. To achieve this, we must take care to display our Jewishness proudly. If we demonstrate a willingness to compromise our Jewishness or fail to demonstrate pride in our identity, then we invite our enemies to attack us.[7]  

[1] Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on Sefer Shemot, 1:7.

[2] It seems from the passages that some measures were sequential. He levied a labor tax. Then, he intensified the required labor. However, did he implement genocide as a new measure or simultaneous to the intensification of the labor?

[3] Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on Sefer Shemot, 1:13.

[4] Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on Sefer Shemot, 1:16.

[5] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban / Nachmanides), Commentary on Sefer Shemot 1:10. Ramban explains that Paroh initially levied taxes upon Bnai Yisrael. Ideally, he would have attacked with his army. However, his own people were not prepared to accept this unwarranted savagery. These comments imply that before Paroh succeeded in enlisting the Egyptian people as his agents of genocide, he was required to drastically reshape attitudes toward the Jews.    

[6] Rabbaynu Avraham ibn Ezra, Commentary on Sefer Shemot, 1:17. See his comments. He recognizes that his interpretation of the phrase is remarkable. It is a harsh critique of the midwives’ initial behavior. He defends his position by arguing that it is the only reasonable interpretation the passage’s closing phrase. 

[7] Thank you to my friend Rabbi David Twersky for sending me a link to an interview with Israeli Nobel Prize winner Israel Aumann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkPBOrqEDHs&feature=youtu.be. Professor Aumann objects to the manner in which the term Palestinian is used. The term is used to refer to the Arab population of the area that was known as Palestine during the Mandate period. Prof. Aumann points out that his wife is as much a Palestinian as any Arab. She has the papers to prove that she was a resident of Palestine during the Mandate period. Jews who lived in Israel under the Mandate have as much claim to being Palestinians as Arab residents. It is completely inappropriate and inaccurate to reserve the identity of Palestinian for Arabs. He explains that this use of the term also undermines Israel’s legitimacy. It implicitly cedes that the only people with an authentic link to Palestine are its Arabs. Jews are foreigners who have transported themselves to Israel and colonized it. This concession invites Arabs to assert their claim as Palestine’s sole legitimate people. 

Prof. Aumann’s comments are another example of the idea developed above. The midwives’ behavior invited Paroh to approach them.  Use of the term Palestinian to refer exclusively to Arabs and the implicit concession in this usage, invites our enemies to deny the legitimacy of our historical attachment to the Land of Israel. ll