The Rabbis identify Jochebed with Shiphrah, one of the two Hebrew midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) who delivered the children of the Israelites during the Egyptian servitude. The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover.Seder Olam Rabbah 9). Though she could have lived through the Exodus of Israel and eventually crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness, the Bible never actually says that she did this. When Moses was born, Jochebed saw (Ex. The Lit. (Exodus 6:20). Conservative scholars date the “Exodus,” a landmark in Israel’s history, at 1446 B.C. The woman conceived and bore a son,” since she conceived before this second marriage? "the written Torah." Then she placed Moses into it and set it adrift in the Nile. And if all the male children were murdered, it would of course only be a generation or two until as a nation they would be wiped out completely. Rabbah 1:26). After three months Jochebed was forced to obey the decree of Pharaoh. Though the Bible gives no specific date for Miriam's birth, Ussher suggests that it took place in 2422 AM, eleven years before the birth of Moses.[1]. She gathered all the supplies and surreptitiously made a little “ark” (the same Hebrew word as in Noah’s ark). Aaron, who was the high priest and the father of all the kohanim.Miriam, who was a prophetess, in whose merit the children of Israel had water during the … In fact, Jochebed is the first in the Bible to be named with yah, a shortened form of YHWH. Jochebed Did Not Waste Her Motherhood. 20 March 2009. Our monthly sisterhood discussion of Joshebed , Mother of Moses peaked our interests and led to questions and a discussion that made us pursue more information about Amram's thoughts concerning the Pharoah's decree. Your site helped us fill in all of the missing pieces!!!!!! The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM (1620 BC), the year her father died. In the midrashic exegesis, the Egyptians counted the months of her pregnancy only from her return to Amram; they did not know that she was already in the third month (see above), and so Moses could be hidden in his parents’ home until he had had time to grow and develop. Rather, this verse teaches that Jochebed’s pregnancy was without suffering, just as she gave birth without pain. Jochebed was brought up by her father and grandfather. See how God justifies the timeline even if we humans won't read Him properly. teaches that Jochebed put the ark in a protected place, where bushes and reeds grew. She told them of how Pharaoh’s daughter found him and how she was hired to nurse him. Jochebed's encounter with Moses and Joshua together could not have occurred in real life, however. Let's learn to praise that. Jochebed's younger son Moses was born in 2433 AM (1571 BC), about forty-eight years after the death of Jochebed's father Levi (1620 BC). With your help, JWA programs and resources can enrich lives, build resilience, and sustain hope for a better world. One of the explanations of this discrepancy is that Jochebed completed the number seventy; she was not included in the list because she was still in her mother’s womb (Gen. Rabbah 94:9). The Masoretic Text states that Jochebed was Amram's father's sister. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah relates that the midwives did not fulfill Pharaoh’s command because they feared God, who rewarded them for their actions: “He established households [battim] for them” (Ex. Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. Jochebed understood her role in life as a wife and mother. The wording “she placed it among the reeds” (ibid.) It is interesting that Scripture tells us three times in Exodus 2:2, Acts 7:20 and Hebrews 11:23 that "she saw that he was a goodly child." . 2). When Moses got too big to hide and his crying became too loud to muffle, Jochebed made a plan. R. iv. If so, then why does Ex. The 69 total is not 70 since JOSEPH was already in Egypt. Amram married Jochebed for the sake of Heaven. Later she returned with clothing and crib for the child. Therefore, it makes him the brother of Moses, and that makes Moses the son of Thutmose I. She was not trying to escape her calling or evade her responsibility. The mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Jochebed's daughter Miriam followed the basket as it drifted into the private beach area that belonged to the royal family. For the Hebrew midwives, see the entries: “Shiphrah,” “Puah.”. Although the Torah asserts that Jacob’s household who came to Egypt numbered seventy souls, the Rabbis noted that only sixty-nine individuals are listed in Gen. 46. Jochebed succeeded in concealing Moses for three months (Ex. Moses said: The mouth that will speak with God will not nurse something impure [the milk of non-Jews]. Jochebed was desperate to … The name Jochebed in Hebrew means - glory of Jehovah or Jehovah is her In the Rabbinic retelling, when Amram returned his wife, Jochebed was a hundred and thirty years of age, but signs of youth appeared on her: her body became smoother, her wrinkles were straightened out, and her former beauty was restored. Lit. Jochebed bore Amram three righteous offspring. In the book of Exodus, he is left in a basket in a clump of reeds (bulrushes), but he is never abandoned. She is only mentioned twice by name in Scripture, but she is the mother of Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Added to this, Moses was never sentenced to exile. When He did, God knew exactly what He was doing. ", Adding to the irony, Miriam stepped forward and offered to find a nurse for the baby. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, was a daughter of Levi who married a man of the house of Levi which would become the priestly clan of Israel. The Rabbis deduced from this that righteous women are not subject to the decree passed on Eve (that is, the curse of “in pain shall you bear children” [Gen. 3:16] does not apply to them) (BT Suspected adulteressSotah 12a). Each was a prophet, and each served Israel (provided them physical succor): by merit of Moses, the Israelites were given the manna; by merit of Aaron, clouds of glory surrounded the Israelites and protected them during their journeying in the wilderness; and by merit of Miriam, the well accompanied them wherever they went. In all, she simply didn't want her child to die. Rabbah [ed. 2 tells of the birth of Moses. According to this tradition, Amram was the leading scholar of the generation. She therefore was called “daughter [bat, which also means “young girl”] of Levi,” because she was once again as a young girl (BT Bava Batra 120a). Fearing Israel’s might, Egypt sought to cripple the growing nation. That same day God swore that the Ark and the Torah would be entrusted to the arms of his descendants (the Kohathites are the only ones who bore the Ark during the journeying in the wilderness, as is attested in Num. Look: Jochebed was YES important, but NOT GOOD DEEDS (can you hate God more than that, to invent 'good deeds' Bible never records) -- but because SHE BELIEVED, Gen 15:6, what God praises in Abraham. We See Her Credentials. The story of Jochebed was used by Rabbi (R. Judah ha-Nasi) to divert his audience when they became sleepy. So Jochebed and Miriam took the boy home and Jochebed nursed him. Yet the Bible reveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. "Jochebed: Midrash and Aggadah." Epstein-Melamed], p. 6; BT Suspected adulteressSotah 12a; Pesikta Rabbati 43). She brought him to all the Egyptian women, but Moses was not willing to nurse from any of them. Yet another tradition explains that she shiprah her actions before God (i.e., performed good deeds, that were pleasing to the Lord). According to one midrashic view, Shiphrah and Puah were mother and daughter— Jochebed and Miriam, while another states that they were daughter-in-law and mother-in-law—Jochebed and Elisheba daughter of Amminadab. Why was Moses put in a basket? The midrash apparently understands “builds her house” in a broad sense, because Jochebed’s wisdom in the raising of her own children led to the building and firm establishment of the entire people of Israel. Of the many unusual things about the life of Moses, the one that is rarely mentioned is the fact that the Bible covers his complete bio from birth to death. … "teaching," "study," or "learning." This sequence omits a lengthy period of time, for Jochebed and Amram already had two other children (Aaron and Miriam) when Moses was born. Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Moreover, some historical facts provide that he died in the water, which can be the reference to the Exodus of Jews. "order." Or sometimes the question is framed, why did Jochebed give Moses up? In 2433 AM, Jochebed gave birth to Moses. And the mistakes in the article here keep on getting worse, no sense in trying to correct the many incompetences. The Catholics copied these lies about Jochebed (though maybe she really was old when bearing Moses, am tracing that now in the Hebrew), to make a competing Virgin Mary, equally false and equally demeaning against women. Wow, there are so many anti-Bible errors in this report it's not funny. Ex. Born shortly after the decree to th… We read about it in Exodus 1 and 2. Jochebed had FAITH. "order." In the Jeffrey Katzenberg animated-cartoon project The Prince of Egypt, Jochebed appears briefly setting Moses adrift, and presumably has long died before Moses meets a defiant Miriam who repeats Jochebed's last lullaby to him, thus triggering in him the memory of his true origin. And then God would be breaking the Law prior to making it? The Masoretic Text states that Jochebed was Amram's father's sister. The Masoretic Text states that Jochebed was Amram's father's sister. She is a witless baby.” Still another notion bases its understanding of the name on Job 26:13: “By his wind the heavens were calmed [shifrah].” The verse describes the heavens that were created by God for Israel, and it was Shiphrah who returned Israel to their Father in heaven (Eccl. 3:31) (Lit. Because she was the sister of Kohath, who lived for 133 years, she could have lived the same number of years and died five years after the Exodus of Israel. All Israel saw this, and in consequence they also divorced their wives. As the years passed by, Jochebed invested into her boy. This exegesis teaches of Jochebed’s longevity, and that she was still alive when Moses died. That is far more important than any good deed you can invent and pride yourself on (being petty of course). Jochebed's younger son Moses was born in 2433 AM (1571 BC), about forty-eight years after the death of Jochebed's father Levi (1620 BC). More is here: http://brainout.net/MisTrans.h... . In fact, I’ve entitled today’s message: “Jochebed – The Trusting Mother,” because Jochebed is such a wonderful example of faith in God and learning to trust God with our children. 78). Jochebed was able to use her amazing creativity and courage to solve an impossible problem. God returned her child to her, thus granting her a part of her reward for keeping alive the Hebrew boys (Ex. So should the Jews be as dumb as the Christians, to feel good about being female? Moses’s mother, a Levite, later identified as Jochebed (Numbers 26:59), had married a Levite and given birth to a son. This female votes 'NO'. Jochebed was given the name “Shiphrah” because she would cleanse (meshaperet) the newborn, by washing it and cleaning it after birth; another etymological explanation is that, by merit of her deeds, the Israelites were fruitful [she-paru] and multiplied in her time (Sifrei on Numbers, para. Little did Jochebed know that Moses would grow up to be a Hebrew lawgiver, statesman, prophet, and leader. That Jochebed could still be bearing children at the age of forty-eight might seem unlikely by modern standards. Rabbah 7:3; Ex. If the Midrash and Aggadah really contain these lies, the 'rabbis' quoted in them wouldn't know the Torah if it bit them. 2:2). Jochebed was a grandaughter of Levi, Hebrew do-dato means 'on his aunt's side', not 'aunt'. She caulked it with “bitumen and pitch” (Ex. Rabbah [ed. The narrative of her pregnancy with Moses is amusingly incorporated in an exegesis relating to the time of the Rabbis. She took leave of her baby with a heavy heart, and tried with all her might to protect him and ensure that he remain alive. Still later, Ramses II sends Moses into exile, but first gives him a Levite cloak (red with alternating black and white stripes) that, he says, Jochebed sent to him before she died. 1:17 relates that “the midwives, fearing God, let the boys live”; their reward for fearing God, according to the A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash, is Torah: because Jochebed feared the Lord, she gave birth to Moses, through whom the Torah was given (Ex. 40–41). When he saw that Pharaoh had decreed that all the boys be cast into the Nile, he proclaimed: “Are we laboring in vain?” (we give birth to sons who will eventually be killed), and so he divorced his wife. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Rabbah 1:25; for the identification of Jochebed with Shiphrah, see above). The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash describes in detail how she prepared the ark for Moses. All Israel saw this, and they, too, remarried their wives (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai [ed. In the long run, he delivers his people, the Jews, from enslavement in Egypt. . According to these sources, Jochebed might have been Amram’s cousin. Rabbah 1:15:3). BELIEF so strong, Jacob enters Egypt knowing he's committing his family to slavery and they all STAY there, knowing that future? Hebrews 11:23 , though, uses the term "parents," so that we understand that Amram was also involved—with his faith . Jochebed's younger son Moses was born in 2433 AM (1571 BC), about forty-eight years after the death of Jochebed's father Levi (1620 BC). The question of Jochebed’s kinship to Amram arises from the statement in Ex. Another midrash has Jochebed building a little canopy for Moses inside the ark, for she said to herself: Perhaps I will not see him under his wedding canopy (BT Sotah 12a–b). Ex. ): “I will pay your wages,” from which the Rabbis learned of Jochebed’s righteousness: like the righteous, she merited the return of what she had lost (her son), and in addition received reward for it (for having nursed him) (Ex. cit.). This portrayal emphasizes the painstaking attention that Jochebed paid to every detail in the ark. She gladly poured into her children – including Moses as she was paid a salary for caring for her son. One of the arguments advanced by Moses was his mother’s suffering. It is doubtful whether the decree of the wicked Pharaoh will be fulfilled, but you are righteous, and your decree will undoubtedly be fulfilled.” Amram heeded his daughter, and returned to his wife, whom he remarried in a public celebration with all possible pomp and ceremony: he sat her in a palanquin, Aaron and Miriam danced before her, and the ministering angels proclaimed (Ps. According to another A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash, Moses rejected the breasts of the Egyptian women because he said: “God will speak with me. 5:8. So she took a wicker basket and covered it with tar and pitch. Yet the Biblereveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. Jochebed’s story is the third part of our eight-week Bible study – Ordinary Parents with Extraordinary Faith. Jochebed married her nephew Amram, a grandson of her father. So GOD DEEDS are what made him significant. Thank you and God bless! The latter had spoken impudently to Pharaoh, who sought to kill her in his anger. The Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. A compilation of the commentary and discussions of the amora'im on the Mishnah. The painting "The Mother of Moses" by Simeon Solomon depicts Jochebed and Miriam looking and holding Moses. Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically. Doesn't anyone check the use of Hebrew words before pontificating a lie which would make Moses the first breaker of the Mosaic law? The neighbors were surprised to see Jochebed with a baby. “Pharaoh orders every able-bodied man to report for work duty immediately,” a […] When she saw that he was a “fine” child, she hid him for three months and when she could do so no longer, she made a basket out of bulrushes and … But among all the poor Hebrew slaves, there was one couple who … Later, when Moses has begun to inquire into his true origins, she reproaches Moses for his Egyptian ideology and his belonging to a religion that worships idols. Jochebed’s story is one of trust, courage, and faith. "teaching," "study," or "learning." Everything looked hopeless for the Hebrew slaves. The princess then hired Jochebed to nurse her own son. The Catholics sure didn't learn, they use what Mary DID NOT do with her body, total lie. Yes, Levi's youngest daughter he had in old age, but long AFTER he entered Egypt. By merit of her good deeds, she gave birth to the three leaders of the Exodus generation: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. In addition to her given name, the Torah she-bi-khetav: Lit. Some of you have lost children to divorce, some have run-away, and some have even died. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover.Seder Eliyahu Rabbah 29). "the written Torah." 2:7, BT Suspected adulteressSotah 12b). When Moses was about to die, he addressed God and begged for his life. But Egypt’s efforts were in vain; God was with His people, and He was preparing to bring Israel out of the land. So the 'sages' can't count, either. It is not known when Jochebed died. Jochebed appears in at least two motion picture projects depicting the life of Moses and the oppression and Exodus of Israel. Here is an expansion of the biblical story as I imagine it could have happened. Waiting for Breakthrough – Elizabeth’s story. God gave His Son for the world, John 3:16, 2 Cor. 1:21), which the Rabbis understand as priestly and Levitical households, or as royal households. The Bible gives no specific date for the death of Jochebed. Rabbi (Judah ha-Nasi) would sit and expound, and the public was drowsing. 113:9): “He sets the childless woman [akeret ha-bayit] among her household as a happy mother of children.” Jochebed, who had been uprooted [nitakrah) from her home as a result of the decree of Pharaoh, would now be set happily among her household. Consequently, Miriam came and offered to the daughter of Pharaoh her mother Jochebed, who was “a Hebrew” (Ex. When not specified, "Talmud" refers to the Babylonian Talmud.Talmud discusses this relationship in the context of the incest prohibitions in Lev. Jochebed (2 Occurrences) Exodus 6:20 Amram took Jochebed his father's sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years. 2385 AM–2518 AM) (ca. Jochebed: An Impossible Problem Solver By Glenn Davis. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah seemingly chose to concentrate on the birth of Israel’s deliverer, and therefore did not mention his two elder siblings. Jochebed may not have known all that Moses would ultimately mean to God's plan, but she did realize that he was a gift from God and she loved him and would protect him at all costs. Kadari, Tamar. He is, nevertheless, faithful to his roots. Rabbah 1:16). My mother Jochebed’s teeth were blunted by [the death of] two of her children in her lifetime; will more of her teeth be blunted by my death?” But this argument, too, was of no avail (Deut. When Moses was born, an edict was in … Rabbah 1:25). Lieberman], pp. According to one opinion, she realized that he was suited to be a prophet; according to another, she saw that he was born circumcised; and according to a third exegetical suggestion, she saw that the entire house was filled with light (BT Sotah 12a). The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash portrays Jochebed as a wise woman who was righteous and God-fearing. "the written Torah." Very few have that distinction: Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist and Jesus to name a few. For three months Jochebed hid Moses in her home, but she could not hide him indefinitely. Yet the Biblereveals that Levi and his son and grandson all had very long life spans. According to another interpretation, Jochebed named her son “Tov” or “Tobiah,” which was what his parents called him until Pharaoh’s daughter renamed him “Moses” (BT Sotah loc. 2:3), lining the inside with bitumen, and coating it on the outside with pitch, so that Moses would not smell the bad odor given off by the latter. II. … Your site also helped us research the background information concerning Amram and Joshebed's marriage. For 430 years, Israelites lived in Egypt, at first in comfort because the “vice president” of the country was their relative Joseph. . The latest date that Jochebed could have been born was 2385 AM (1620 BC), the year her father died. The next day the Egyptian women would say that I nursed the one who speaks with the Shekhinah [the Divine Presence]” (Ex. The Pharaoh's daughter was bathing in the Nile, when one of her maids saw the basket and brought it to her. Jochebed was the mother of Moses, one of the major characters in the Old Testament.Her appearance is short and we are not told much about her, but one trait stands out: trust in God.Her hometown was probably Goshen, in the land of Egypt. Rather, the then-reigning Pharaoh signed his death warrant and Moses had to flee like the wanted man that he was. Jochebed is most known as the mother of Moses. This exegesis teaches of Jochebed’s longevity, and that she was still alive when Moses died. [2] Yet the Cecil B. DeMille movie depicts Joshua as a grown man, and in fact shows him aging but few years during the time that Moses is supposed to be in exile in Midianite country.[3]. Shiphrah placated him, saying: “Do you pay attention to such a one as her? Lieberman], pp. Moses was a Hebrew (Jewish) child who was adopted by Pharoah's daughter and raised as an Egyptian. Pounding on their door startled Amram and Jochebed awake. cit.). A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules). 14:1: “The wisest of women builds her house” is applied to Miriam (A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).Midrash Proverbs 14:1). Jochebed was the daughter of a Levi man and born in Egypt. Yocheved, the mother of Moses and Aaron and Miriam, surely was one of the greatest Jewish women that ever lived.Think of it: Moses, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and who received the Torah on Mount Sinai. The Bible laud’s Jochebed, Moses’ mother for her faith. 2:9), she unwittingly prophesied: the word “helikhi” concealed the truth—“shelikhi hu [he is yours].” Pharaoh’s daughter promised Jochebed (ibid. I. 1620 BC–1487 BC) was the daughter of Levi, wife of Amram, and mother of Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. He said: “Master of the Universe! Exodus 6:20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. Jochebed gave her son for Israel. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah also designates Jochebed as the “daughter of Levi” (Num. This was the year that the reigning Pharaoh decreed that every male Hebrew child be thrown into the Nile River. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV) Numbers 26:59 The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt: and she bore to Amram Aaron and … The regimen of rituals, songs and textual readings performed in a specific order on the first two nights (in Israel, on the first night) of Passover. My mother Jochebed’s teeth were blunted by [the death of] two of her children in her lifetime; will more of her teeth be blunted by my death?” But this argument, too, was of no avail (Deut. 26:59): “The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt.” The A type of non-halakhic literary activitiy of the Rabbis for interpreting non-legal material according to special principles of interpretation (hermeneutical rules).midrash adds that she was conceived on the way to Egypt, and was born between the walls (at the entrance to Egypt). Miriam, who was six years old at the time, said: “Father, father, your decree is harsher than that of Pharaoh. 2:2) “how good [tov] he was.” The Rabbis ask what Jochebed saw that was special in her son, on account of which she sought to save him from Pharaoh’s death decree. Trials and difficulties and obstacles come to all of us, but for the moment, we want to look at the example found in the life of Jochebed. (Exodus 2:1-10 ), Miriam was thus old enough to walk and even to speak. In the midrashic account, the daughter of Pharaoh saw that Moses was hungry when she drew him from the river. For seventeen years she was together, with her grandfather, for Jacob died seventeen years after his coming to Egypt. Is God a liar or inconsistent, or are the 'sages' liars not to know Hebrew usage of 'dodato'? In the Rabbinic exegesis, Jochebed was already pregnant with Moses before Amram divorced her, and the fetus in her womb was three months old when he remarried her. The sage, who wanted to awaken them, said: “A single woman in Egypt gave birth to sixty myriads from a single stomach.” There was a pupil there named R. Ishmael son of R. Yose, who asked him: “Was this really so?” He [Rabbi] replied: “This is Jochebed, who bore Moses, who is deemed the equivalent of sixty myriads of Israel” (Cant. The Pharaoh had decreed that all Jewish male infants must die after birth. She and her husband, Amram lived around 1571BC to 1613BC or 2,433 years after Creation. There was once a woman in Egypt, he told them, who gave birth to 600,000 children at once; on being asked who that woman was, he said she was Jochebed, whose son Moses was worth 600,000 Israelites (Cant. Jochebed herself was from the tribe of Levi, and her two sons Aaron and Moses attained the High Priesthood and the scepter of royalty (BT Suspected adulteressSotah 11b). Rabbah 1:13). Pharaoh only decreed against the males, but you have decreed against both the males and the females [since all the Israelites withdrew from their wives, neither sons nor daughters would come into the world]. 2:1 portrays their remarriage. Jochebed was the youngest member of the seventy souls that made up Jacob's household.