Our reading brings us news that Jacob’s family is now vast and strong. Unfortunately, the new king feels threatened that the Hebrews, foreigners, are now more numerous than his people. He orders his people to treat them harshly, hoping to decrease their numbers. The taskmasters gave them hard labor and tried to marginalize them. When that did not work, the king decided to control who lived and who died. He called on the midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill the boys born to these foreigners. Luckily, the midwives refused to cooperate.
They told the king the Hebrew women were so vigorous, they would give birth before they could get there. These lowly women outsmart the king. Their courageous actions saved the Hebrew people. Just like these two midwives, women today can play an important role in determining the future of our nation. Just like them, we must challenge those in power when we feel that injustice and abuse of power were occurring. We must step out of our comfort zone.
Solidarity means recognizing the interdependence of our being and shaping our lives around one another for the good of all. It does not matter if you are privileged or marginalized. Only than can we find true liberation.
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