There is nothing new under the sun. Conspiracy theories, pride, fear, and jealousy toward the children of Israel are not modern inventions. They are an ancient reality.

Our weekly reading takes us into a new book: Shemot (literally,“Names”, or popularly known as Exodus). A family that entered Egypt grows. They multiply. They become strong. Their growth was not rebellion. It was not ambition. It was life continuing exactly as God intended.

But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.
Exodus 1:7

As we continue reading, a new king arises who does not know Joseph. And what should have been recognized as blessing is reframed as threat, not because Israel changed, but because Pharaoh did:

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal wisely with them, otherwise they will multiply, and in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.’
Exodus 1:8–10

Pharaoh’s response is gradual. He wants to make the change “wisely.” He begins with control and, in a tragic turn, implements slavery, torture, and eventually, murder.

It is here that the midwives Shiphrah and Puah appear. Pharaoh gives them a command that forces a decision: kill all the newborn boys and keep the girls alive. Scripture does not describe their internal struggle. It gives one reason for their refusal: they feared God.

Egypt was the strongest empire in the world. Pharaoh was not only powerful; he was regarded as divine. To disobey him was to risk everything. And yet these two women refuse to cooperate with evil. They do not fall into conspiracy theories. They do not go with the flow, even when obedience would have been easier and safer. Their fear of God translated into action.

There is debate about who they were - Egyptians or Hebrews, converts or natives. The text leaves that question open. What it does not leave open is this: God honors those who fear Him more than they fear power.

The Haftarah presses this truth further.

Isaiah speaks into a time of confusion, when clarity is lost and leaders stagger. He prophecies to a society confident in its judgments, yet unable to see clearly. And still, God speaks of Israel taking root again, of fruitfulness that has not been canceled:

In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, and they will fill the whole world with fruit…

And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; they reel while having visions, they totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.
Isaiah 27:6; 28:7–8

Jeremiah takes us back to the beginning, “I remember the devotion of your youth…”(Jeremiah 2:2a) God speaks in covenant language that echoes commitment. Even when Israel struggles, God does not forget. He does not revise His promises to satisfy the nations.

Reading these passages today is uncomfortable. We live in a time when hostility toward Israel rarely presents itself honestly. It is often wrapped in moral language, selective compassion, and pressure to remain silent.

And many believers now stand at a familiar threshold; not at a birthstool, but at a point of decision. Will we cooperate? Will we remain silent? Will we allow injustice to pass through our hands because resistance feels costly?

Zechariah speaks of a day when all nations will gather against Jerusalem. But the same chapter speaks of a remnant, of those who remain and endured not because they were strong, but because they feared God more than they feared men.

Shiphrah and Puah did not know how the story would unfold. They did not know about Moses or redemption. They only knew that obedience to God required refusal to bow down to an earthly power.

Shemot leaves us with the same question: Do we fear God more than we fear men?
And does our life reflect that fear?

Shabbat Shalom,
Moran