Midreshei Bitya bat Par'oh; Vayehi beḥatzi halaylah = Midrashim of Bitya, the Daughter of Pharaoh: A Study Companion for the Seder Night; "In the Middle of the Night": Additional Stanzas on Women, and: Simḥas Torah Lied leRivkah Tiktiner = Rebecca Tiktiner's Simhat Torah Poem (review)

Midreshei Bitya Bat Par'oh / Vayehi Beḥatzi Halaylah

This booklet encompasses three divergent topics whose common theme is women, the story of the Exodus and the Passover holiday. The first, largest section comprises a collection of sources about Bitya, the daughter of Pharaoh, and is intended for study on or in preparation for the Seder night. The second section consists of Levine's own liturgical work—two new additional stanzas to the piyyut (liturgical poem) "In the Middle of the Night" (Vayehi beḥatzi halaylah), describing the miracles that occurred to the Matriarchs on the night of the 14th of Nisan, the Hebrew date of the redemption from Egyptian slavery. The third section introduces a Mi sheberakh (benediction) for the Passover holiday composed by Rachel Luzzatto Morpurgo.

(1) Bitya, the Daughter of Pharaoh: A Study Companion for the Seder Night

According to Ex. 2:5–10, Pharaoh's daughter went down to bathe in the Nile with her maidens, saw a basket with a baby lying in it and sent her maiden to fetch it. Although the Egyptian princess immediately identified the baby as a Hebrew child, she took pity upon him. Disobeying her father's command that all Hebrew male babies were to be killed, she saved him and raised him in Pharaoh's palace as her own. She even gave him his name, Moses (Moshe), explaining: "I drew him out (mishitihu) of the water."

Notwithstanding the important role played by Pharaoh's daughter in saving the Israelites' redeemer, her character has remained anonymous. Aside from the aforementioned six verses, there is no further reference to her in the Bible. However, post-biblical Hebrew literature contains an abundance of interesting traditions about Pharaoh's daughter, in which she develops into an interesting and fascinating personality and also gains a name: Thermuthis or Thermut, according to Josephus (Jewish Antiquities) and the Book of Jubilees, respectively; or "Bitya," according to the Sages (cf. I Chron. 4:18).

Rabbinic literature praises Pharaoh's daughter. According to the Midrash, she did not follow in her father's evil ways, but converted to Judaism and ceased worshipping idols. She is listed in the Midrash among the sincere, pious female proselytes. Thus, Moses was educated by a woman who believed in God. For saving him, showering him with affection and thereby participating in the Exodus and the salvation of Israel from Egypt, Pharaoh's daughter was greatly rewarded and became part of the Jewish people, and she was privileged to have God call her His daughter by giving her the Hebrew name Bitya (Daughter of God). According to some midrashim, she lived to a miraculous age and entered the Garden of Eden while still alive.

In this booklet, intended for study on or in preparation for the Seder night, Levine offers a collection of sources drawn from biblical through medieval Jewish literature and endeavors to show how they present the image and deeds of Pharaoh's daughter. The sources are classified into the following subdivisions: Mikra'ot (biblical sources); Midreshei ketuvim (rabbinic exegeses of the biblical verses); Aramaic translations of the Bible (Targum Onkelos, Targum Yerushalmi I—Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, the Neophyti Targum, and the Targum of the Book of Chronicles); the lists of sincere, pious women (Midrash Tadshe, Genesis rabbati, Midrash Haḥefetz); Bitya's entrance into the Garden of Eden while still alive (Midreshei Eshet ḥayil, i.e., midrashim on the Woman of Valor); and the rewritten Bible (the Apocrypha...