Midwifes

[Ex. 1:15] And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
Jochabed - After Jacob’s family left behind the Promised Land, and just as the caravans entered the border city of Egypt, a baby girl was born to Levi and his wife, she was named Jochebed and would, in time, give birth to 3 children. The eldest destined to become one of Israel’s seven prophetesses, the second destined to become Israel’s first High Priest, and the youngest to be chosen by G-d to fill the role of Israel’s leader and Savior.
Jochebed herself, teach the Talmudic sages, will survive all 3 of her children, entering the promised land of Israel along with Joshua, her righteous son’s successor, at the age of 250. The Rabbis say Israel was redeemed from Egypt on account of the righteous women of that generation. “When the women drew water, they found their pitchers always half-filled with fish. Out in the fields, they fed their husbands cooked fish and made love to them between the mounds. The taskmasters gave the women tasks that were suited to men and to the men tasks usually performed by women. When their time to give birth arrived, they did so away from home, under the apple trees in the fields, out of the sight of the Egyptians.”
Exodus 1:15 the Hebrew righting say Shiphrah and Puah was Jochebed and her 5 year old, Miriam. The sages say that Miriam, who always accompanied Jochebed, earnestly and eagerly tended to all the needs of both mother and child. Shiphrah refers to Jochebed, and Puah to Miriam, the names being based on the roots of numerous words illustrative of the character of these two individuals. Shiphrah is based upon “she-paru” - “multiplied”, because Israel multiplied greatly on account of her. Shiphrah is based also upon “shafrah” - “pleasing,” because her acts were all pleasing in the eyes of G-d. Puah means, “to open the mouth,” and Miriam was so named because through her cooing, the children opened their mouths, and could thus be fed. Purah comes also from “hofi’ah” - “lifted,” because she dared to lift her face up against Pharaoh and voice her warnings to him of Divine retribution. When Pharaoh became so enraged that he wish to have her killed, Jochebed “smoothed over” - “meshapereth,” Miriam’s words, explaining that her daughter was only an ignorant child and wasn’t worth his anger. Miriam was called Puah because this “ignorant child” would one day “lift” - “hoi’ah” Israel up towards G-d; Puah, because under the influence of the Holy Spirit, she would “cry out” - “puah” the prophecy that her own mother would soon bear the child destined to be Israel’s savor!”
Midwives – means: one who helps to bear, and were regularly barren women. Their job was (16:4) to aid in birth taking the newborn, cutting the cord, and washing the baby, salting the baby, and then wrapping up the baby. Shiphrah and Puah have been remembered because they followed the L-rd.
The death was to appear as a natural accident in the process of birth. It was a battle between the serpent and the seed, using the rulers of the world.
The Midwives feared G-d more than Pharaoh which brought them three blessings.
1. Fruitful themselves (20-21).
2. The remembering of their names (5).
3. Their own houses.
Amram took Jochebed, Levi’s daughter to be his wife. The Sages say that
G-d wished to have Moses and Aaron be the ones to fulfill the function of leading Israel to redemption. He therefore delayed their births until the proper time for the Redemption had arrived. And at that proper time, Jochebed, their mother, was very old 130 years old. Scripture records only those miracles that were foretold and performed by a prophet, or an angel. All other miraculous events are not mentioned in the Torah and Prophets.
Pharaoh’s daughter is spoken of as actually having borne Moses. This tells us that if anyone brings up an orphan boy or girl in his house, the Scripture accounts it as if he had begotten him. Now Moses first is named, although Moses had many names (Chronicles), the name by which he is known throughout the Torah is the one that Bathya, the daughter of Pharaoh called him, and even G-d called him by no other name.
From Jochebed came the priestly and royal houses.