Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Exodus 2:2/אור החיים על שמות ב׳:ב׳

אכִּי טוֹב הוּא וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ וְגוֹ׳. צָרִיךְ לְדַקְדֵּק מַה הִיא הַטּוֹבִיּוּת שֶׁרָאֲתָה בּוֹ. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סוטה יב,א) אָמְרוּ נוֹלַד מָהוּל וַתִּמָּלֵא הַבַּיִת אוֹרָה. וְזֶה דֶּרֶךְ דְּרָשׁ. עוֹד צָרִיךְ לְדַקְדֵּק קֶשֶׁר ״וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ״ עִם ״וַתֵּרֶא אוֹתוֹ כִּי טוֹב״ וְגוֹ׳, וְכִי אִם לֹא הָיָה טוֹב לֹא תַחְמֹל עַל פְּרִי בִּטְנָהּ לִצְפֹּן אוֹתוֹ מֵאַנְשֵׁי דָמִים?
1So she hid him. What precisely was the "goodness" that Yocheved observed when Moses was born? Our sages (Sotah 12) say that Moses was born without a foreskin and that the house was filled with light when he was born. Surely this is homiletics. Besides, what does Yocheved's hiding Moses have to do with her observing that he was "good?" Assuming Moses had not been "good," would she not have had motherly feelings of pity for his future?We can determine the meaning of the verse from the comment of our sages in Sotah 12 that the Egyptians calculated the length of her pregnancy from the day Yocheved remarried Amram. She gave birth to Moses six months and a day after he was conceived. Normally, babies born after only six months of pregnancy do not have much of a chance to survive, whereas babies born after seven months have an excellent chance to develop normally. The average mother is unable to determine to the day how long her pregnancy has been in progress. When she gives birth to a baby after six months pregnancy the baby is considered as aborted. The Torah told us that when Yocheved looked at the fetus she realised that contrary to her expectations he was healthy and well. This was the "good" that she saw. This is also why she took extraordinary care to nurse this child through the difficult period until it would be out of danger. She endangered herself by hiding Moses seeing that the Egyptians used to carry out house to house searches for Jewish babies. Our sages base their exegesis on the Torah choosing the word טוב rather than any other word describing Moses' state of health. They concluded that he must have been born without a foreskin. According to our tradition Adam was created without a foreskin. As a result of his sin his glans became covered with additional tissue, something that required removal if man wanted to regain a status the Torah describes as "perfect" when G'd instructed Abraham to circumcise himself.
באָכֵן כַּוָּנַת הַכָּתוּב הוּא, כִּי מִמַּה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב ״וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ״ וְגוֹ׳ ״וְלֹא יָכְלָה עוֹד״ וְגוֹ׳, אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סוטה יב,א) כִּי מָנוּ לָהּ הַמִּצְרִיִּים מֵעֵת הֶרְיוֹנָהּ וְהִיא יְלָדַתּוּ בֶּן שִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים וְיוֹם אֶחָד. וְהִנֵּה הַיּוֹלֶדֶת לְשִׁשָּׁה פְּשִׁיטָא שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְקַיֵּם, וְהַיּוֹלֶדֶת לְשִׁבְעָה מִתְקַיֵּם, וְהִנֵּה אֵין הָאִשָּׁה מְדַקְדֶּקֶת בְּמִסְפַּר יוֹם אֶחָד, וּכְשֶׁיְּלָדַתּוּ בְּחֶזְקַת נֵפֶל יְלָדַתּוּ. וְהוֹדִיעַ הַכָּתוּב כִּי רָאַתְהוּ טוֹב, פֵּרוּשׁ בָּרִיא וְחָזָק שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ סִימָנִים שֶׁל נֵפֶל, וְלָזֶה טָרְחָה בִּשְׁבִילוֹ וְסִכְּנָה עַצְמָהּ מֵהַמִּצְרִיִּים שֶׁהָיוּ בּוֹדְקִים הַבָּתִּים בַּקְּטַנִּים כְּמַאֲמָרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שם), וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ וַתֵּרֶא וְגוֹ׳ וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ. וּדְרָשַׁת רַזַ״ל תִּדָּרֵשׁ מִמַּה שֶׁלָּקַח לָשׁוֹן זֶה כִּי טוֹב וְלֹא אָמַר לָשׁוֹן אַחֵר. וְכַוָּנַת רַזַ״ל שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ טוֹב הוּא מָהוּל, כְּבָר גִּלּוּ דַּעְתָּם בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר (סנהדרין לח,ב) כִּי אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן קוֹדֶם שֶׁחָטָא הָיָה טוֹב מֻחְלָט, וּבְמַעֲשֵׂה הָרַע שֶׁעָשָׂה מָשַׁךְ הָעָרְלָה מִבְּחִינַת הָרַע, וְלָזֶה כְּשֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב ״כִּי טוֹב״ הֲרֵי זֶה מַרְאֶה בָּאֶצְבַּע כִּי מְשֻׁלָּל מֵהֶכֵּר רַע שֶׁהִיא הָעָרְלָה.