The midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, and they kept the boys alive” (Exodus 1:17). “The midwives feared God.” About them it is stated: “A God-fearing woman, she will be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). “And did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them [aleihen].”
Lahen is not written, but rather aleihen.31A formulation used elsewhere in the Bible in the sense of sexual relations, e.g., Genesis 29:23. Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina says: It teaches that he demanded that they have relations with him, but they did not accept his proposition. “They kept the boys alive.” Since they “did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them,” do we not know that they kept the boys alive?
Why did the verse need to state: “They kept the boys alive”? There is praise within praise. Not only did they not fulfill his command, but they went beyond that and performed good deeds for their benefit. Some of them were poor women, and the midwives would go and collect water and food from the homes of wealthy women and would come and give it to the poor women, thereby sustaining their sons.
That is what is written: “They kept the boys alive.” Alternatively, “they kept the boys alive” – some had a condition that would result in their emerging crippled, blind, deformed, or needing to have a limb amputated in order to emerge safely. What would they do? They would stand in prayer and say before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘You know that we did not fulfill Pharaoh’s command.
It is Your words that we seek to fulfill. Lord of the universe, may this child emerge in peace, so Israel will not find a pretext to slander us, saying: Look, they emerged deformed because they sought to kill them.’ Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He would heed their voice, and [the babies] would emerge intact. Rabbi Levi said: You stated the less severe scenarios; state the severe scenarios.
Some of them had a condition that would cause them to die as they emerged, or endanger their mother so she would die after they emerged. They would stand in prayer and say to the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, suspend their sentence now and give them life, so that Israel will not say: They killed them.’ The Holy One blessed be He would fulfill their prayer. Therefore, “they kept the boys alive [vateḥayena et hayeladim]” – vateḥayena, these are the mothers, hayeladim, these are the actual children.
Alternatively, “the midwives feared,” – they adorned themselves with the action of their ancestor, that is Abraham. Just as the Holy One blessed be He attests in his regard: “For now I know that you are God-fearing” (Genesis 22:12), they said: ‘Abraham our patriarch, of blessed memory, opened an inn and would feed all the passersby, uncircumcised people, and we, not only do we not have enough to feed them, but to kill them?
We will keep them alive.’ When Pharaoh saw that they did not implement his decree, he sent and called for them; that is what is written: “The king of Egypt called for the midwives [and said to them: Why have you done this thing, and have kept the boys alive?”] (Exodus 1:18).