The Role of Jewish Women in the Geula

🖨 Print

Women since the time of creation have had a unique purpose in this world. Hashem created women from a bone removed from the inside of man. This “inner” nature manifests itself in our inner focus, reflection, motivation, and ability to channel our emotions towards outer efforts. One of these unique strengths was represented during the time of Yetziat Mitzrayim, the Exodus of Egypt – the ability to bring the geula, the redemption. We are told, “with the reward of the righteous women that were in the same generation we were redeemed from Egypt“ (Sotah 11b). However, what exactly is our role and how did this come to be?

From the beginning of our nationhood we experienced the courageous women who stood with strength. Yocheved, who was born on the way into Mitzrayim, is identified as a mother who sacrificed it all. According to Rashi, she was one essential part of the pair that was Shifra and Puah with the other half being her daughter Miriam. That in and of itself demonstrates the depth of her emunah in Hashem and the firm belief that no matter the situation, He was in charge. She raised her daughter with these values in mind.

Together, as Shifra and Puah, they were tasked by Pharaoh himself to monitor and assist the Jewish women in birthing their children. They were so named Shifra and Puah by Pharoah based on their skills in these areas – shifra meaning to beautify, and puah meaning to calm with cooing noises. Pharaoh commanded them to kill the Jewish males as they were born on the birthing stools. To rebel against this decree would mean certain death, however, they chose to do so with aplomb. Their response to Pharaoh when confronted as to why the Jewish population continued to increase despite the decree, was one of “the Jewish women give birth like animals.” This is understood to mean that the babies are born before Shifra and Puah even arrived on scene. Hashem rewarded each of these women with the “house” of royalty and priesthood for this act of heroism.

Batya named this baby, Moshe, “because from the water he was drawn.” Even though Moshe Rabbeinu has seven names, he is called Moshe by Hashem, in the Torah, and for all time as this is the name that she gave him when she sacrificed her life to save his. In doing so, she saved Bnei Yisrael. Her name, Batya, means daughter of Hashem, in deep gratitude and recognition of the good that she did. The righteous women of Mitzrayim brought about the geula.

To take this one step further provides the clearest connection. Yocheved was the mother of Aharon and Miriam (a.k.a. Puah) when the decree to throw any baby born into the river was enacted. Yocheved was married to Amram who was the head of the tribe of Levi. Shevet Levi represents the tribe of teachers and spiritual leaders of Bnei Yisrael. Amram and Yocheved made the choice to separate in order to prevent the birth of a baby boy who would have been killed. Subsequently, others in Bnei Yisrael followed suit. Miriam, respectfully, criticized her parents’ act of separation claiming that it was worse than the decree of Pharaoh. Due to their influential act of separation, no babies at all of either gender would then be born. Their act extended the decree onto the baby girls whereas Pharaoh only decreed in regards to the boys. As a result of her comment, her parents remarried and consequently a baby boy was born.

Yocheved worked to hide her baby boy for several months, especially as the Mitzri officers would come from house to house checking for baby boys. As that became too much to manage, she built a special teiva to carry him on the river. Miriam took responsibility for her brother and watched him as he floated down the river. Batya, the daughter of Pharaoh, had come out to the river with her maidservants and, whether by sending out her maidservant or by reaching her arm which Rashi elaborates had magically extended, took the baby in the basket out of the river. The text notes that she heard a baby crying and this was the impetus to save him. Knowing full well of her father’s decree, this brave act rescued this Jewish baby boy and ensured the future salvation of Bnei Yisrael.

Miriam HaNeviah anticipated the geula with full emunah that she had all of the women plan to dance and sing by bringing tambourines with them. After they crossed safely through Kriyat Yam Suf, the splitting of the sea, they witnessed Hashem closing the waters on the Mitzrim who chased them. Miriam immediately led the women to the side in dance and song in thanks to Hashem. Using their tambourines that they packed with forethought, they showed their gratitude to Hashem with beauty and fervor.

The women of Mitzrayim had packed and taken whatever precious belongings they owned as they left in a rush. They took along with them these copper mirrors that they had used when they remarried their husbands following the lead of Amram and Yocheved. These mirrors specifically came into question when it was time to reconnect to Hashem after cheit haeigel, the sin of the golden calf, the instructions were given to build the mishkan. During cheit haeigel, a large percentage of Bnei Yisrael participated in the creation of the eigel. As Aharon was attempting to pacify the people and stall their efforts, he sent them off in search of gold and other precious materials with which to form the eigel to meet their request. The women denied their jewelry or valuables, and the verses indicate that their earrings were pulled from their ears and their necklaces from their necks.

Once cheit haeigel had ended and Bnei Yisrael began to put it behind them and learn from this mistake, the mishkan began to take form. Donations were requested and the women came forward with these copper mirrors to donate with full hearts. Moshe turned to Hashem and voiced his concerns that these mirrors represented the innermost nature of a couple’s space. Hashem not only encouraged Moshe to use them, but noted that these are the most precious to Him. They represent the sacrifice of these women who after a long, hard, and back breaking day they straightened themselves up, made themselves up, and connected with their husbands for the purpose of continuing the Jewish people.

This inner strength to do what needed to be done at the expense of rejecting the day-to-day of society is what exemplifies the Jewish woman. The Yalkut Me’am Loez states on Megillat Rut, “and the generations were not redeemed, but in the merit of the righteous women that were in those generations, as it is written, ‘He remembered His acts of loving kindness and His belief to the house of Israel, to Bnei Yisrael it is not written so, but to the house of Israel.” The phrasing, “the house” is understood by Rashi as directly referring to the women. On Parashat Shoftim, the Yalkut Me’am Loez says similarly on “maalot haisha hakesheira,” “the values of the proper woman,” is explained by the Midrash that this is in relation to the future redemption. ‘In the merit of the righteous women, they will be redeemed in the future.’ The Arizal on Shemot 3:4 teaches that the last generation of the exile will be the gilgul, reincarnation, of the generation of the exodus of Mitzrayim. Meaning, the true and final geula will be in the merit of the righteous women of the current generation. May it be in the merit of all of our righteous women that we will be blessed to see, experience, dance, and sing with the coming of Mashiach speedily in our days.