What Would Biblical Women Do?
Yocheved, Miriam, Shifrah, Puah, and Batya
In the Hebrew month of Tevet, we finish Genesis and begin Exodus, the second book of our teachings. Exodus contains one of the most important stories of the Jewish people: the Israelites’ migration, rise to leadership, peaceful co-existence, and eventual fall to slavery in Egypt. In Exodus, we meet the man who will lead the Israelites out of slavery and into the desert — Moses. While we wander, Moses receives our teachings from the Divine, whips the stunned and scattered Israelites into shape, and ultimately helps our ancestors find their voice, an act that continues to influence the world today.
A man among goddesses
Moses is just a dude. Actually, he’s admirably humble. He has no special powers or super-human talents. His story goes like ours — ups and down, tribulations, instants of Divine light, moments of missing the mark. Moses became the extraordinary leader we know him to be because the Divine revealed God-self to Moses. From these moments, Moses crafted his leadership and then advocated fiercely for the Israelite freedom to build the Judaism we still practice today.
Remember that thing about Moses not being a god among men? It was actually more like he was a man among goddesses. Moses was born during a decree to kill all Israelite boys, but his life was guarded by the ingenuity and courage of five powerful women: Yocheved, Miriam, Shifrah, Puah, and Batya. (The Exodus story doesn’t specify whether the midwives, Shifrah and Puah, are Jewish. Many argue that they’re not, in which case, we see Egyptian women speaking out against violence on behalf of their neighbors. Perhaps, among Shifrah and Puah are among first women in history to rebel as leaders of peace.) Each woman, mentioned by name in the first chapter of Exodus, plays a vital role in Moses’ life. They each help Moses become strong enough to share his light. Without these women, Moses may never have led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Exodus 101: All The Single-Minded Women
There came a time when the Pharaoh missed the lessons from his grandfathers, forgot everything the Israelites had contributed to Egypt in generations past, and enslaved them. To ensure they never get too strong, he commands all male Hebrew babies be drowned in the Nile. Cut to Shifrah and Puah, two midwives who defy Pharaoh. The women lie, saying they couldn’t kill the babies because the Hebrews are “gifted in midwifery” and give birth before the midwives can reach the houses. (Even Torah tells us that our Matriarchs knew a thing or two their bodies and their health! That’s why they were skilled midwives. It’s time for us to do the same. Welcome, women, to At The Well.)
Why did these two take such a big risk? Shifrah and Puah, Exodus explains, felt such awe for the Divine that they could not bring themselves to kill the babies.
Now, cut to an ordinary Israelite home. Moses is born there, to Yocheved, and hidden by his mother and sister for three months. When Yocheved can no longer hide her son, she makes a basket, carefully places Moses inside, and pushes him down the Nile toward an unknown fate. Moses’ sister, Miriam, follows the basket to see what happens. She watches as her baby brother float down the water and reaches the handmaid of Batya, Pharaoh’s daughter. Batya takes pity on orphan Moses. But before she can decide what to do next, Miriam jumps out from the riverbank and asks if Batya would like a wet nurse to help raise the boy. Batya agrees and tells Miriam to bring Moses back to be her son after he is grown. Miriam brings Moses back to his mother for the remainder of his childhood. The five supportive women in Moses’ story are an essential part of our history as Jews.
Shifrah and Puah risked their lives to protect Hebrew male children. Yocheved risked her life to save her son, and then raised him knowing she would have to give him up. Miriam stood by Moses as a source of strength his entire life. And without Batya’s compassion, Moses’ life would have likely ended. Pharaoh’s daughter saw potential in the unknown baby, took him into her house, and treated him as her son. She named him Moses, meaning, “drawn out from the Nile.” Without these women, Moses never would have had the chance to become a leader. Behind Moses stands a team of co-founders, a mighty support system, and the foundation for his success... all of them women.
The Lesson
A venture capital firm, First Round Capital, published an in-depth study in 2015 of the investments in its portfolio. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal published the fndings too, which buzzed around Facebook. These stories went viral because First Round’s study found something amazing: if a company has at least one woman as a co-founder, it’s 63% more likely to succeed than a company with an all-male team. Companies in which women make up more than 15% of senior management report higher return on equity than those with fewer female managers. Although there are far too few companies with women at the helm, the companies that do are more likely to succeed, to thrive, and reach their full potential.
Moses’ impact is immeasurable. He stands as a reminder to seek freedom. However, without the women who invested in Moses’ future and potential, he would have easily been forgotten. When women find their voices and power, they’ll make positive change: we uplift our communities, care about the people who work for us, and support women from different communities too.
Possible Questions for Your Circle
Why do you think companies are more likely to succeed with a woman on the leadership team?
How do you support the people around you?
In what ways can your Well Circle be your Miriam? Your bedrock?