The Book of Exodus opens with multiple stories about civil disobedience, about justice, and about leadership. The story of the Exodus from Egypt is, of course, a foundational text in our tradition—but one of the striking things about this part of the story are the women who are named and celebrated for their roles. This week, we’ll explore some of those stories.
There is another unnamed woman in the Book of Exodus, a young lady bathing luxuriously in the Nile when she comes across a basket and a baby, changing the course of history. She is aware of his heritage; we also assume she must be aware of her father’s decree. And yet, Pharaoh’s daughter takes this baby in as her own, raising him in the palace and keeping him safe. There is much written on this relationship—about adoption and maintaining family stories—but today, I want to focus on her name.
The rabbis of the Midrash name her Batya, “daughter of God.” And while my son would love to explain to you the theology of the Pharaohs and the demigod status, our tradition does not see humans as Divine. We do, however, see humans as doing Divine work, and therein—I think—lies the impetus for Batya’s naming. In the act of drawing Moses from the water, of giving him shelter and love and care, she—knowingly or not—facilitates the redemption of the Children of Israel. Her actions, based in empathy, set the stage for our entire national story.
The rabbis of the Midrash create an additional narrative for Batya. In their reading, she was going to the Nile not to bathe, but to perform the ritual immersion which completes the conversion process. It is in this way, they teach, that she is able to be a part of the story. But we know, from our community and our history, that stories are written in all different ways with all different heroes.
Batya is a daughter of God not because of who she is—not because of her powerful father—but because of what she does. We are, our tradition understands, all children of the Divine—and we are all capable of doing Divine work: the work of empathy, of love, of compassion, and of justice.
—Rabbi Sari Laufer