Viewing Yokheved (Jochebed)

Abstract

The book of Exodus specifically names Moses’ mother Yokheved (Jochebed) in chapter six, although her courageous acts are depicted earlier in chapter two. Yokheved is mentioned in the literature from the late Second Temple period. Likewise, there are several Midrashim that refer to her. It is primarily in the mid-19^th, and then the 20^th/21^st centuries that Jewish writers highlight Yokheved as a valorous woman. This article considers how she is featured throughout the ages, and offers some context for those presentations.