Amram

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The Lineage of Amram

TANAKH

Amram's genealogy provides crucial insights into the lineage of Moses and Aaron, key figures in Jewish history. The Torah details Amram's marriage to his aunt Jochebed, highlighting the unique familial relationships within the Levite tribe.

The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the span of Kohath’s life was 133 years. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their lineage. Amram took into his [household] as wife his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the span of Amram’s life was 137 years.

Exodus 6:18-20

Why the Patriarchs Did Not Receive the Torah

JEWISH THOUGHT

The Torah was not given to the Patriarchs, including Amram, because it would have restricted actions essential for the spiritual and physical establishment of the Jewish people. Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, in his seminal work Nefesh HaChayim, explains the necessity of certain actions by the Patriarchs that were later forbidden by the Torah.

And this is also one of the reasons that the Torah was not given to Noakh or the holy Patriarchs, for if it had been given to them, Yaakov would not have been permitted to marry two sisters, nor Amram his aunt, even if they had grasped that it was worthy for them to do so according to the root of their souls-Neshama . And in truth, [the effect of these later-forbidden actions was] the complete erection of the House of Israel, the Chosen Nation, and the rectification of all upper and lower worlds…

Nefesh HaChayim, Gate I 21:9

The Deaths of the Sinless

KABBALAH

Amram, along with Levi and Benjamin, did not die because of their own sins but rather due to the primordial serpent's advice. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, explores the esoteric reasons behind the deaths of certain biblical figures.

There are only three exceptions, namely, Amram, Levi, and Benjamin, who were deprived of life through the prompting of the primeval serpent; some add also, Jesse. These did not sin, and no ground could be assigned for their death save the prompting of the serpent, as we have said.

Zohar, Bereshit 98:416

Miriam's Role in Moses's Birth

COMMENTARY

Miriam's bravery and wisdom were crucial in reuniting her parents, leading to the birth of Moses. The midrashic narrative cited in this modern work fills in the gaps of the biblical story, highlighting Miriam's pivotal role in ensuring the birth of the future leader of Israel.

Midrashic traditions fill in a backstory. Miriam’s special connection with Moses begins before his birth. At the height of the Egyptian genocide, when baby boys were to be thrown into the river, Miriam’s father separated from his wife. Miriam then confronted her father with her conviction that he is doing Pharaoh’s work: “Your decree is harsher than Pharaoh’s: he decreed against male children, while your decree prevents any child from being born!” In response to her protest, her parents reunite and Moses is born.

Moses; A Human Life, 4 Moses in the Family; Mirrors and Foils 54

The Voice at the Burning Bush

MUSAR

God chose to speak to Moses using the voice of his father, Amram, to ensure Moses would not be frightened and would respond respectfully. In the 17th-century work Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horowitz recounts the unique and personal way God approached Moses at the Burning Bush.

I have already alluded to the Midrash which describes Moses as a טירון, private, in G–d's army of prophets at the beginning of his career when he experienced his first vision of G–d at the Burning Bush. G–d had said to Himself at that time: "If I appear to him with a thunderous voice, I will frighten him. If I approach him in a low voice, he will treat prophecy with scorn. So what did G–d do? He addressed him using the voice of Moses' father Amram. When thus approached, Moses responded by saying: הנני, "I am ready" (what does my father wish of me?) (Exodus 3,5)…

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Vaera, Torah Ohr 27

A Lifespan Across History

TALMUD

Amram is part of a unique tradition that connects him to significant figures from Adam to Elijah, spanning the entirety of human history. The Gemara in Bava Batra discusses seven individuals whose lifetimes collectively span all of human history, linking generations from Adam to the prophet Elijah.

§ After discussing the generation of those who died in the wilderness, the Gemara mentions a tradition that relates to that generation. The Sages taught: Seven people spanned in their lifetimes the whole world in its entirety, i.e., their lives have spanned all of human history. Methuselah saw Adam in his lifetime; Shem saw Methuselah; Jacob saw Shem; Amram saw Jacob; Ahijah the Shilonite saw Amram; Elijah saw Ahijah the Shilonite; and Elijah is still alive.

Bava Batra 121b:6

Amram's Decision and Miriam's Wisdom

JEWISH THOUGHT

Amram's actions in response to Pharaoh's decree and his subsequent remarriage after being persuaded by his daughter Miriam highlight the moral and communal influence within the Israelite community. The Talmud in Tractate Sotah 12a recounts the story of Amram, Moses' father, and the wisdom of Miriam, Moses' sister, during a time of great peril for the Israelites.

Amram was the most eminent man of his generation. Aware that Pharaoh had decreed, “Every son who is born shall be cast into the river” [Ex. 1:22], he said, “In vain do we labor,” and was the first to divorce his wife. After that, all the Israelite men divorced their wives. Then his daughter said to him, “Father, your decree is more cruel than Pharaoh’s. He has decreed only against the males; you decree against both males and females. Pharaoh decreed only concerning this world, while you decree concerning both this world and the next…

The Jonathan Sacks Haggadah; Essays, Women and the Exodus 10

A Father's Bold Decision

TALMUD

Amram's proactive decision to divorce his wife highlights the profound impact of individual actions on communal behavior. The Talmudic tractate Sotah recounts how Amram, Moses' father, influenced the entire community by his drastic response to a dire situation.

A Sage teaches: Amram, the father of Moses, was the great man of his generation. Once he saw that the wicked Pharaoh said: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive” (Exodus 1:22), he said: We are laboring for nothing by bringing children into the world to be killed. Therefore, he arose and divorced his wife. All others who saw this followed his example and arose and divorced their wives.

Sotah 12a:10

Amram's Faith and Moses' Fate

MIDRASH

Amram's unwavering faith in Divine Providence led him to entrust his son Moses' fate to God, despite the perilous Egyptian decree. Louis Ginzberg's early 20th-century work, Legends of the Jews, weaves together a rich tapestry of Jewish folklore and biblical stories, including the birth and protection of Moses.

Jochebed gave birth to the child six months after conception. The Egyptian bailiffs, who kept strict watch over all pregnant women in order to be on the spot in time to carry off their new-born boys, had not expected her delivery for three months more. These three months the parents succeeded in keeping the babe concealed, though every Israelitish house was guarded by two Egyptian women, one stationed within and one without. At the end of this time they determined to expose the child, for Amram was afraid that both he and his son would be devoted to death if the secret leaked out…

Legends of the Jews 2:4:52

Amram's Prayer and Divine Promise

SECOND TEMPLE

Amram's prayer and the divine promise he receives highlight the pivotal role of faith and divine intervention in the deliverance of the Hebrew nation. Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, recounts the story of Amram, the father of Moses, and his fervent prayer for the future of his people.

3. A man whose name was Amram, one of the nobler sort of the Hebrews, was afraid for his whole nation, lest it should fail, by the want of young men to be brought up hereafter, and was very uneasy at it, his wife being then with child, and he knew not what to do. Hereupon he betook himself to prayer to God; and entreated him to have compassion on those men who had nowise transgressed the laws of his worship, and to afford them deliverance from the miseries they at that time endured, and to render abortive their enemies' hopes of the destruction of their nation…

The Antiquities of the Jews 2:9:3

The Wisdom of Amram

MIDRASH

Amram and his court's decision to refrain from having children due to Pharaoh's harsh decrees highlights their wisdom and contrasts with Pharaoh's foolishness. Kohelet Rabbah, a midrashic commentary on Ecclesiastes, provides moral and ethical lessons through rabbinic interpretations.

“The words of the wise, softly spoken, are better heard than the cry of a ruler of fools” (Ecclesiastes 9:17).
“The words of the wise, softly spoken, are better heard” – these are the expounders, “than the cry of a ruler of fools” – these are the disseminators who stand before the public. Alternatively, “the words of the wise, softly spoken, are better heard” – this is Amram and his court. Rabbi Bon said: They reached a consensus behind the partition or behind the fence; they said: ‘What good it is that we marry women, beget children…

Kohelet Rabbah 9:17:1

The Righteous Legacy of Amram

COMMENTARY

God chose to associate His name with a righteous man who had already died, like Amram, rather than with a living person who might turn away from Him in the future. Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, in his medieval legal code Tur HaArokh, discusses the significance of God introducing Himself to Moses by associating with the patriarchs.

אנכי אלוקי אביך, “I am the G’d of your father, etc.” according to our sages, Amram, Moses’ biological father, is referred to in this verse. Nachmanides writes that when the sages said this they meant that G’d meant that He was Moses’ G’d, but that He preferred to associate His name with a righteous man who had already died, instead of with a living person, whose freedom of choice still enables him to turn his back on G’d at some time in the future if he so desires, and to thereby make G’d’s association with him a mockery…

Tur HaArokh, Exodus 3:6:1

Amram's Dual Legacy Revealed

REFERENCE

Amram is not only the name of the father of Moses, but also the name of an Amora, a significant scholar in the Talmudic period. Jastrow’s Dictionary provides comprehensive definitions and contexts for terms related to Amram

עַמְרָם (b. h.) pr. n. pl. Amram, 1) father of Moses. Sabb. 55ᵇ. Ex. R. s. 1; a. fr. —2) A., an Amora. Y. Macc. I, beg. 31ᵃ רב ע׳; Y. Shebi. X, 39ᶜ (insert רב).

Jastrow, עַמְרָם

Moses: Guiding Light of Redemption

COMMENTARY

Moses' leadership and his role as a redeemer are central themes in Jewish history and tradition. Rashi, the renowned 11th-century French biblical commentator, elaborates on Moses' ascension to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah.

you, the leader of His people, Moses the son of Amram ascended on high and took captives.

Rashi on Psalms 68:19:1

The Lineage of the High Priesthood

COMMENTARY

The lineage of the High Priesthood is crucial in understanding the continuity and significance of the priestly class in Jewish history. This text highlights the descendants of Amram, focusing on Aaron's sons and the continuation of the High Priesthood through Elazar and Itamar.

The children of Amram were: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Itamar. As is well known, Nadav and Avihu died in their father’s lifetime without sons, perhaps without any children whatsoever, and Elazar and Itamar were left as the two families of the High Priesthood.

Steinsaltz on I Chronicles 5:29

Legacy of His Children

TANAKH

Amram's lineage is significant because his children, Aaron, Moses, and Miriam, played pivotal roles in the history of the Jewish people. The Torah details the genealogy of the Levite clans, highlighting Amram's marriage to Jochebed and their notable offspring.

These are the clans of Levi: The clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites.—Kohath begot Amram. The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam.

Numbers 26:58-59

Amram's Legacy

TARGUM

Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron, lived to see the children of Rechabia, highlighting the continuity and longevity of his lineage. The Targum Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, provides additional context and elaboration on the lineage of Moses and Aaron.

And Amram took Jokeved his cousin to wife, and she bare him Aharon and Mosheh; and the years of Amram the saint were a hundred and thirty and seven years. He lived to see the children of Rechabia bar Gershom bar Mosheh.

Targum Jonathan on Exodus 6:20