Torah Commentary by Rabbi Ben
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, saying, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live." The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.
-- Exodus 1:15-18
"The banality of heroism concept suggests that we are all potential heroes waiting for a moment in life to perform a heroic deed. The decision to act heroically is a choice that many of us will be called upon to make at some point in time. By conceiving of heroism as a universal attribute of human nature, not as a rare feature of the few “heroic elect,” heroism becomes something that seems in the range of possibilities for every person, perhaps inspiring more of us to answer that call...The core of heroism revolves around the individual’s commitment to a noble purpose and the willingness to accept the consequences of fighting for that purpose." - Phil Zimbardo and Zeno Franco
"Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to choose between alternatives. He is distinguished from animals by his freedom to do evil or to do good and to walk the high road of beauty or tread the low road of ugly degeneracy."
"I submit to you that if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
"The time is always right to do what’s right."
-- Martin Luther King
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Whenever I write a dvar torah on the weekly Torah portion, I try to draw parallels between the story in the parsha and contemporary events. Drawing these connections is rarely difficult. Sometimes there isa mystical connection between the linear history of contemporary events and the the circular history that marks the progression of weekly Torah readings. This preternatural effect connecting the parsha and modern events is particularly evident this month, whichmarks the beginning of our reading of the book of Exodus, a story of liberation and redemption.
Coincidentally, this month also marks the US observance of Martin Luther King Day. The life of Dr. King, and the story of Exodus both present us with compelling lessons concerning the meaning of liberation and what it takes to be a prophet who speaks truth to power.
One of the greatest passages from the book of Exodus about courage and heroism is the story of the defiance of the Hebrew Midwives Shiphrah and Puah. In fact, without their courage the Israelites may never have been redeemed at all. How is it that these midwives were able to stand up to the edict of someone as powerful as the ruler of Egypt? This is one of the great riddles of Exodus. Were the midwives special people, did they have some "hero gene" that allowed them to act so courageously, or were they just average people who acted courageously?
According to Rashi, Shiphrah and Puah were Yocheved (Moses' mother) and Miriam (Moses' sister). If we follow Rashi's interpretation, then it would seem that the midwives acted as they did because they had a vested interest in saving Hebrew babies. If the midwives are indeed Miriam and Yocheved, how does this change he nature of their sacrifice?They are still heroes, for they could have betrayed their own and followed Pharoah's orders. According to this interpretation, their act of courage comes from being loyal to their people and rising above their own self-interest.
The Hebrew term that refers to the midwives is meyaldot ivriot, which can be translated both as Hebrew midwives or the Hebrew's midwives. Another valid reading of the passage (1:15-18) works with this ambiguity, and interprets that the "Hebrew midwives" were actually Egyptian women who delivered Hebrew babies. Judaic scholar Ellen Frankel in her book of feminist Torah commentary ”The Five Books of Miriam uses this interpretation to ,” afford Shiphra and Puah a greater level of courage and self -sacrifice than Rashi's. Here, they are willing to risk their lives for babies who are not even their own people!
However we wish to interpret their identities, the midwives decision to spare the Hebrew babies was a mortal risk. The question still remains-- what was it about them that motivated them to act so heroically in the face of tyranny? ? I would argue that there was nothing particularly special about them as people that allowed them to act so heroically.The ambiguity surrounding their identities actually emphasizes the fact that they were average people-- that anyone could have done what they did when faced with such a monstrous command.
How is it that the Midwives and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. found the courage to put their own lives on the line to fight against injustice? Modern psychology provides some insight into what makes someone act heroically. Philip Zimbardo, the famous psychologist and administrator of the Stanford prision experiments of the 1960's writes:
"...little is known about the psychology of heroism. There's a scant body of empirical literature, and most of it consists of interviews with people weeks, months, or decades after they have done a heroic deed. Much of the first work on heroism came from interviewing Christians and others who helped Jews during the Holocaust. Nobody asked the question did anybody help? until 20 years later. People helped in every country,where the lives of Jews were on the Nazi stake. However, the main response that researchers got during interviews with these people was, it wasn t special. Regardless of what they did, or where they did it, or how they did it, these heroes typically said, I am not a hero. I did what had to be done. I can't imagine how anybody in that situation who wouldn t do it."
Here we see the idea that those who act heroically do not view themselves as acting any different than anyone would when faced with a difficult situation. They simply do "what has to be done." However, why is it that some people when faced with this kind of moral question choose to do "what needs to be done," and others simply shirk responsibility and don't act at all?
Zimbardo presents two main criteria for "cultivating the heroic imagination":
"First, thinking of yourself as an active person rather than a passive person: thinking of yourself as somebody willing to get involved; to move off the safety spot of minding your own business; to take a decisive action when the world around you looks the other way. Second, thinking less about yourself, less about your ego, your reputation, less concerned about looking foolish, making a mistake, upsetting someone s apple cart, and becoming socio-centric more concerned for the well-being of others or upholding a moral imperative. Perhaps it also entails a dash of optimism, so that you believe you have the power to change something bad by your actions."
Perhaps this is what the text means when it said that the midwives "feared God." They did not fear stepping outside of the box and upsetting the ruling power, because they were more afraid of doing nothing, of abrogating the moral imperative. They were not concerned with their own selves, their own well being, their own egos. Rather, they thought about the good of society and of others and were not afraid to act. At great personal risk, they defy Pharoah, when they could have just followed orders as many people have done throughout the ages. They get beyond their complacency and fear of Pharoah and actively resist their corrupt government. These women are arguably the first practitioners of civil disobedience.
Heroic actions like those of King or the midwives were large and had lasting effect. Even our small actions that affirm justice and stand up to tyranny can make an impact.
Holy One of Blessing, help us to be like Shiphrah and Puah, bless us with the courage, optimism, and selflessness that it takes to step outside the box, help others in need and to truly be heroes!
