20. Yesod she’beTiferet
The Connectivity Within Compassion
Batya/Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2)
The Pharaoh who enslaves the Hebrews is the epitome of all that is cruel. Yet his daughter, while bathing in the Nile, chooses to save a baby Hebrew. Pharaoh’s daughter takes the child she finds in a reed basket and raises him as a Egyptian prince. She names him MosesThe quintessential Jewish leader who spoke face to face with God, unlike any other prophet, and who freed the people from Egypt, led them through the desert for forty years, and received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. His Hebrew name is Moshe., “drawn out.” Batya is able to reach across lines of class and nationality and show compassion for others.
Without Pharaoh’s daughter, whom the Rabbis name Batya, “daughter of God,” there would be no Exodus. Batya represents yesod she’betiferet, the connection of compassion. We can follow in Batya’s footsteps by reaching out to those who are unlike us and connecting with them in a kind and caring way.
The day of yesod she’betiferet is also Yom ha’Atzma’ut—Israeli Independence Day. Batya symbolizes all those who take tremendous risks to help the Jewish people, and also those who work across national and religious lines to create peace and justice for all those who dwell in the land of IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel..
The full OmerFrom the second day of Passover until Shavuot, Jews count seven weeks – seven times seven days – to commemorate the period between the Exodus from Egypt and the Revelation at Sinai. When the Temple stood, a certain measure (omer) of barley was offered on the altar each day; today, we merely count out the days. Calendar of Biblical Women, written by Rabbi Jill Hammer and produced by Shir Yaakov Feit, is available on Ritualwell in book form. To order a copy, visit: http://isabellafreedman.org/store/omer-calendar-of-biblical-women-jill-h…
