We all know about Moses, about the plagues, about the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the women who defied a king's cruel decree and saved countless Israelite babies?

The Torah tells us, "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). Simple enough, right? But as always, Jewish tradition dives deeper, unearthing layers of meaning and revealing the extraordinary courage of these women.

The verse continues, "The midwives feared God." And Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, immediately connects this to a verse in Proverbs: “A God-fearing woman, she will be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). It’s like the Bible itself is applauding their bravery!

But here's where it gets really interesting. The text says the midwives "did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them [aleihen]." Now, lahen would be the more typical way to say "to them." But aleihen… well, it can also be a euphemism for sexual relations.

Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina offers a startling interpretation: Pharaoh demanded sexual favors from them! And they refused. Talk about standing up to power.

The text then asks a seemingly obvious question: since they disobeyed Pharaoh, don't we already know they kept the boys alive? Why does the verse repeat, “They kept the boys alive”? The answer? "There is praise within praise." It wasn't just passive resistance. They actively helped these families.

Some interpretations paint a picture of these midwives as angels of mercy. As we find in Shemot Rabbah, they would gather food and water from wealthy homes and deliver it to poor, new mothers. They sustained not only the babies but also the hope of a people facing unimaginable oppression.

But there’s even more. It's said that some babies were born with complications, facing terrible conditions. What did the midwives do? They prayed. They cried out to God, pleading, "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!" And according to Rabbi Levi, God answered their prayers, healing the children and even saving mothers from death. "Therefore, 'they kept the boys alive [vateḥayena et hayeladim]' – vateḥayena, these are the mothers, hayeladim, these are the actual children." The midwives saved both.

The Rabbis even connect these courageous women to our patriarch Abraham. The text states that 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.’

Think about it: Abraham welcomed strangers into his tent. These midwives, facing death themselves, refused to kill innocent children. They chose compassion over compliance.

When Pharaoh realized his decree was being ignored, he summoned the midwives, demanding, "Why have you done this, and have kept the boys alive?” (Exodus 1:18).

These women, whose names the Torah doesn't even explicitly give us at this point (though later tradition names them Shifra and Puah), stood defiant. They become symbols of resistance, of faith, and of the power of ordinary people to change the course of history.

So, the next time you read the story of the Exodus, remember the midwives. Remember their courage, their compassion, and their unwavering faith. They remind us that even in the darkest of times, one person, one act of kindness, can make all the difference.