We're talking about Moses.

The story begins with his birth. Rabbi Simeon tells us he was called Ṭob, "good," because, as Exodus 2:2 says, "when she saw him, that he was good." A simple statement. But it hints at something deeper, perhaps a divine spark already visible in the infant Moses.

For three months, Moses was hidden, protected from Pharaoh's decree to kill all newborn Hebrew boys. Can you imagine the fear, the desperation of his parents? They concealed him in a "house of the earth" – likely a cellar or hidden room.

Then came the moment of truth. Unable to keep him hidden any longer, his mother placed him in an ark of bulrushes – a small basket – and set him afloat on the Nile.

Here's where things get truly interesting. The text emphasizes that "All things are revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He." Nothing is random. Everything is part of a larger plan. Even a seemingly desperate act like setting a baby adrift.

And who finds him? Bithyah, Pharaoh's daughter.

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer adds a layer to the familiar story. It tells us that Bithyah was afflicted with leprosy and unable to bathe in hot water. She sought healing in the river. It was there, in that moment, that she saw the crying child.

She reached out, took hold of him, and was healed! A miraculous encounter.

Bithyah recognizes something special in this child. She declares, "This child is righteous, and I will preserve his life." This is a pivotal moment. She defies her own father's decree, choosing compassion over obedience.

The text then delivers a powerful statement: "Whosoever preserves a life is as though he had kept alive the whole world." What a profound idea! Every single life is precious, containing within it the potential for infinite good. By saving Moses, Bithyah, in essence, saved a world.

And what was her reward? She was "worthy to inherit the life in this world and the life in the world to come." Her act of kindness, her willingness to defy injustice, earned her eternal life.

It makes you think, doesn't it? About the power of small acts, about the interconnectedness of all things, and about the profound consequences of choosing compassion. Bithyah’s story reminds us that even in the darkest of times, goodness can prevail, and that a single act of kindness can echo through eternity.