"וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם בָּתִּים"

Reward or Punishment?

Paroh and the Midwives / Golden Haggadah

לגרסה בעברית של יחידת לימוד זו, לחצו כאן.‏
The second half of Shemot 1 speaks of Paroh's directive to the midwives to kill all baby boys.
Let's access the Mikraot Gedolot on Shemot 1:17-21 to see the midwives' reaction to Paroh's command.
The midwives refuse to abide by the decree and Shemot 1:21 states: "וַיְהִי כִּי יָרְאוּ הַמְיַלְּדֹת אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם בָּתִּים".
What does the word "בָּתִּים" mean, and what purpose are these "בָּתִּים" meant to serve?

Let's click on the word "בָּתִּים" in Shemot 1:21 to view the entry in the One-Click Concordance.
Scan the first few verses of the entry using their contexts to determine the meaning of the word "בית" in each verse.
What three possible meanings can the word sustain?
How many of these could be applicable to our verse?

Let's return to the Mikraot Gedolot to see how our commentators understand the word in context. To close the concordance, click on the x in the top corner of the pop-up.
Rashi discusses the verse in his comments to Shemot 1:20. Scroll up to see his explanation.
Which of the above meanings of the word does he adopt?
How would you evaluate his prooftext? What verse might you have chosen instead?

Scroll down in the Mikraot Gedolot to Shemot 1:21.
See Ibn Ezra (First Commentary) there. How is he similar to, yet somewhat different, from Rashi?
According to him, how are these "בָּתִּים" a "measure for measure" reward?
See also the last three lines of Shadal's commentary on the verse.
Why does he suggest that the blessing of large families would have been especially rewarding for the midwives?

At the end of Ibn Ezra's comments discussed above, he cites the opinion of R. Saadia Gaon. Compare R. Saadia's reading of the verse with that of Rashbam.
According to both, what does the word "בָּתִּים" mean?
Where, though, do these two commentators differ?
According to each, who is making the "houses"? With what purpose? Are they a reward, punishment, or something else?

Though the word בית clearly takes on more than one meaning, is this also true for the idiom "עשה בית"?
Let's return to the concordance by clicking here (or on any word in the verse).
Switch to Advanced Mode by toggling the button in the top right corner. This mode allows one to search for up to three words.
In the first input field, type עשה, and choose the verb form from the drop down options. In the second input field, type בית and choose the noun form. Press search.
All verses in which the two words appear together will now display.

Only some of the results are relevant to us, but scroll down to Shemuel I 25:28 (#56) and Melakhim I 7:8 (#75).
Based on these verses, can also the idiom (like the noun) sustain both of the meanings of building a physical structure and creating a family or dynasty?
Had the verse employed the language of "ויבן בית", would the same be true?
Using the Advanced Mode, input בנה (choosing the verb form from the drop down menu) and בית (choosing the noun form).
Scan the first 15-20 verses on the list. Are the two meanings equally prevalent?

For elaboration on the ramifications of the various readings raised above, see: ויעש להם בתים – Rewarding the Midwives.
For an iBook about Resistance to Paroh see: Downloads.
For additional Pesach and Haggadah resources, see: Haggadah Home Page.