How well do you know your Torah? (How well do I know my Torah?) For our purposes, we are defining Torah as the first five books of the Bible.

Well, we are going to improve our knowledge, and hopefully learn something along the way.

This week’s question is:

How many women written of in the Torah had twins? Can you name them?

(The answer will be at the end of this post.)

And a thought provoking question…

What mother in Torah do you feel is most worth emulating, and why? Please share in the comments.
I think that one of the mothers worthy of emulating is Jochebed, Moses’ mother.

And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
(Exo 2:1-10)

What an incredible woman!

First, she was forced to make an incredibly courageous decision. She put her three month old son in a basket and set him adrift in the great Nile River. I don’t know if I could have done that. But then, she did that or the soldiers would come and kill him. I do not envy her that at all.

But I think the most beautiful part of this story happens later. Miriam talks to the princess, and agrees to find a nurse for the baby. And what does she do? She brings Moses right back to his mother. Jochebed gave him up, and YHVH brought him back. But it was only for a short time, so she knew she had to make the best of it. She probably had three short years to teach him about the Creator and his ancestors, and the proper way to worship YHVH.

How did she do it?

I wish I knew. Jewish women have neat little techniques for teaching their children, not unlike mothers in any culture. They sing songs. They make letters out of dough to teach the alphabet. They pray while they nurse their babies. They bless their children every Shabbat. They tell the stories of their ancestors every feast day. I’m sure Jochebed did the same. She did such a good job that Moses remembered her teachings and chose to join the Hebrews rather than stay in the palace.

How are you teaching your little ones about Torah? I’d love to hear about them. Do you have a song, or a game that teaches them?

You might also enjoy our printable books designed just for little ones. My Little Torah Books are short little books about kosher, prep day, creation. Enjoy!

How many twin bearing mommas did you come up with?

I found two: Rebekah and Tamar. Did I miss any? Please share any more that you find.

Until next time, keep growing and learning about Torah.