"וְלֹא־יָֽכְלָ֣ה עוֹד֘ הַצְּפִינוֹ֒ וַתִּקַח־לוֹ֙ תֵּ֣בַת גֹּ֔מֶא וַתַּחְמְרָ֥ה בַֽחֵמָ֖ר וּבַזָּ֑פֶת וַתָּ֤שֶׂם בָּהּ֙ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וַתָּ֥שֶׂם בַּסּ֖וּף עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר" - perek bet, passuk gimmel
In passuk gimmel - what does it mean that she could no longer hide him? What does the Torah mean when it says “reed basket”. Additionally, why did she have to put both clay and pitch (tar) on the basket?
Rashi explains that the Egyptians were counting the days of her pregnancy, they did not know that she gave birth to Moshe early and only went to check on her after nine months. He also explains that the reed basket was made of "reed" which is a pliable substance that would easily protect baby Moshe from most things. Since pitch is smelly, she put it on the outside so Moshe would not have to endure the smell. She put the clay in the inside.
Rashi in Pasuk Gimmel says that the Pitch on the outside and clay on the inside was so that so Moshe who is so righteous and holy should not smell the foul smell of pitch.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is showing how holy Moshe really is and that even his own mother knew it and went the extra step to make it nicer and better for him.
Meira Book^
DeleteTova Rubin
ReplyDeleteThe Baal HaTurim writes that Yocheved hid him underground in a subterranean cave for a period of time, however she was unable to continue hiding him there as the Mitzrim began searching underground for Jewish boys as well.I think we learn from here the about the difficult situation that the Jewish mothers underwent during this time and how we can really see Hashem helping us even in a difficult time.
The דעת זקנים מבעלי התוספות says that Yocheved used reeds to make the basket because it was something that was natural from the ground and was easily available to her. She used the reed because it belonged to nobody and she cared so much about not steal. I think that this shows us that even in such a scary and hard time Yocheved still cared so much about not stealing and doing the right thing. -Nealy Saks
ReplyDeleteThe chizkuni says that Miriam waterproofed the inside of the basket to make sure Moshe stays dry with clay, and she put the tar on the outside of the basket in order to keep it in the reeds so that she can go get him after the Egyptians go and check her to see if she’s pregnant anymore.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea because it shows that Miriam wanted to get Moshe back and didn’t just give him up and hope that he survived.
-Kayla Markovitz
Rashi’s answer is that that she had given birth early (in her 7th month) and couldn’t hide him any longer. Chikzuni doesn’t like this answer because according to the Gemara in Sota that would mean that yocheved was 3 months pregnant when she got remarried to her husband so how could Moshe be born after 6 months? So the answer is that the Egyptians examined her after 6 months of being remarried and that would be 9 months when moshe was born. This is why she couldn’t hide him for an additional 3 months. I like this answer because it really explains why moshe had to be hidden and shows me that the numbers really do matter when telling a story.
ReplyDeleteChezkuni says the basket was made from the kind of reeds that grew along the banks of the river Nile and served as camouflage. I really like this idea because it shows the thought process behind her decision.
ReplyDeleteChizkuni
ReplyDeleteMiriam Hoffmann
Yocheved intended to save moshe as soon as she was examined by the Egyptians and found not pregnant. So she had to put both tar and clay, because if it was just one, or just in the inside the water would slowly dissolve the basket. I love this idea because it shows how much yocheved loved moshe. She took extra steps to protect her baby and from the very beginning only had saving him in mind.
According to a Gemara in Sota, clay was put on the interior and tar on the exterior so that Moshe would not smell the foul odor and cry. I believe this answer makes a lot of sense because if he were to cry, someone would find him and he would be killed. -Naomi Kutin
ReplyDeleteDaat Zkenim
ReplyDeleteMiriam Hoffmann
ולא יכלה עוד הצפינו, “she could not (successfully) hide him any longer” the Daat Zkenim quotes Rashi and says that the Egyptians tracked when Yocheved finished severing as the king’s midwife. They calculated what the earliest possible date that she could get pregnant and give birth. At the end of nine months they checked her out but they fit in those nine months that she might have been three month pregnant when she was appointed a midwife. So this explains why she felt safe hiding moshe for the first three months.
This shows the hand of Hashem in this situation because of a thought that He (Hashem) placed in the Egyptian’s mind, Yocheved got to spend three months with her son and he got to live.
Based off of teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. When Moshe was born it says that the house was filled with light. But right away the light had to be hidden, because the soldiers collecting the babies would find him. Also the basket was laced with tar to protect Moshe from the Nile and make sure the basket wouldn't fall apart.
ReplyDelete-Eden Schechtet
Rashi says that Yocheved had Mishe prematurely. She could only hide him until the full “9 months” were up where the Egyptians knew she just had had the baby. I think this is clever but also not sure if the Egyptians were keeping track of every pregnant Jew
ReplyDeleteAccording to seforno, Miriam put moshe where she did so others would not see him, and the reason she chose the reeds chose the was because she thought parohs decree of throwing babies into the river will be fulfilled by placing moshe within the river’s domain
ReplyDeleteThe Daat Zaakenim says that that the Egyptians had kept track of when Yocheved had finished serving as the King’s midwife and had calculated the earliest date she could give birth. At the end of the nine months, they checked. They allowed the fact that she might have been three months pregnant when she was appointed as a midwife. This explains why she was ok with hiding her baby after three months.
ReplyDelete^mimi paley
ReplyDeleteMeira Cohen
ReplyDeleteThe Malbim explains that Yocheved knew that if she continued to hide Moshe, then she would endanger her family and result in Moshes certain death, but if she put him in a basket, then it would result in possible death. Additionally, rashi comments on the words "כִּי־ט֣וֹב ה֔וּא" (he was good), from the previous pasuk, and says that it means that when Moshe was born, he emanated light, so when the Mitzrm came to look for him, they would see the light and kill him. I think that this meforaish is very practical and shows that Yocheved was looking out for not only Moshe, but her entire family.