Yokheved is a figure in the book of Exodus and the mother of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses. Fearing Pharaoh’s decree to throw all Israelite baby boys into the river, she hides her infant son, Moses. When that is no longer feasible, she places him in a basket on the Nile river, where he would be found by a maidservant to Pharaoh's daughter.
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Born at the GatesMIDRASH
Born at the Gates
MIDRASH
The rabbinic tradition names Yokheved among the 70 Israelites who went down to Egypt from Canaan. The early medieval midrash Bamidbar Rabbah explains the significance of various tribal sacrifices and recounts the special circumstances of her birth.
Mother of Three ProphetsTANAKH
Mother of Three Prophets
TANAKH
All of Yokheved’s three children were prophets, and each played a pivotal role in the Exodus from Egypt. When the book of Numbers recounts the Israelite census in the wilderness, it names Yokheved and her three children.
A Surprising Family ConnectionTANAKH
A Surprising Family Connection
TANAKH
The Torah’s account of Moses’s birth includes a brief family history, including the marriage between his mother, Yokheved, and his father, Amram. The book of Exodus offers a surprising detail about the relationship between Moses’s parents.
A Mother’s Love that Changed HistoryTANAKH
A Mother’s Love that Changed History
TANAKH
Yokheved’s choice to hide her son Moses sets the stage for the Exodus from Egypt. The book of Exodus recounts the birth of Moses and his mother’s desperate attempt to save him from Pharaoh’s decree to kill all male Israelite babies born in Egypt.
Exemption from the Curse of EveTALMUD
Exemption from the Curse of Eve
TALMUD
According to the rabbinic tradition, Yokheved was 130 years old when she gave birth to Moses. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Sotah comments on her easy pregnancy and birth and suggests that they were a divine reward for her righteousness.
Midwives of RedemptionCOMMENTARY
Midwives of Redemption
COMMENTARY
The Torah names two midwives who saved the lives of Israelite children in Egypt, and the rabbinic tradition identifies them as Yokheved and her daughter, Miriam. In his 16th-century commentary on the Torah, Kli Yakar, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz discusses their role in the Exodus.
The Midwives’ RewardCOMMENTARY
The Midwives’ Reward
COMMENTARY
The Torah recounts that God rewards the midwives, identified as Yokheved and Miriam, who saved the Israelite babies in Egypt. In his 18th-century commentary on the book of Exodus, Or HaChaim, Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar suggests that the downstream effects of their actions may have been even greater than they imagined.
A Heavenly Women’s ChamberKABBALAH
A Heavenly Women’s Chamber
KABBALAH
Jewish mystical accounts of the afterlife portray historical figures, including Yokheved, as part of the heavenly experience. The Zohar, the foundational text of Jewish mysticism, describes Yokheved in a heavenly chamber leading other women in prayer and song.
A Youthful Old AgeTALMUD
A Youthful Old Age
TALMUD
According to the rabbinic tradition, Yokheved remained youthful until a very old age. The Babylonian Talmud in tractate Bava Batra recounts the miraculous circumstances surrounding her marriage and the birth of her son Moses.
Yokheved Lays the Foundation of the WorldMUSAR
Yokheved Lays the Foundation of the World
MUSAR
Kabbalistic traditions suggest that several figures in the Exodus narrative, including Yokheved, parallel the earliest figures in human history. In his 17th-century work, Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Rabbi Isaiah HaLevi Horovitz explores the mystical connection between Yokheved and an earlier biblical figure.
