Shemos

"WHAT'S IN A NAME?" (GREATNESS!)

The excitement and eminence of our exit from Egypt in the Second Sefer of the Torah engenders its name: "Exodus". The literal translation of Shemos, however, has a different meaning, namely, "names." And like the Sefer that shares its name, this week's parsha is all about names. We have known names and non-known names, associative names, namings, and The Name.

Our parsha proceeds with the names that precede our coming down to Egypt: "And these are the names of the Children of Israel who came to Egypt ..." (1:1) It also intentionally intrigues us by providing us with non-[immediately]-known names: "A man (Amram) went from the house of Levi and he took a daughter of Levi (Yocheved)." (2:1) Others are originally only identified by their "associative" status: "His (Moshe's) sister stationed herself at a distance ... Pharaoh's daughter went down to bathe ... His sister said to Pharaoh's daughter ..." (2:4-7) Then there are the "namings": "She called his name Moshe ..." (2:10) "She gave birth to a son and he named him Gershom ..." (2:22)

Finally, when Moshe encounters Hashem for the first time at the Burning Bush, he says

Behold, when I come to the Children of Israel and say to them "The G-d of your forefathers has sent me to you" and they say to me "What is His Name?"-what shall I say to them? Hashem answered Moshe "I Shall Be As I Shall Be." (3:13-14)

But with all the atypical absorption with appellations in our parsha, it is the aliases afforded the "Hebrew midwives" that agitate for our attention. The Torah tells us

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the first was Shifra, and the name of the second was Puah "In your assisting the Hebrew women ... if it is a son, you are to kill him, and if it is a daughter, she shall live." But the midwives feared G-d ... and they kept the boys alive. (1:15-17)

Rashi, concerned we may mistakenly believe "Shifra" and "Puah" were the midwives' real names, informs us (based on the Medrash, Shemos Rabbah)

Shifrah-This is Yocheved. [She is called Shifra] because she beautifies the child [at birth]. (The Hebrew word for "beautifies" has the same root as the word "Shifrah").

Puah-This is Miriam. [She is called Puah] because she cries, speaks, and coos to the child in the manner of women who soothe a crying baby. (The Hebrew word for "cries", in the sense of calming a baby, has the same root as "Puah").

So the heroines of the story, Shifra and Puah—the midwives who saved the babies—were really Yocheved and Miriam. The first and most obvious question is: what was so great about what they did? They refused to kill the children? Isn't murder a sin we must give up our life for rather than commit? What was so great? Most G-d Fearing Jews would have refused that command!

But, what would most people do? They would run. They would quit. They would "disappear". They would try to avoid the situation. And if they are on a higher level, they may "help and run" ("Um, sorry, wish I could stay for the baby shower, but ...").

Not so Shifra and Puah; their greatness was that they stayed. They stayed and defied. They stayed, defied, and beautified. That's amazing!! So amazing, in fact, that the Torah calls them by names celebrating those acts!

Ok, that's very nice, but these were two of the greatest women to ever live!! And we are told their real names later on! Why would the Torah choose to introduce them to us through these enigmatic nicknames? It's commendable that they took extra time and care for the babies, but to name them such because of that? They did many greater things! Yocheved was personally responsible for helping end the ban on procreation that her husband Amram had decreed for his generation. She gave birth to and weaned the greatest Jewish leader of all time! Miriam was a great prophetess who famously led the women in song after the Splitting of the Sea, and in whose merit Bnei Yisroel were able to regularly have water in the desert!

The Rabbenu Yerucham, a Rishon, asks this question, and he provides us with an insightful answer that resonates to this very day. To simplify, he tells us that when it comes to great people, everything they set their minds to do they become great at. When Yocheved and Miriam became midwives, they were so exceptional at it, that it became their essence at that time, even under those dire circumstances.

[Not that I am advocating watching television, but] there is a great show on TV called Chopped. Essentially, it is a competition that pits professional chefs against each other, with the goal of creating the most innovative, presentable and tasty dish. The rub is that they are presented with the ingredients right before they begin, they have a very short time frame with which to prepare the dish, and the ingredients are oftentimes unusual, zany, and most-likely never intended to be cooked together. I am so often amazed at the incredible concoctions that they masterfully piece together; I am awed by their creativity and deftness.

From that we learn that there are two ways to develop a delicious dish: great ingredients or a great cook. Sometimes you can have great ingredients, but if the person is not good at cooking, the dish will be a disaster. Sometimes, however, even with sub-par ingredients, a master chef can make a masterpiece. The Torah is telling us that Yocheved and Miriam were so great, that it was evident even when they were performing simple tasks that were mundane for them, and even under sub-par conditions.

That is very much in line with what I always preach to my children-it doesn't matter what you do, just be great at it. I don't care if you're a busboy or a garbage collector (well, actually I do care, I didn't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on Yeshiva tuition for them to do that, but ...), just be the best busboy or garbage man you can be. I am always impressed when I see someone who is excellent at their job—regardless of what it is—because I know most likely they excel at everything they do; it's a matter of pride (and greatness).

Soon after I moved to Florida with my family, my parents (a"h) came to visit for winter vacation, and invited us to stay with them in Miami Beach for Shabbos. My kids were very little back then (my youngest daughter not yet born), and in a classic "Eastern European...