Pharaoh’s Decrees and Amram’s Response: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:16-2:3 (Sotah 12a)
Part of a series in honor of the upcoming holiday of Passover on the extended sugya in Sotah 11a-12b on the beginning of the Book of Exodus. Previous installments here, here, here, here, and here.
The story of Pharaoh’s decrees against Israelite newborns and Amram’s response is considered by the Talmud to be a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative of Exodus. This sugya expands on this episode, providing rich interpretations that reveal the theological and moral tensions underlying these events.
Pharaoh’s decrees evolved in severity, culminating in a directive that even Egyptian infants be cast into the Nile. Faced with the apparent futility of bringing children into such a world, Amram, the Israelite leader of his generation, decided to separate from his wife, a move that inspired others to do the same.
His daughter Miriam, however, challenged his reasoning, arguing that his decision was more devastating than Pharaoh’s decree—denying both male and female children a future. Miriam’s argument, grounded in both logic and faith, persuaded Amram to reunite with his wife Jochebed, a moment the Talmud portrays as a public and even celebratory event.
The sugya also explores Jochebed’s extraordinary longevity, miraculous aspects of Moses’ birth and his original given name, and the ingenuity of Egyptian surveillance.
Outline
Pharaoh’s Escalating Decrees Against Infant Boys (Exodus 1:16, 1:22): Nationwide Decree Includes Egyptians; Three-Stage Oppression
Amram’s Decision and His Daughter Miriam’s Persuasion (Exodus 1:22, 2:1): Amram’s Initial Decision; Amram’s Reaction to Pharaoh’s Decree
Miriam’s Argument (Job 22:28); Amram Persuaded
The Celebration of Amram and Jochebed's Remarriage (Exodus 2:1, Psalms 113:9): Festive Ceremony; Heavenly Acknowledgment
Miraculous Rejuvenation of Jochebed (Exodus 2:1)
The Exemption of Righteous Women from Eve’s Curse (Exodus 2:2, Genesis 3:16)
Interpretations of "Tov" in Moses' Birth (Exodus 2:2): Moses' Name; Fit for Prophecy; Born Circumcised; House Filled with Light (Genesis 1:4)
Hiding Moses and the Miscounted Pregnancy (Exodus 2:2)
The Three-Month Hiding Period; Egyptian Methods of Detection (Exodus 2:3, Song of Songs 2:15)
Appendix - “Born Circumcised”: The Case of the Foreskin-Free Newborn in Talmudic Sources
Aposthia: the Rare Condition of No Foreskin at Birth
The Drawing of Covenant Blood (Hatafat Dam Brit) in cases of no foreskin
Exceptions from circumcision on Shabbat (Shabbat 134b-135a)
Thirteen Biblical Figures Born Circumcised (Avot DeRabbi Natan 2:5)
The Passage
Pharaoh’s Escalating Decrees Against Infant Boys (Exodus 1:16, 1:22): Nationwide Decree Includes Egyptians; Three-Stage Oppression
R' Yosei ben Ḥanina explains that Pharaoh's phrase “every son that is born” (Exodus 1:22) included not just Israelite boys, but Egyptian ones as well.
He outlines a progression of decrees:
First, Pharaoh secretly instructed the midwives to kill only Israelite baby boys (Exodus 1:16).
Then, he made a public decree that all Israelite male infants be cast into the Nile (Exodus 1:22).
Finally, he extended the decree to his own people (commanding the death of all male newborns, Egyptian and Israelite alike).
״ויצו פרעה לכל עמו״,
אמר רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא:
אף על עמו גזר.
ואמר רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא:
שלש גזירות גזר:
בתחילה -- ״אם בן הוא, והמתן אותו״,
ולבסוף -- ״כל הבן הילוד, היארה תשליכהו״,
ולבסוף -- אף על עמו גזר.
The Gemara returns to the discussion of the bondage in Egypt.
“And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive” (Exodus 1:22).
R' Yosei, son of R' Ḥanina, says:
The use of the phrase “every son that is born” indicates that he decreed even on his own nation that all their male babies must be killed.
And R' Yosei, son of R' Ḥanina, says further:
He decreed three decrees:
Initially, he commanded the midwives only with regard to Jewish infants: “You shall look upon the stones. If it be a son, then you shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live” (Exodus 1:16).
And afterward, he decreed with regard to the Jewish infants: “Every son that is born you shall cast into the river” (Exodus 1:22).
And ultimately, he decreed even on his own nation that Egyptian infant boys should be cast into the river as well.
Amram’s Decision and His Daughter Miriam’s Persuasion (Exodus 1:22, 2:1): Amram’s Initial Decision; Amram’s Reaction to Pharaoh’s Decree
The Talmud discusses the verse, “And there went a man of the house of Levi” (Exodus 2:1), questioning where he went.
Rav Yehuda bar Zevina interprets the verse as saying that Amram, the father of Moses, metaphorically “followed” the advice of his daughter Miriam.
Amram, the leading figure of his generation (גדול הדור), observed Pharaoh’s edict to throw all newborn Israelite boys into the Nile (Exodus 1:22).
Concluding that having children was futile, he divorced his wife. Everyone followed his example (leading to widespread divorce).
״וילך איש מבית לוי״.
להיכן הלך?
אמר רב יהודה בר זבינא:
שהלך בעצת בתו.
תנא:
עמרם גדול הדור היה.
כיון שראה שאמר פרעה הרשע:
״כל הבן הילוד היארה תשליכהו״,
אמר: לשוא אנו עמלין,
עמד וגירש את אשתו.
עמדו כולן וגירשו את נשותיהן.
The verse states: “And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took for a wife a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1).
The Gemara asks: To where did he go?
Rav Yehuda bar Zevina says:
He went according to the advice of his daughter Miriam, as the Gemara will proceed to explain.
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.
Miriam’s Argument (Job 22:28); Amram Persuaded
Miriam confronted her father, arguing that his decree was harsher than Pharaoh’s:
Pharaoh targeted only males, while Amram’s decision prevented both male and female births.
Furthermore, Pharaoh’s decree affected only this world, whereas Amram’s action denied unborn children a place in the World-to-Come.
Miriam emphasized that while Pharaoh’s decree was uncertain (ספק), Amram, as a righteous person, had his decisions fulfilled (Job 22:28).
Persuaded by her reasoning, Amram remarried his wife, prompting everyone else to do the same (restoring family life among the Israelites).
אמרה לו בתו:
אבא!
קשה גזירתך יותר משל פרעה:
שפרעה -- לא גזר אלא על הזכרים,
ואתה -- גזרת על הזכרים ועל הנקיבות.
פרעה -- לא גזר אלא בעולם הזה,
ואתה -- בעולם הזה ולעולם הבא.
פרעה הרשע — ספק מתקיימת גזירתו, ספק אינה מתקיימת.
אתה צדיק -- בודאי שגזירתך מתקיימת,
שנאמר: ״ותגזר אומר ויקם לך״.
עמד, והחזיר את אשתו,
עמדו כולן, והחזירו את נשותיהן.
His daughter, Miriam, said to him:
Father!
your decree is more harsh for the Jewish people than that of Pharaoh:
as Pharaoh decreed only with regard to the males,
but you decreed both on the males and on the females. And now no children will be born.
Additionally:
Pharaoh decreed to kill them only in this world,
but you decreed in this world and in the World-to-Come, as those not born will not enter the World-to-Come.
Miriam continued: Additionally,
concerning Pharaoh the wicked, it is uncertain whether his decree will be fulfilled, and it is uncertain if his decree will not be fulfilled.
You are a righteous person, and as such, your decrees will certainly be fulfilled,
as it is stated with regard to the righteous: “You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto you” (Job 22:28).
Amram accepted his daughter’s words and arose and brought back, i.e., remarried, his wife,
and all others who saw this followed his example and arose and brought back their wives.
The Celebration of Amram and Jochebed's Remarriage (Exodus 2:1, Psalms 113:9): Festive Ceremony; Heavenly Acknowledgment
The Talmud questions why the verse describes Amram as “taking” (יקח) Jochebed as a wife rather than stating that he “returned” (יחזיר) her to him (since they were previously married).
Rav Yehuda bar Zevina explains that Amram remarried Jochebed in a formal and celebratory manner (as if it were their first marriage):
He placed her in a ceremonial palanquin,1 while their children, Aaron and Miriam, danced before her.
Even the ministering angels rejoiced, reciting the verse: “A joyful mother of children” (Psalms 113:9 - emphasizing the significance of the occasion).
״ויקח״.
״ויחזיר״ מיבעי ליה!
אמר רב יהודה בר זבינא:
שעשה לו מעשה ליקוחין —
הושיבה באפריון,
ואהרן ומרים מרקדין לפניה,
ומלאכי השרת אמרו: ״אם הבנים שמחה״.
The Gemara asks: If Amram remarried Jochebed, rather than say: “And took for a wife a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1),
it should have stated: “And returned for a wife the daughter of Levi.”
Rav Yehuda bar Zevina says:
He performed an act of marriage just as one would do for a first marriage.
He sat her on a palanquin [appiryon],
and Aaron and Miriam danced before her,
and the ministering angels said: “A joyful mother of children” (Psalms 113:9).
Miraculous Rejuvenation of Jochebed (Exodus 2:1)
The Talmud questions the phrasing of Exodus 2:1, which refers to Jochebed as "a daughter of Levi."
Given the timeline, she would have been 130 years old at the time, raising the issue of why the verse still calls her a "daughter."2
R' Yehuda answers that when Amram remarried Jochebed, a miracle occurred: she was physically rejuvenated, and “signs of young womanhood”3 returned to her.4
״את בת לוי״.
אפשר בת מאה ושלשים שנה הויא
וקרי לה ״בת״?!
[...]
אמר רבי יהודה: שנולדו בה סימני נערות.
The verse is referring to Jochebed as “a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1). The Gemara asks: Is it possible that this is Jochebed?
Jochebed was then 130 years old
and the verse still calls her a daughter?!
[...]
R' Yehuda says: The signs of a young woman were born in her when her husband remarried her, and she became like a young girl again.
The Exemption of Righteous Women from Eve’s Curse (Exodus 2:2, Genesis 3:16)
The Talmud examines the verse describing Moses' birth and questions the timeline of Jochebed’s pregnancy, noting that she was already three months pregnant when Amram remarried her (as the Talmud states later as well).
He suggests that the verse equates Jochebed’s conception and birth, implying both were painless.
From this, the Talmud derives that righteous women are not subject to the decree5 of painful childbirth imposed on Eve (see Genesis 3:16).
״ותהר האשה ותלד בן״.
והא הות מיעברא ביה תלתא ירחי מעיקרא!
אמר רב יהודה בר זבינא:
מקיש לידתה להורתה:
מה הורתה שלא בצער —
אף לידתה שלא בצער.
מכאן
לנשים צדקניות שלא היו בפיתקה של חוה.
The verse states concerning Moses: “And the woman conceived, and bore a son; and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months” (Exodus 2:2).
The Gemara asks: But Jochebed was pregnant with Moses for three months at the outset, before Amram remarried her, as will be explained further.
Rav Yehuda bar Zevina said:
The intention of the verse is to juxtapose her giving birth to her becoming pregnant.
Just as her becoming pregnant was without pain,
so too, her giving birth was without pain.
From here it is derived
concerning righteous women that they were not included in the verdict [pitkah] of Eve that a woman will suffer pain during childbirth (see Genesis 3:16).
Interpretations of "Tov" in Moses' Birth (Exodus 2:2): Moses' Name; Fit for Prophecy; Born Circumcised; House Filled with Light (Genesis 1:4)
R' Meir states that "Tov" (טוב) was Moses’ given name at birth.
R' Yehuda states that his given name was Tovya6
R' Neḥemya explains that the term "good" refers to Moses' suitability for prophecy.
Another opinion (“Others” - אחרים) suggests that Moses was called "good" because he was born already circumcised7
The Sages (חכמים) interpret "good" as referring to a miraculous event—Moses' birth caused the house to fill with light (אור), drawing a parallel to the creation of light in Genesis 1:4.
״ותרא אותו כי טוב הוא״.
תניא:
רבי מאיר אומר: ״טוב״ שמו.
רבי יהודה אומר: ״טוביה״ שמו.
רבי נחמיה אומר: הגון לנביאות.
אחרים אומרים: נולד כשהוא מהול.
וחכמים אומרים: בשעה שנולד משה, נתמלא הבית כולו אור.
כתיב הכא: ״ותרא אותו כי טוב הוא״,
וכתיב התם: ״וירא אלהים את האור כי טוב״.
The verse states with regard to the birth of Moses: “And the woman conceived, and bore a son; and when she saw him that he was a goodly [tov] child, she hid him three months” (Exodus 2:2).
It is taught in a baraita that
R' Meir says: “Tov” is his, Moses’, real name, as it was given to him by his parents when he was born.
R' Yehuda says: His name was Toviya.
R' Neḥemya says: They said he was good because they saw that he was fit for prophecy.
Others say: They said he was good because he was born when he was already circumcised.
And the Rabbis say: At the time when Moses was born, the entire house was filled with light,
as it is written here: “And when she saw him that he was a goodly [tov] child,”
and it is written there: “And God saw the light, that it was good [tov]” (Genesis 1:4).
Hiding Moses and the Miscounted Pregnancy (Exodus 2:2)
The verse states that Moses’ mother hid him (תצפנהו) for 3 months after his birth.
The Talmud explains that the Egyptians miscalculated the duration of her pregnancy:
They began counting from when her husband Amram remarried her (discussed earlier), unaware that she had already been pregnant for 3 months at the time of the remarriage.
Because of this miscalculation, she was able to hide Moses for those initial 3 months without Egyptian suspicion.
״ותצפנהו שלשה ירחים״ —
דלא מנו מצרים אלא משעה דאהדרה,
והיא הות מיעברא ביה תלתא ירחי מעיקרא.
The verse continues: “And she hid him three months” (Exodus 2:2).
The Gemara explains that she was able to hide him for three months because the Egyptians counted the nine months of her pregnancy only from the time her husband took her back,
but she was pregnant with Moses for three months from the outset of her remarriage.
The Three-Month Hiding Period; Egyptian Methods of Detection (Exodus 2:3, Song of Songs 2:15)
The verse states that she could no longer hide him. The Talmud questions why not.
It explains that the Egyptians used the following method to uncover hidden infants: they would bring another baby near the suspected location, causing it to cry, which in turn would make the hidden baby cry as well.8
This practice is alluded to in Song of Songs 2:15, which refers to "the little foxes that spoil the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom" (“little foxes” interpreted as referring to the Egyptian infants used to expose hidden Israelite ones “in blossom“).
״ולא יכלה עוד הצפינו״.
אמאי? תצפניה ותיזיל!
אלא,
כל היכא דהוו שמעי מצראי דמתיליד ינוקא,
ממטו ינוקי התם
כי היכי דלישמעינהו ומעוי בהדיהו,
דכתיב: ״אחזו לנו שועלים שועלים קטנים וגו׳״.
The next verse states: “And when she could no longer hide him” (Exodus 2:3).
The Gemara asks: Why couldn’t she hide him any longer? Let her continue to hide him.
Rather,
anywhere that the Egyptians heard that a baby was born and they wanted to locate the baby,
they would bring another baby there
in order that it could be heard crying, and the two babies would cry together,
as it is written: “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom” (Song of Songs 2:15). The infants who were used to uncover the hidden babies are referred to as little foxes.
Appendix - “Born Circumcised”: The Case of the Foreskin-Free Newborn in Talmudic Sources
Aposthia: the Rare Condition of No Foreskin at Birth
See Wikipedia, “Aposthia“, with slight adjustments:
Aposthia is a rare congenital condition in humans, in which the foreskin of the penis is missing […]
Because hypospadias is far more common, it is very likely that reported cases weren't aposthia […]
Aposthia in Judaism
The Midrash claims that Moses was born aposthic.
The book Abot De-Rabbi Natan contains a list of persons from Scriptures that were "born circumcised":
Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the wicked Balaam, Samuel, David, Jeremiah and Zerubbabel.
Jewish law requires males born without a foreskin or who lost their foreskin through means other than a formal circumcision ceremony (brit milah ברית מילה) to have a drop of blood (hatafat-dam, הטפת דם) let from the penis at the point where the foreskin would have been (or was) attached.
The Talmud records a discussion of whether the importance of this letting of blood supersedes Shabbat, on which only a boy who was born the previous Shabbat can be circumcised.
The Drawing of Covenant Blood (Hatafat Dam Brit) in cases of no foreskin
And see more on this at Hebrew Wikipedia, “הטפת דם ברית“, my translation:
The Drawing of Brit Blood (Hatafat Dam Brit) is a procedure performed in cases where it is not possible to carry out a proper circumcision (brit milah), such as when a baby is born already circumcised, or when a circumcised non-Jew seeks to convert.
There are opinions that even in cases where the circumcision was performed improperly (פסול)—such as by someone not qualified to circumcise or at an invalid time—there is still an obligation to draw covenant blood.
Source of the Law
In the Talmud, there is a dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel regarding whether there is an obligation to draw brit blood in cases where a full circumcision cannot be performed.
Alongside this, the Talmud records a disagreement among the Tannaim as to the specific case in which Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed.
Exceptions from circumcision on Shabbat (Shabbat 134b-135a)
The Talmud discusses exceptions from circumcision on Shabbat, specifically those types of infants considered to be “uncertain” (ספק) as to whether they need to be circumcised:
Hermaphrodite9
Born at twilight (נולד בין השמשות)
Born circumcised (נולד כשהוא מהול)
Regarding the final one (#3 - a child “born circumcised”), Beit Shammai require that brit blood be drawn (הטפת דם ברית), while Beit Hillel say it is unnecessary (as the child is already considered circumcised).
ספק ואנדרוגינוס כו׳.
תנו רבנן:
״ערלתו״ —
ערלתו ודאי דוחה את השבת, ולא ספק דוחה את השבת.
״ערלתו״ — ודאי דוחה את השבת, ולא אנדרוגינוס דוחה את השבת
[…]
״ערלתו״ — ודאי דוחה את השבת, ולא נולד בין השמשות דוחה את השבת.
״ערלתו״ — ודאי דוחה את השבת, ולא נולד כשהוא מהול דוחה את השבת.
שבית שמאי אומרים: צריך להטיף ממנו דם ברית,
ובית הלל אומרים: אינו צריך.
We learned in the mishna: If there is uncertainty whether or not to circumcise a baby, and likewise in the case of a hermaphrodite baby, one does not desecrate Shabbat to perform the circumcision of a hermaphrodite, even on the eighth day following the birth.
The Sages taught in a baraita:
The verse states: “And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Leviticus 12:3), and they interpreted the verse:
“His foreskin” indicates that only the circumcision of his halakhically certain foreskin overrides Shabbat, and the circumcision of a halakhically uncertain foreskin does not override Shabbat.
And by means of the same inference from the term his foreskin, derive that circumcision of his definite foreskin overrides Shabbat, and circumcising the foreskin of a hermaphrodite baby, with regard to whom there is uncertainty whether or not circumcision is required, does not override Shabbat.
[…]
His definite foreskin overrides Shabbat; however, the circumcision of one born at twilight does not override Shabbat.
And likewise, his definite foreskin overrides Shabbat; however, the circumcision of one who was born circumcised, i.e., without a foreskin, does not override Shabbat.
With regard to a child in that condition, there is a dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, as Beit Shammai say: It is necessary to drip covenantal blood from him, in lieu of circumcision of the foreskin,
and Beit Hillel say: It is not necessary, as he is already circumcised.
Thirteen Biblical Figures Born Circumcised (Avot DeRabbi Natan 2:5)
The passage opens by identifying Job’s personal moral safeguard (סייג): he avoided not just sin, but anything esembling impropriety. This is derived from the first verse in the Book of Job describing him as “blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil” (indicating extreme caution in matters of purity).
The passage then shifts to interpret this same verse as teaching that Job was born already circumcised. This trait becomes a marker of moral and physical perfection, shared by several biblical figures.
The passage lists twelve additional biblical figures who are said to have been born circumcised, each accompanied by a supporting biblical prooftext (all the figures in this list are Jewish and traditionally viewed as righteous, with the surprising exception of Balaam, #8 in this list):
Adam, because he was made in God's image (צלמו - Genesis 1:27)
Seth, in his father's image (Genesis 5:2)
Noah, called “pure, perfect” (תמים - Genesis 6:9)
Shem, inferred from “king of Shalem” (שלם - Genesis 14:18; with Shalem connoting completeness/ perfection)
Jacob, described as a “blameless/ perfect man” (תם - Genesis 25:27)
Joseph, inferred from being listed as Jacob’s primary offspring (Genesis 37:2)
Moses, from the verse “she saw that he was good” (טוב - Exodus 2:2), which is interpreted as referring to physical perfection (as in our sugya)
Balaam, based on the fact that he was a prophet (Numbers 24:4; presumably understanding that only someone circumcised could possibly be a prophet)
Samuel (included in some versions of this passage; 1 Samuel 2:26 is quoted, where he's described as טוב, cf. Moses earlier)
David, inferred from the Psalm heading “miktam” (מכתם - Psalms 16:1 - interpreted here as indicating being born circumcised; presumably interpreting this Hebrew word as related to תם - “perfect”, as in other prooftexts)
Jeremiah, “before you came out of the womb I consecrated you” (Jeremiah 1:5)
Zerubbabel, by divine selection and designation (Haggai 2:23)
מה ת"ל איש תם וישר?
אלא מלמד:
שיצא איוב מהול.
אף אדם הראשון יצא מהול
שנאמר (בראשית א׳:כ״ז) ויברא אלהים את האדם בצלמו.
אף שת יצא מהול
שנאמר (שם ה) ויולד בדמותו כצלמו.
אף נח יצא מהול
שנאמר איש צדיק תמים היה בדורותיו.
אף שם יצא מהול
שנאמר (שם יד) ומלכי צדק מלך שלם.
אף יעקב יצא מהול
שנאמר (שם כה) ויעקב איש תם, יושב אהלים.
אף יוסף יצא מהול
שנאמר (שם לז) אלה תולדות יעקב: יוסף
והלא אין ראוי לומר [אלא] אלה תולדות יעקב: ראובן”
ומה ת״ל יוסף
אלא כשם שיצא יעקב מהול
(אף) כך יצא יוסף מהול.
אף משה יצא מהול
שנא׳ (שמות ב׳:ב׳) ותרא אותו כי טוב הוא
וכי מה ראתה אמו בו, שנאה ומשובח מכל אדם
אלא שיצא מהול.
אף בלעם הרשע יצא מהול
שנאמר (במדבר כ״ד:ד׳) נאום שומע אמרי אל.
[אף שמואל יצא מהול
שנאמר (שמואל א ב׳:כ״ו) והנער שמואל הולך וגדול וטוב].
אף דוד יצא מהול
שנא׳ (תהילים ט״ז:א׳) מכתם לדוד, (שמרני אל כי חסיתי בך).
אף ירמיה יצא מהול
שנא׳ (ירמיהו א׳:ה׳) בטרם אצרך בבטן ידעתיך, ובטרם תצא מרחם הקדשתיך.
אף זרובבל יצא מהול
שנא׳ (חגי ב׳:כ״ג) ביום ההוא (אקח את) [נאום ה' צבאות, אקחך] זרובבל בן שאלתיאל עבדי, נאום ה׳
why do we have to learn that he was “a pure and righteous man”?
But instead, this is here to teach us that
Job emerged [from the womb] already circumcised.
Adam also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Genesis 1:27), “And God created the person in His image.”
Seth also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Genesis 5:2), “He had a child in his likeness and image.”
Noah also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Genesis 6:9), “A just and pure man in his generation.”
Shem also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Genesis 14:18), “Malkitzedek, king of Shalem.”
Jacob also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Genesis 25:27), “Jacob was a pure man, who sat in tents.”
Joseph also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Genesis 37:2), “This is the progeny of Jacob: Joseph.”
But shouldn’t it say [instead]: This is the progeny of Jacob: Reuben?
What do we learn from [the fact that it says] Joseph?
[We learn] that just as Jacob emerged already circumcised,
(so, too,) Joseph emerged already circumcised.
Moses also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Exodus 2:2), “She saw that he was good.”
And what did his mother see in him that was lovelier and more praiseworthy than any other person?
That he emerged circumcised.
Bil’am the wicked also came out circumcised,
as it says (Numbers 24:4), “The word of him who hears God’s speech.”
(Samuel also emerged circumcised,
as it says [I Samuel 2:26], “Young Samuel continued to grow and was good.”)
David also emerged circumcised,
as it says (Psalms 16:1), “A mikhtam of David. (Protect me, for I seek refuge in You).”
Jeremiah also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Jeremiah 1:5), “Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you; and before you came out of the womb I consecrated you.”
Zerubbabel also emerged already circumcised,
as it says (Haggai 2:23), “On that day (I will take,) [declares the Eternal of Hosts, I will take] Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, declares the Eternal.”
אפריון - traditional/modern pronunciation: appiryon; however, the word is likely from Greek, and more correctly transliterated afreion. See my note in my piece “Pt2 The End of an Era: The Mishnah on Societal Decline and the Discontinuation of Rituals (Mishnah Sotah 9:9-15)“, on section “Rabbinic Decrees on Wedding Customs and Education Amid the Effects of Three Major Wars Against Rome“.
The Talmud’s basis for the calculation of Jochebed’s age is somewhat complex, I’ve elided that part.
סימני נערות - these “signs” have a technical halachic meaning, referring to signs of puberty, specifically pubic hair. See Hebrew Wikipedia, “נערה (הלכה)“, my translation:
A na’arah is a halakhic (Jewish legal) term referring to a girl in the age range between the beginning of pubic/genital (ערווה) hair growth — what the Talmudic sages refer to as “two hairs” (שתי שערות) — and the appearance of physical signs of maturity (בגרות), which make her a bogeret (בוגרת - “mature/adult girl”), meaning age 12 and a half.
Until the age of 12, a girl is considered a ketanah (קטנה - “minor”).
According to halakhah, in certain areas the na’arah is still considered to be under her father's authority.
The term נערות refers to physiological signs of puberty or young womanhood—such as menstruation, breast development, or a general return to fertility and vitality. The implication is that Jochebed’s body reversed its aging process, regaining the characteristics of a girl in her youth.
See earlier in the sugya, cited in my previous piece, “From Azubah to Zohar: Reading Miriam and Caleb in the Genealogies of the Book of Chronicles (Sotah 12a)“, section “One Woman, Two Phases: Helah and Naarah as Miriam (I Chronicles 4:5)“, where Miriam (Jochebed’s daughter) is similarly referred to by the Talmud in her older age metaphorically as na’arah, based on a verse in Chronicles.
פיתקה - literally: “note”, from Greek.
טוביה.
For biblical figures explicitly named Tovya/Tobiah, see Wikipedia, “Tobias”, section “People known by the mononym”.
נולד כשהוא מהול - meaning, born without a foreskin. See my Appendix for more on this.
Indeed, babies are socially responsive: Even very young infants tend to respond to the cries of other babies. This is thought to be an early form of social and emotional connection. The phenomenon is sometimes called sympathetic crying or contagious crying. When one baby cries, nearby babies are likely to start crying too, even if nothing is wrong with them.
See “Contagious crying beyond the first days of life“, Infant Behavior and Development (2010):
Newborns cry in response to another newborn cry and researchers agree that these are the very early signs of empathy development.
אנדרוגינוס - androgynos - from Greek, literally meaning “man-woman”.