Decree Against Sons

Egyptian decree against newborn sons.

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Pharaoh's Decree Against Sons

TANAKH

Pharaoh's decree to kill all newborn Hebrew boys was a direct and brutal attempt to suppress the future of the Israelite people. The Book of Exodus recounts the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt and the harsh measures taken by Pharaoh to prevent their growth, including the command to throw every newborn boy into the Nile.

Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, “Every boy that is born you shall throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

Exodus 1:22

The Miraculous Birth of Moses

COMMENTARY

The miraculous rejuvenation of Yocheved, who was 130 years old when she gave birth to Moses, underscores the extraordinary nature of Moses' birth. Rashi, the renowned 11th-century French biblical commentator, provides historical and midrashic context to explain this miraculous event.

ויקח את בת לוי AND HE HAD TAKEN TO WIFE A DAUGHTER OF LEVI — He had lived apart from her in consequence of Pharaoh’s decree that the children should, on their birth, be drowned. Now he took her back and entered into a second marriage with her, and she also physically became young again. For really she was then 130 years old — for she was born “between the walls” when they were about to enter Egypt (cf. Rashi on Genesis 46:15) and they (the Israelites) remained there 210 years, and when they left Egypt Moses was 80 years old…

Rashi on Exodus 2:1:1

A Misinterpreted Prophecy

TALMUD

Pharaoh's astrologers misinterpreted the stars, leading to a tragic decree based on a mistaken belief. The Talmudic tractate Sanhedrin recounts how a misinterpreted prophecy led Pharaoh to order the casting of newborn Hebrew boys into the river.

The astrologers of Pharaoh saw and were mistaken, as Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “These are the waters of contention” (Numbers 20:13)? These are the waters that the astrologers of Pharaoh saw, and they erred concerning them. As they saw in the stars that the savior of Israel would be stricken by water, Pharaoh said: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river” (Exodus 1:22), assuming that any potential savior would be drowned…

Sanhedrin 101b:10

Defying Pharaoh's Decree

COMMENTARY

Amram's defiance against Pharaoh's decree by remarrying his wife to father children demonstrates remarkable courage and initiative. Jacob ben Asher's commentary on Exodus 2:1 provides insights from Jewish sages, highlighting the significance of Amram's actions and Moses' birth in Jewish history.

וילך איש מבית לוי, “A distinguished man from the house of Levi went, etc.” our sages comment that this means that Amram followed the advice of his daughter. (He had divorced his wife so as not to condemn any new born children to death. Thereupon his daughter accused him of being worse than Pharaoh who only murdered the male babies. Thereupon, Amram reconsidered and remarried his wife). Ibn Ezra comments that the Israelites at that time lived in many different cities of Egypt, and that the wife Amram married lived in another city, so that he had to go there to ask her to marry him…

Tur HaArokh, Exodus 2:1:1

The Celibate Levites

COMMENTARY

The Levites, unlike other Israelites, remained largely celibate due to their sensitivity and the example set by their leader Amram, resulting in a smaller population. Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar’s 18th-century commentary, Or HaChaim, provides a unique perspective on the Levites' response to Pharaoh's decree against sons.

I believe the simplest explanation for the relative small number of Levites is the fact that they copied the example of their leader Amram who had divorced his wife when the decree to drown the male babies was published. The Levites, precisely because they were not subjected to hard physical labour and all kinds of abuse, remained very sensitive so that they were not prepared to sire children only to have them drowned at birth. They therefore remained largely celibate after having produced a minimum number of children…

Or HaChaim on Numbers 3:39:3

Pharaoh's Dream and the Decree Against Sons

TARGUM

Pharaoh's dream and its interpretation by the magicians led to the decree against the newborn sons of Israel. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, provides additional details and context to the biblical narrative in Exodus.

And Pharoh told that he, being asleep, had seen in his dream, and, behold, all the land of Mizraim was placed in one scale of a balance, and a lamb, the young of a sheep, was ill the other scale; and the scale with the lamb in it overweighed. Forthwith he sent and called all the magicians of Mizraim, and imparted to them his dream. Immediately Jannis and Jambres, the chief of the magicians, opened their mouth and answered Pharoh,?A certain child is about to be born in the congregation of Israel, by whose hand will be destruc-tion to all the land of Mizraim…

Targum Jonathan on Exodus 1:15

Who Were the Hebrew Midwives?

COMMENTARY

The identity of the Hebrew midwives in the Torah has been a subject of debate, with some scholars arguing they were Egyptian rather than Israelite. Samuel David Luzzatto, a 19th-century Italian commentator, uses linguistic, logical, and contextual analysis to explore this question in his commentary on Exodus 1:15.

The Hebrew midwives - the understanding of our sages, o blessed memory, and Onkelos, and Rashbam, and Ramban and Ra"z is that those midwives were from the seed of Israel, and the understanding of the Alexandrian translator, and[Eusebius Sophronius] Hieronymos, and Yoseohus Flavius, and Don Itzchak [Abrabanel] is that they were Egyptian, these midvives of the Hebrews. And this is right, since how does it make any sense that [Pharaoh] would order Jewish women to destroy all the children of their own people and believe that they won't reveal such a thing? And [Philiphus] Klericus affirms that if…

Shadal on Exodus 1:15:1

Moses' Solitary Path

COMMENTARY

Moses' early life was marked by isolation and cultural dislocation due to the Egyptian decree against male babies. This text explores the profound impact of Moses' early experiences of solitude and displacement on his later life and leadership.

From the beginning, Moses’ difference sets him apart. He is the child born after Pharaoh’s decree against male babies. From the moment when, at three months of age, he is cast out alone on the Egyptian river, he remains essentially alone. This, even though his sister, who is identified at first simply as his sister (Ex. 2:4), stands guard over him and even returns him to his mother’s breast. His infant experience, as the child of genocide, shuttled between mothers and cultures, largely obliterates his birth family from memory.

Moses; A Human Life, 4 Moses in the Family; Mirrors and Foils 4

Divine Justice Unveiled

COMMENTARY

The Egyptians' decree to drown Israelite newborn males in the Nile was met with divine retribution, as they themselves were drowned in the Red Sea. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's commentary on Exodus 18:11 explores the principle of 'measure for measure' (middah k'neged middah) in divine justice.

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, as God saved the Israelites and punished the Egyptians in, through, the very matter that they, the Egyptians, conspired against them. Yitro considered the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea as divine retribution for their decree to cast all newborn Israelite males into the Nile (1:22). Since the Egyptians drowned Israelite children in the Nile, they themselves were drowned. This was not merely an impressive miracle that brought salvation to the Israelites…

Steinsaltz on Exodus 18:11

The Courage of the Midwives

JEWISH THOUGHT

The moral courage of the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, in defying Pharaoh's decree, led to divine reward and the survival and flourishing of the Hebrew people. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the bravery of these midwives in the context of the Exodus story, highlighting their fear of God and the resulting divine reward.

The midwives feared God and did not do what the Egyptian king had commanded; they allowed the infant boys to live. The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why did you do this? You let the boys live.” The midwives replied to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptians: they know how to deliver; they can give birth even before a midwife gets to them.” God was good to the midwives, and the people increased and became very numerous. Because the midwives feared God, He made them houses [of their own]. (Ex. 1:17–21)

The Jonathan Sacks Haggadah; Essays, Women and the Exodus 27

The Spiritual Battle Behind Pharaoh's Decree

MUSAR

Pharaoh's decree against newborn sons was not just a political move but had deep spiritual implications, targeting the future of Torah study and religious practice. Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, in his 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, explores the cosmic and spiritual significance of Torah study by children and its impact on sacrificial service and prayer.

Pharaoh considered Esau's plan as foolish since it allowed for Jacob himself to become fruitful in the interval preceding Isaac's death. Since the continuity of the universe is due to the Torah study of children (Shabbat 119), Esau's plan would have misfired even if Jacob had been sufficiently diverted from Torah study during the mourning period for his father. The Torah study of small children is of such merit that it even nullifies evil decrees that have been promulgated in Heaven against the Jewish people…

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Shemot, Introduction 20

The Merit of Integrity in Exile

KABBALAH

Despite Pharaoh's decree to kill their sons, the Israelites maintained their moral and religious integrity, which ultimately led to their redemption. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, praises the Israelites for their steadfastness during their exile in Egypt.

It was counted to the Israelites for righteousness that, although in exile in Egypt,they kept themselves free from these sins, and, moreover, fearlessly fulfilled the command to increase and multiply. This made them worthy to be liberated.

Zohar, Shemot 5:32

The Miraculous Survival of Moses

MIDRASH

The divine intervention and prophetic elements surrounding Moses' survival highlight the miraculous nature of his journey and the eventual abrogation of Pharaoh's decree. The midrash Shemot Rabbah, a medieval work on the book of Exodus, offers a rich tapestry of rabbinic interpretations and legends about Moses' early life, including the role of divine presence and angelic intervention.

“She opened it and saw the child [yeled], and behold, a boy [na’ar] crying. She had compassion for him and she said: This is from the children of the Hebrews” (Exodus 2:6).
“She opened it and saw,” – it does not say “she saw,” but rather, “she saw him.” Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: She saw the Divine Presence with him.
“And behold, a boy [na’ar] crying.” It calls him na’ar [literally, lad] and it calls him yeled [literally, child]. It is taught: He was a child but his voice was like that of a lad, this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda…

Shemot Rabbah 1:24

Protecting the Future Leader

MIDRASH

The extraordinary measures taken by Jochebed and Amram to protect their newborn son, Moses, highlight their faith in Divine Providence. Louis Ginzberg’s early 20th-century compilation, Legends of the Jews, recounts the birth of Moses and the efforts of his parents to protect him from Pharaoh's decree.

Jochebed gave birth to the child six months after conception. The Egyptian bailiffs, who kept strict watch over all pregnant women in order to be on the spot in time to carry off their new-born boys, had not expected her delivery for three months more. These three months the parents succeeded in keeping the babe concealed, though every Israelitish house was guarded by two Egyptian women, one stationed within and one without. At the end of this time they determined to expose the child, for Amram was afraid that both he and his son would be devoted to death if the secret leaked out…

Legends of the Jews 2:4:52

The Decree Against Sons

LITURGY

The decree to cast male infants into the river is a pivotal moment in Jewish history, symbolizing the extreme oppression faced by the Israelites in Egypt. This Selichot prayer reflects on Pharaoh's cruel decree and its impact, serving as a reminder of the trials and tribulations that have shaped Jewish identity.

When Israel went down to Egypt to slavery and toil, with cords of humanity, You drew them— not with chains.
Even those who enslaved them with hard labor, who decreed their males be cast in the river, You judged them measure for measure; You brought out the bannered hosts with a wealth of all desired gifts.

Selichot Nusach Lita Linear, Fourth Day 4:7-15

Massacre of the Firstborn and Egyptian Darkness, c. 1490. From the Rosenwald Collection

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