Community Torah Corner - January 17, 2025

This week’s Parsha is Shemot. Shemot is about a lot of different things like Yocheved putting Moshe into the basket on the Nile, Moses leaving Egypt and being called back by God, Moshe marrying Tzeporah. All very familiar things as you see on Pesach.

But I want to focus on a less well known story: Two midwives that face their fears, Shifra and Puah. Shifra and Puah were told by Pharaoh to kill all the newborn Jewish males at birth, but Shifra and Puah did not, they defied Him. But why? It’s said they feared something bigger above Pharaoh. This is crazy to me. Someone with so much power, someone so terrifying, who they defied. When they defied the Pharaoh they told him that Jewish women were skilled at giving birth and it was too quick by the time they got there. God rewarded Shifra And Puah by granting them a dynasty of the priesthood and Levites royalty. I think this is really deserved.

We all have fears. I do. I actually have quite an embarrassing fear — high schoolers. Compared to Shifra and Puah, I have the lamest fear ever. I don’t even have a good reason to be scared of high schoolers where Shifra and Puah had every reason to be scared.

I have no good advice on how to face your fear, but I wonder what Shifra’s and Puah’s thought processes were? We know they feared something above Pharaoh but with no real proof how could they have actually done it? They must have thought they would get punished. I encourage everyone to go out today and face your fear. What's the worst that can happen? Unless your fear includes danger to yourself or someone else you might consider trying to face it.

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom