The Nile Casts Out the Drowned Children and God Feeds Them

"Every son that is born you shall cast into the river" (Exodus 1:22). Rabbi Shila said: All the children whom they cast in, the river would spit out into the wilderness, and the Holy One, blessed be He, would bring a rock to the mouth of each one, and a rock at its side: the rock between them would nurse them with honey and milk, and the rock at their side would anoint them with oil, like a beast that suckles her young. As it is said, "And He made him suck honey out of the rock" (Deuteronomy 32:13). Rav Yannai says: The Egyptians enslaved Israel only for one hour of the day of the Holy One, blessed be He, namely eighty-six years. For the magicians said to Pharaoh, A certain boy is destined to be born, and he will bring Israel out of Egypt. Pharaoh answered and said, Cast them into the river. For three years and a third they cast them into the river, until Moses was born; and when he was born they said to Pharaoh, Behold, he is born, and he is hidden from our eyes. He said to them, Since he is born, from now on do not cast the children into the river, but place upon them a harsh yoke to embitter their lives, as it is said, "And they made their lives bitter" (Exodus 1:14). "And a man went from the house of Levi, and the woman conceived and bore a daughter and called her name Miriam" - in those days the Egyptians began to embitter [memarer] the lives of the children of Israel. "And she conceived again and bore a son and called his name Aaron" - for in the days of her pregnancy Pharaoh began to pour out their males to the ground, and some of them to cast into the river.