פרשת שמות תש"ל - גזירות פרעה

"Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us"

"Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens (besivlotam)."

"he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens (besivlotam)"

"And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, et Pithom and et Raamses."

on Rashi above:

Some commentators explain: Because it is written et (a preposition indicating action upon the object,) Pithom and et Raamses," it implies that they were already in the world before the Israelites built them. As if you say that they were named Pithom and Raamses after they built them, it should have written, "And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses..." But this is not correct. For behold, we find (Genesis 10:11), "and he built et Nineveh and et Rechoboth the city and et Kalach," the explanation of which is Nineveh and Rechoboth the city that exist in the world now. Here too [it means], Pithom and Raamses that are now in the world; and like (Genesis 2:14), "it is the one that flows east of Assyria," today - and not in those days. Rather the correct understanding of this is...

S.v Raamses: The [letter,] ayin is with a patach. And it is not an Israelite place.

From his words on Chapter 1:

... The third purpose is regarding character traits: That it is not fit for a person to do very repulsive acts – even if he is obligated and commanded to do them by his ruler. Rather it is fit that he fear more from God, may He be blessed – who rules over his ruler – than he fear from his ruler... And the fourth purpose is [also] regarding character traits, and it is that it is not fit for a person to rely upon a miracle [to protect him] if he did something out of the fear of God. Rather it is fit that he makes efforts with all of his might to distance the evil that may happen to him because of this act...

"And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and increased greatly. And because the midwives feared God, He/he established households for them."

ויעש להם בתים HE MADE THEM HOUSES — houses (dynasties) of the priesthood and the Levites and of royalty which are all termed בתים, “houses”, as it is said, (1 Kings 9:1) “and Solomon built the house of the Lord and the house of the king”...

S.v. And He dealt well: ... And that is the good that is mentioned afterwards, "And He made houses for them"; as in (II Samuel 7:11), "As the Lord shall make a house (dynasty) for you."

.ויעש להם בתים (and he made houses for them): A form of house arrest, to prevent them from attending Jewish women about to give birth. ויצו פרעה לכל עמו לאמר, the meaning of the line is: “and this is what he said to them.”

בתים, ... The subject in the verse is not G-d, but Pharaoh, who set apart houses for the midwives from which they were not to depart. Instead of their visiting expectant mothers, these were brought to the midwives for treatment when their due date drew near. This would facilitate male babies being drowned forthwith.

לכל עמו, “to his whole nation;” seeing that Pharaoh saw that the midwives had not cooperated with him, he now ordered every Egyptian to drown each new born male baby...

ויעש להם בתים, He made houses for them.” This means that G’d made these midwives especially fruitful and people would refer to these offspring as “the children of Shifrah and Puah.” [instead of their fathers being mentioned as the progenitors. Ed.] The expression בתים, i.e. plural of בית is used in lieu of the word בנים, children, as for instance in Samuel II 7,11 בית יעשה לך ה' “for He will establish a dynasty for you.” Other commentators understand this as relating to the line ויהי כאשר יראו המילדות את האלוקים ויעש להם בתים, “when, due to the midwives being in awe of G’d, and Pharaoh’s decree therefore becoming futile, Pharaoh placed pregnant Jewish women in houses surrounded by Egyptians so that their neighbours would know when they would be likely to give birth.” These women were forbidden to give birth anywhere else but in these houses. Still a third way of interpreting this verse is that the “houses” were jails in which the midwives would henceforth be kept. The word בית does appear in this sense in Genesis 40,14 Joseph saying to the chief of the cupbearers והוצאתני מן הבית הזה, “so that you will bring me out of this jail (the jail being called a house).”

"And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: ‘Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.’"

S.v. And Pharaoh charged (vayitsav): It is written, vayitsav, here, which is an expression of exhortation. And it is explained at the beginning of Parshat Tsav (Leviticus 6:2) that exhortation is whatever is required to be diligent about a matter so that it will be done in its totality. And [it was] since this decree was not similar to the prohibition to the midwives. As there it was easy to fulfill the decree – since it is impossible to give birth without a midwife – which was not the case with this prohibition. For it was possible to hide it from him, as they told him that the Israelite women were vigorous and [able] to give birth without a midwife. And those appointed over it could have also dealt with it feebly and said that they did not know about this boy. For this reason Pharaoh [decreed it] with an exhortation, that they be diligent about the matter, so as to fulfill the decree in its totality.

S.v. And every daughter: Whether they were already born or whether they be born from now, let them live – [meaning,] make efforts to keep them alive. And his intention with this was that since the daughters would be much more numerous than the males, they would per force marry Egyptians. And he saw to deal well with his land through this; as the Israelite women were vigorous, and he reasoned that this is what caused the proliferation of the people of Israel. So if they would marry Egyptians, they too would proliferate and increase.