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When the Sanctuary was being built in the desert, the women brought their mirrors to be melted down to be made into lavers for the priests and Levites, and these were gladly accepted. One might wonder whether it was not sacrilegious to make use of mirrors, the symbol of vanity, in the Temple of the Lord. The midrash related that when the Jews in Egypt came home at night exhausted, wanting nothing else but a few hours of fitful sleep, with nothing to look forward to but another day of backbreaking labor, their wives would look into their mirrors to make themselves attractive so that sexual relationships would continue. Despite the miserable conditions, the women urged their husbands to have children and not to lose faith in the future. Therefore, these mirrors were holy and deserved their place in the Sanctuary of God. "B'zchut Nashim Tzidkaniot" -- "By the merit of these righteous women," says the Talmud, "was Israel redeemed from Egypt" (Sotah 11b).

This point is illustrated by another tradition, which relates that Amram, the father of Moses, was at one time head of the Sanhedrin. When Pharaoh decreed that the male offspring be killed, Amram said that it was futile for the Israelites to beget children. Forthwith he ceased to have intercourse with his wife, Jochebed. Thereupon all the Israelites arose and separated themselves from their wives. But his daughter Miriam protested his decision. "Your decree is more severe than that of Pharaoh, for the king decreed only concerning male children, but your decree affects both males and females alike. Besides, Pharaoh being wicked, there is some doubt whether his proclamation will be fulfilled, but you are righteous and your decree will be fulfilled." So Amram took his wife back, as did the others (Exodus Rabbah 1:13). The righteous and sensitive advice of Miriam was indirectly responsible for the birth of Moses and the later redemption of the Jewish people.

The importance of bearing children cannot be underestimated. In a sense the perseverance of the Jews in Egypt and their efforts to multiply and propagate, despite all the oppression and travail they endured, brought on the exodus. It was the greatest indication of their faith in the future -- and in a better world. This can best be illustrated by a fascinating incident recorded in the Bible.

The Book of Genesis (19:30-38) tells the dreadful story of Abraham's nephew, Lot, who together with his two daughters was saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The daughters, thinking that the world had come to an end and concerned about the continuance of the human race, got their father drunk so as to have sexual relations with him. One of the children born of these incestuous unions was named Moab from the Hebrew for "from father." In one of the ironies of biblical history, a descendant of Moab -- Ruth -- converted to Judaism, was married to Boaz, and became the great-grandmother of King David, ancestor of the Messiah. Is it not strange that the hope of all Israel should have such an ignominious heritage -- that he should be the product of a forbidden union?

We can perceive the importance of this genealogical relationship if we remember that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was akin to the Holocaust in our own time. According to the midrash, Lot and his daughters truly believed that they were the only people left on earth. But if one Holocaust had occurred, another was equally likely. Lot's daughters had every reason to believe that if they were to bear children, these children would be destroyed, just as their contemporaries had been. Nevertheless, the two women expressed their belief in the future of humanity in the only way they knew. They gave birth. They sought to ensure the survival of mankind by bringing forth another generation. While they were actually in error about humanity's destruction, their intention was to preserve mankind in the hope that there would be a better future. Only if one believes in humanity can one believe in the Messiah, for our vision of the messianic era is one of perfected mankind. Hence, by their deed the daughters of Lot attained the merit that through them would be born Ruth, the progenitrix of the Messiah of Israel, who would bring redemption to the entire world, thus fulfilling the aim and purpose of all history.

The Jews in Egypt, as well, because they believed in the future, merited redemption. In recent history, the Jews merited the land of Israel because even in the concentration camps they continued to proclaim their belief in the Jewish future, and after their liberation they continued to have children. Can we today, living in relative comfort in America or in Israel, have less faith than our fathers? Can we afford to cut our birthrate in half as some misguided souls have advised, and thereby jeopardize our demographic survival? Can we view with equanimity the abortion rate in Israel, a country that is constantly begging for olim and that desperately needs young people? We as a nation have always prided ourselves on upholding the sanctity of life as well as the affirmation of life through the mitzvah of begetting children. Only such an expression of faith in the Jewish future can ensure the survival of the Jewish present.

This essay has been excerpted from the Ann Belsky Moranis edition of "A Haggadah Happening: An Artistic Passover Haggadah with a Traditional yet Contemporary Commentary". For more information on how to obtain this Haggadah, please contact artcenter@ohrtorahstone.org.il.

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