A Jew in the Stars

When Pharaoh’s astrologers predicted the birth of the Redeemer of the Jewish People, Pharaoh ordered all Jewish newborn baby boys to be thrown into the Nile River. On the actual day of Moshe’s birth, Pharaoh extended this decree to the Egyptian baby boys as well.

Why did Pharaoh included also the Egyptian baby boys in his decree?

Rashi explains that the astrologers were unable to see in the stars if the newborn Redeemer was a Jew or an Egyptian.

The question remains: If the astrologers were able to determine that the Redeemer was a boy, and by reading the stars they were able to update Pharaoh when Moshe was thrown into the Nile, why were they unable to get a more detailed description of the Redeemer of the Jewish People? Why weren’t the stars accurate enough to include the crucial detail of his being a Jew?

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The Medrash explains that after Basya discovered Moshe in the basket on the Nile River, she hired Yocheved to care for him until he was two years old. Needless to say, Moshe’s first years of life were permeated with the purity and holiness of Amram and Yocheved’s Yiddishe Heim, as Amram and Yocheved certainly cared for Moshe as they would for their own child, and took no leniencies in his Chinuch.

Furthermore, once he was brought back to Pharaoh’s palace, Basya, a Jewess herself, devoted her energy and time to ensure that his upbringing will be to the highest standards.

Yet, despite her efforts, the actual home in which Basya raised Moshe, was one that was influenced by secular fashions and trends; a home that followed the rules and culture of the Egyptian lifestyle. It was the environment in which Moshe was raised that confused the astrologers so much so that they were unable to tell whether the Redeemer of the Jewish people was a Jew or a non-Jew.

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What can we do to upgrade the environment in which we raise our children to ensure that, even in the stars, their Jewishness will shine brightly?