19 Jul PARASHAT PINHAS: LEARNING FROM YOCHEVED

In Parashat Pinhas

we read about the

census that was

taken shortly before

Beneh Yisrael

entered the Land of

Israel. The Torah

goes through all the

tribes, listing the major families of each, and

informs us of the tribe’s population. In telling of

the census of the tribe of Levi, the Torah,

curiously, found it necessary to make a brief

interruption to mention Yocheved, the mother of

Moshe Rabbenu: “The name of Amram’s wife

was Yocheved, the daughter of Levi who begot

her for Levi in Egypt, and she begot for Amram

Aharon and Moshe, and their sister, Miriam”

(26:59). That Yocheved was deemed worthy of

special mention by the Torah in this context

should indicate to us that she was a unique and

exceptional woman. Indeed, the Sages teach that

she lived an unusually long life, well over two

hundred years. Moreover, she received more

“Nahat” than any Jewish mother could ever

imagine. She was the mother of Moshe

Rabbenu, the greatest leader and prophet our

nation has ever known, and of Aharon

Ha’kohen, the righteous Sadik, Kohen Gadol,

and progenitor of the eternal priestly tribe. And

her daughter Miriam was a beloved and revered

prophetess and teacher of the women of Beneh

Yisrael. What was the source of Yocheved’s

Zechut (merit)? Why was she worthy of living

an exceptionally long life and seeing her three

children emerge as outstanding Sadikim and

leaders? The source of her merit is told toward

the beginning of the Book of Shemot, where we

read of Pharaoh’s decree that all newborn males

among Beneh Yisrael must be put to death.

Yocheved was one of the two primary midwives

for Beneh Yisrael, and she courageously defied

the royal edict and delivered the babies. She was

rewarded “measure for measure” with long life

and with three children who brought spiritual life

to Beneh Yisrael. She had brought life to the

newborn infants, and God therefore bestowed

upon her the blessing of life. Our generation has

a lot to learn from Yocheved. She rescued

Jewish children during the time of Egyptian

bondage, a period of suffering and persecution.

She brought life to these children – even though

it was a life of hardship. Some people in her

position might have chosen to comply with

Pharaoh’s edict, if for no other reason than to

spare these children the life of slavery that

awaited them. But Yocheved understood the

central importance of bringing Jewish children

into the world, without making calculations. She

was rewarded for her commitment to our

nation’s growth despite the hardships to which

they were subjected. Today, unfortunately,

many young couples find all kinds of reasons to

delay having children, or to have only one or two

children. More often than not, these are only

excuses. Raising children is hard work, and so

couples come up with reasons to spare

themselves this “burden.” Nobody’s situation

today is as difficult as Beneh Yisrael’s condition

during the Egyptian bondage. If Yocheved

insisted on bringing many children into the

world during that period, then today’s families

can certainly manage to raise sizeable families.

For good reason, the command of “Peru U’rbu”

(procreation) is the first Misva in the Torah.

Simply put, without Jews, there is no Judaism.

Begetting and raising children has always been

Am Yisrael’s highest priority, and it must

continue to be our highest priority. It must be

emphasized that “Peru U’rbu” means not only

having children, but also directing them toward a

life of Torah commitment. The word “Rebu” has

two meanings – multiplying, and directing.

Yishmael, for example, was a “Robeh Kashat” –

an archer (Bereshit 21:20). The term “Robeh” in

this phrase means directing an arrow to a

specific target. The obligation of “Rebu”

similarly demands that we direct our children

toward a “target,” toward a life of religious

commitment. Let us learn from the great

Sadeket, Yocheved, and commit ourselves to the

continued growth – both in quantity of quality –

of the Jewish nation, and may we then be worthy

to see our children, too, grow to become

outstanding Sadikim who illuminate the world

with their piety and Torah scholarship.