מִ֣י זֶ֤ה אָמַר֙ וַתֶּ֔הִי אֲדֹנָ֖י לֹ֥א צִוָּֽה׃
Sino ang nakapagsalita at ito'y nangyari, kung hindi ito iniutos ng Panginoon?
Shemot Rabbah
The midwives said to Pharaoh: Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, as they are vigorous; before the midwife comes to them, they have delivered (Exodus 1:19).
“As they are vigorous [ḥayot].” If you say that they are midwives,32One of the interpretations of the Hebrew word ḥaya is midwife. does one midwife not require another midwife to assist her? Rather, this is what they said to him: This nation is analogized to the beasts of the field, which do not require midwives. Judah is likened to a lion, as it is written: “Judah is a lion’s cub (Genesis 49:9); Dan, “Dan will be a serpent [on the road]” (Genesis 49:17); Naftali, “a hind let loose” (Genesis 49:21); Issachar is “a strong-boned donkey” (Genesis 49:14); Joseph, “a firstborn bull” (Deuteronomy 33:17); Benjamin is “a wolf that claws” (Genesis 49:27). Regarding the rest it is written: “How your mother was a lioness, she lay among lions” (Ezekiel 19:2).
God was good to the midwives; the people increased and they grew very mighty (Exodus 1:20).
“God was good to the midwives.” What was this good? The king of Egypt accepted their explanations and did not harm them.
Alternatively, “God was good,” Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya ben Rabbi Abba: That is what is written: “He said to man: Behold, fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28). What is the reward for fear? It is Torah. Because Yokheved feared the Holy One blessed be He, He produced Moses, of whom it is written: “That he was good” (Exodus 2:2), from her. And the Torah, that is called “a good acquisition” (Proverbs 4:2), was given through him, and it is called after his name, as it is stated: “Remember the Torah of Moses My servant” (Malachi 3:22).
As for Miriam, Betzalel, who was filled with wisdom, as it is written: “I filled him with the spirit of God, [with wisdom]” (Exodus 31:3), emerged from her. And he crafted an ark for the Torah, which is called “good” – that is: “God was good to the midwives.”
“The people increased,” to fulfill what is stated: “Who is it who says and it is realized, if the Lord did not command it?” (Lamentations 3:37). If Pharaoh commanded to kill all the males, to what avail was his decree when God did not command it? Rather: “The people increased and they grew very mighty.”
“As they are vigorous [ḥayot].” If you say that they are midwives,32One of the interpretations of the Hebrew word ḥaya is midwife. does one midwife not require another midwife to assist her? Rather, this is what they said to him: This nation is analogized to the beasts of the field, which do not require midwives. Judah is likened to a lion, as it is written: “Judah is a lion’s cub (Genesis 49:9); Dan, “Dan will be a serpent [on the road]” (Genesis 49:17); Naftali, “a hind let loose” (Genesis 49:21); Issachar is “a strong-boned donkey” (Genesis 49:14); Joseph, “a firstborn bull” (Deuteronomy 33:17); Benjamin is “a wolf that claws” (Genesis 49:27). Regarding the rest it is written: “How your mother was a lioness, she lay among lions” (Ezekiel 19:2).
God was good to the midwives; the people increased and they grew very mighty (Exodus 1:20).
“God was good to the midwives.” What was this good? The king of Egypt accepted their explanations and did not harm them.
Alternatively, “God was good,” Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya ben Rabbi Abba: That is what is written: “He said to man: Behold, fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28:28). What is the reward for fear? It is Torah. Because Yokheved feared the Holy One blessed be He, He produced Moses, of whom it is written: “That he was good” (Exodus 2:2), from her. And the Torah, that is called “a good acquisition” (Proverbs 4:2), was given through him, and it is called after his name, as it is stated: “Remember the Torah of Moses My servant” (Malachi 3:22).
As for Miriam, Betzalel, who was filled with wisdom, as it is written: “I filled him with the spirit of God, [with wisdom]” (Exodus 31:3), emerged from her. And he crafted an ark for the Torah, which is called “good” – that is: “God was good to the midwives.”
“The people increased,” to fulfill what is stated: “Who is it who says and it is realized, if the Lord did not command it?” (Lamentations 3:37). If Pharaoh commanded to kill all the males, to what avail was his decree when God did not command it? Rather: “The people increased and they grew very mighty.”
Eikhah Rabbah
“Who is it who said and it occurred, if the Lord did not command it?” (Lamentations 3:37).
“Who is it who said and it occurred, if the Lord did not command it?” – who did command? Haman commanded, but the Holy One blessed be He did not command. Haman commanded “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). But the Holy One blessed be He did not command it, but rather, “the plot [that he devised]…return [upon his head]” (Esther 9:25).
“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that evil and good emerge?” (Lamentations 3:38).
“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that evil and good emerge?” – Rabbi Elazar said: From the moment that the Holy One blessed be He said: “See, I have placed before you today: life and good, and death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15), no good has emerged for a performer of evil nor evil for a performer of good, but rather good for a performer of good and evil for a performer of evil, just as it says: “The Lord will reward the performer of evil in accordance with his wickedness” (II Samuel 3:39).
“Of what shall a living man complain, each man for his sins?” (Lamentations 3:39).
“Of what shall a living man complain?” – it is sufficient for him that he is alive. Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said: Your life is in My hands, yet you complain? Rabbi Huna said: Let him stand like a mighty one, confess his sins, and not complain. Rabbi Berekhya said: Of what shall he complain about the One who gives life to the worlds? If he seeks to complain, it should be each man for his sins. Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: Descendants of bearers of grievance; Adam, the first man, after all the good that I bestowed upon him, he expresses a grievance before Me and says: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, [she gave me from the tree, and I ate]” (Genesis 3:12). Jacob, too, did so. I am engaged in crowning his son king in Egypt, and he expresses a grievance before Me: “[Why do you say, Jacob…] my way is hidden from the Lord” (Isaiah 40:27). His children, too, I am engaged in providing them with easily digestible bread so that no one among them will be afflicted with indigestion or diarrhea, and they express a grievance before Me: “Our soul loathes this insubstantial bread” (Numbers 21:5). Zion, too, is similar: “Zion said: The Lord has forsaken Me and the Lord has forgotten Me” (Isaiah 49:14).
“Who is it who said and it occurred, if the Lord did not command it?” – who did command? Haman commanded, but the Holy One blessed be He did not command. Haman commanded “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). But the Holy One blessed be He did not command it, but rather, “the plot [that he devised]…return [upon his head]” (Esther 9:25).
“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that evil and good emerge?” (Lamentations 3:38).
“Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that evil and good emerge?” – Rabbi Elazar said: From the moment that the Holy One blessed be He said: “See, I have placed before you today: life and good, and death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15), no good has emerged for a performer of evil nor evil for a performer of good, but rather good for a performer of good and evil for a performer of evil, just as it says: “The Lord will reward the performer of evil in accordance with his wickedness” (II Samuel 3:39).
“Of what shall a living man complain, each man for his sins?” (Lamentations 3:39).
“Of what shall a living man complain?” – it is sufficient for him that he is alive. Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He said: Your life is in My hands, yet you complain? Rabbi Huna said: Let him stand like a mighty one, confess his sins, and not complain. Rabbi Berekhya said: Of what shall he complain about the One who gives life to the worlds? If he seeks to complain, it should be each man for his sins. Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: Descendants of bearers of grievance; Adam, the first man, after all the good that I bestowed upon him, he expresses a grievance before Me and says: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, [she gave me from the tree, and I ate]” (Genesis 3:12). Jacob, too, did so. I am engaged in crowning his son king in Egypt, and he expresses a grievance before Me: “[Why do you say, Jacob…] my way is hidden from the Lord” (Isaiah 40:27). His children, too, I am engaged in providing them with easily digestible bread so that no one among them will be afflicted with indigestion or diarrhea, and they express a grievance before Me: “Our soul loathes this insubstantial bread” (Numbers 21:5). Zion, too, is similar: “Zion said: The Lord has forsaken Me and the Lord has forgotten Me” (Isaiah 49:14).
Midrash Tanchuma
And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: “Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river” (Exod. 1:22). Thereupon, the Holy Spirit exclaimed: Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? (Lam. 3:37). Pharaoh decreed that the firstborn children should be cast into the river, but the Holy One, blessed be He, did not ordain that. On the contrary, The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread abroad (Exod. 1:12).