Illustration Credit: Noa Kelner
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
What was Pharaoh’s daughter’s name?
The Torah doesn’t say! But there is someone called “Bitya, daughter of Pharaoh” mentioned in Divrei ha-Yamim Alef 4:18. Many midrashim assume this is the daughter of Pharaoh who saved Moshe from the Nile, except that her name is often pronounced “Batya” instead of “Bitya.”
Why is Pharaoh’s daughter also called Batya/Bitya? What do these names mean?
רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְבִתְיָה בַּת פַּרְעֹה, משֶׁה לֹא הָיָה בְּנֵךְ וּקְרָאתוֹ בְּנֵךְ אַף אַתְּ לֹא אַתְּ בִּתִּי וַאֲנִי קוֹרֵא אוֹתָךְ בִּתִּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: "אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי בִּתְיָה" (דברי הימים א ד:יח) – בַּת יָ-הּ.
R. Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: The Holy Blessed One said to Bitya, daughter of Pharaoh, “Moshe was not your son, but you called him your son. So, you are not My daughter, but I call you My daughter.” As it is said, “These are the children of Bitya”—pronounce it Batya (daughter of God).
God was so impressed with Batya adopting Moshe, that God returned the favor by adopting her!
- What is this midrash teaching us about how God views adoption? Why do you think God might see it that way?
- What would it mean for God to “adopt” Batya? What does that say about the relationship God shared with her as a result of her kindness?
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