By Rabbi Dovid Markel
The verse (Shemot 2:5) states: “Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe, to the Nile, and her maidens were walking along the Nile, and she saw the basket in the midst of the marsh, and she sent her maidservant, and she took it.”
On this Rashi comments based on the Talmud (Sota 12b): “They, however, interpreted to mean her hand, [that she stretched out her hand,] and her arm grew many cubits (אַמוֹת) [so that she could reach the basket].”
G-d created a miracle that her arm stretched and she reached the basket. This episode is reminiscent of a story of the Bal Shem Tov and his chassidim.
It was the custom of the Bal Shem Tov that the third shabbos meal would extend well past the conclusion of Shabbos. At one such gathering the food and drink ran out and the chassidim became dejected that the meal would hastily conclude.
The Bal Shem Tov though instructed his chassidim that they each donate a small coin to purchase additional repast. Without thinking twice, each chassid reached into his pocket and donated a coin.
While it would seem that the obvious miracle is that the Bal Shem Tov caused that the coin would appear in the Shabbos clothing of his chassidim, in truth there was a deeper miracle at play.
The fact that the Bal Shem Tov caused miraculous events was standard fare in his court, what is unique about this story is that the chassidim stuck their hands in their pockets—trusting the Rebbe—instead of protesting that it was impossible for them to have money.
The same can be said with Batya and Moshe: That G-d can make a miracle to make Batya’s hand stretch is self-understood; the true miracle is that Batya stretched out her hand although the basket was well past her reach.
The lesson is that even when we believe things to be impossible, we should stretch out our hands and try—G-d will surely take care of the rest.
