The vast majority of commentators accept that the midwives, Shifra and Puah, are alternative names for Moshe’s mother and sister, Yocheved and Miriam. However, there remains the question of why there are only two midwives for the entire Hebrew population. Answers to this problem include: Shifra and Puah were official representatives in charge of all the Hebrew midwives. (Hizkuni, Ibn Ezra)Shifra and Puah were the midwives in the Egyptian capital. After Pharaoh saw that he was unable to …
Haggadah excerpts
Parshat Shemot: Why did the children of Israel cry out when Pharaoh died?
The connection between the death of the Pharaoh and the children of Israel crying out is not clear. After years of suffering, why would they suddenly feel more desperate because their oppressor was dead? Ramban and Hizkuni argue that while the first Pharaoh was alive they retained hope that slavery would be a temporary decree limited to the lifespan of that king. Once a new king had come to the throne it became clear that it was permanent. Rabbeinu Bahya suggests that they were afraid that …
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Why was Pharaoh worried that children of Israel would leave Egypt?
If Pharaoh was worried that the children of Israel were too numerous, why was he concerned about the possibility of them going ‘up from the land’? Rashbam suggests that Pharaoh was worried about the land becoming depopulated.Sa’adya Gaon, Rashi and Rabeinu Bahya follow a midrashic explanation according to which Pharaoh was expressing in a roundabout way his concern that the children of Israel would force the Egyptians out of the land.Ramban suggests that Pharaoh’s concern was that they would …
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