PESAH, REDEMPTION & OVERCOMING ANTISEMITISM
RABBI MOSHE TESSONE
The story of Pharaoh’s daughter, Batya, saving Moshe from the Nile River is recounted in the Book of Exodus 2:1 – 2:10.
“Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maidservant to get it.”
Due to the nuances of the Hebrew language, this passage, which describes how Batya saved Moshe from the Nile River, can be interpreted both literally and figuratively, depending on the perspective and the context.
LITERAL INTERPRETATION:
This passage describes Pharaoh’s daughter finding Moshe as an infant in a basket amongst the reeds of the Nile, feeling compassion for him, and ultimately deciding to rescue him, thus saving his life. In the Torah, the word “amata”, which literally means “(Batya’s) maidservant,” is used in the bolded section in the passage referenced. This indicates that, simply put, Batya sent one of her maidservants to retrieve the basket from the Nile.
FIGURATIVE INTERPRETATION:
However, according to our Hakhamim, aggadically, the word “amata” refers to Batya’s outstretched arm. Based on this understanding, her arm miraculously became long enough to reach the basket which was far more than an arm’s length away. On a figurative level, Batya’s outstretched arm symbolizes her compassionate and courageous stance. It emphasizes her decisive action in saving Moshe and defying her father’s cruel decree. According to this interpretation, the gesture represents Batya’s moral agency and her willingness to challenge the oppressive status quo of a toxic regime — even one built by her own father — in the hopes of achieving the impossible against all odds.
The deeper symbolism of Batya’s outstretched arm: Pharaoh’s daughter’s outstretched arm holds profound symbolism within the narrative of Moshe’s rescue from the Nile. It serves as both an act of compassion and defiance against her father’s cruel decree to kill all Hebrew male infants. It also serves as an inspirational message that one who sets out to do good should never believe that an achievement that is done to help humanity is impossible. Batya’s decision to rescue Moshe demonstrates not only her compassion and empathy towards the Hebrew infant, but also her vision to undertake things that may seem impossible at first glance. Batya achieved the “mission impossible” and, with Hashem’s help, she proved to us, as readers of this passage, that the impossible is always within our reach.
Batya’s outstretched arm can be interpreted as a gesture of protection, liberation, and ultimately, redemption, symbolizing G-d’s providence and mercy towards Moshe and the Israelites. It represents divine intervention, as Pharaoh’s daughter becomes an instrument of G-d’s plan to deliver Moshe from harm and fulfill his destiny and duty as the leader and liberator of his people. Batya was the human agent who redeemed Moshe, and Moshe’s leadership, in turn redeemed the entire Jewish people from the hands of the wicked Egyptians. In this, the Talmudic dictum that “one who saves a life it is as if he has saved an entire world” becomes truly evident.
A MESSAGE FOR OUR TIMES:
Pharaoh’s daughter symbolizes righteousness and moral agency within the oppressive system of ancient Egypt. Her actions demonstrate that even individuals positioned within corrupt structures of power can exercise autonomy and work towards morality and justice. In essence, Batya represents the potential for redemption and moral awakening within oppressive systems, challenging the notion that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and that power and privilege inevitably lead to complicity with injustice.
In the face of contemporary challenges, such as terrorism, antisemitism, and wide-ranging geopolitical conflicts, the story of Pharaoh’s daughter offers a message of hope and determination. Just as Batya defied the odds and rescued Moshe, so too can we overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles by harnessing compassion and challenging injustice. The redemptive message of her actions inspires us to believe that what may seem beyond our reach is achievable if we are willing to strive for it.
This is the redemptive message that needs to prevail in order to overcome the terrorism and horrors that have been brought upon Israel by its enemies in the Arab world. Overcoming the terrorism against our brothers and sisters in Israel, overcoming antisemitism wherever it may appear, and overcoming all the Iranian proxies that are out in the world may seem like an impossible task, but it is indeed achievable if we can harness the inspiration from Batya, who exercised human compassion, challenged the status quo of an oppressive regime, and in doing so turned the impossible into an achievable goal.
In conclusion, whether interpreted literally or figuratively, the symbolism of Pharaoh’s daughter’s outstretched arm underscores her pivotal role in the narrative. She serves as an example to us and to all world leaders to act as catalysts and human agents of G-d, to exercise compassion, and to believe that what may seem “out of our arms reach” is within the realm of possibility if only we are willing to try and make the impossible into our new reality.
Rabbi Moshe Tessone is a speaker of note in the Jewish world and the Sephardic community at large and he has toured extensively throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Israel as a rabbinic and motivational speaker on Torah-related topics of Jewish and Sephardic interest, Jewish education, history, halakha, prayer and more.
