HaRav Dov Begon is Head of Yeshivat Machon Meir.
“And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, the name of the one was Shifra and the name of the other Puah" (Exodus 1:15).
Rashi explains: Shifra-this is Jochebed, and she was called Shifra because she improves (mishapperet) the newborn, that is, she tends to the baby’s body. Puah-this is Miriam, so called because she poohs, speaks and murmurs to the infant in the manner of women who soothe a crying baby (pooh); that is, she cares for the baby’s soul, so that the child feels warmth and love.
Not only infants require the building of body and soul together; every person, simply by virtue of being human, must preserve the health of the body while at the same time illuminating the soul and strengthening the spirit - a healthy soul in a healthy body.
At present, not only the individual must build body and soul, but the entire nation as well.
Indeed, in our generation of the ingathering of the exiles and national revival, the primary occupation has been the building of the national body, meaning a political State that is strong economically and militarily, especially in a time of war. Yet we must not neglect the care and cultivation of the nation’s spiritual and soulful dimension, by whose power our nation endured for two thousand years in difficult times that appeared to be devoid of all hope, and by whose power of spirit our nation will endure forever.
Therefore, we must strengthen values-based education in general and, in particular, instill the eternal Jewish values that were transmitted to us from generation to generation through our holy Torah. We have made great strides in this realm as well, baruch Hashem, and today Israel is the Torah center of world Jewry. Nonetheless, like with the gathering of our exiles, we must do more by increasing Aliyah and Torah study.
Likewise, it is incumbent upon us to increase love and faith, which are also essential to our growth. Through this, we will merit to behold, eye to eye, the fulfillment of the words of the prophet Ezekiel (36:25-26): “And I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you shall be cleansed of all your impurities… and I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I place within you…."
May we merit to witness our complete Redemption, in these days, soon.