Tying it All Together

To follow up on the previous discussion of Paroh's tyrannical rule, which often goes along with megalomania, I noticed the Rashi which quoted that he went to the Nile early in the morning because he held himself out to the people as a deity who didn't need to use the bathroom (he could wear as much hodaya jewelry as he wanted!).  This is consistent with the Midrash that identifies his daughter as Batya - the daughter of God.

It's interesting that that name has been so completely embraced by the Jewish world.  It is a wonderful irony how we twisted Paroh's heretical and egotistical intent into a a beautiful reference to Hashem*.  Judaism doesn't seem to be shy about naming after non-Jewish heroes (though I think there is Midrashic reference to Batya converting), especially women.  According to few opinions Shifra was not Jewish, and according to most, Yael wasn't.  I can't think of any boys names that reference non-Jews, but I have an aunt who gave her son Raoul as a middle name.  This isn't a backwards Hanuka Song - the point is how we view our relationship as Jews to the rest of the world.  Last week we read that Hashem said "בני בכורי ישראל" - Bnei Yisrael are My first-born.  The obvious implication, (that is explicit in Avos 3:17) is that all mankind are His children, but we are the בכור - the ones with the responsibility to set a proper example, and sometimes help the parents out with some of the other kids.  That's the way it's supposed to be most of the time, and is much of the notion of 'קידוש ד.  Often, both in families and metaphorically for the relationship between the Jewish and non-Jewish world, the big brother has much to learn from and admire in the younger siblings.  That's what happened with Batya, Raoul, and in a different way, Mukul, the cabbie in the story below.


*There's another great irony in the Parsha:  Rashi cites the Gemara that after Aharon performed מכת דם, and the Egyptian magicians did the same, Paroh assumed that he too was just doing magic, and said "are you bringing straw to Afarayim (a city famous for its straw)? Meaning, Egypt has plenty of magicians, we don't need two more of you.
The beauty of the story is that to prove his point, he had his magicians turn whatever scarce water they had into blood!  Are you bringing blood into Egypt?