The More They Were Afflicted, the More They Grew: A Torah Lesson on Strength Through Struggle

The opening verses of Book of Shemot begin with a familiar list: “And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Yaakov, each man and his household came.” At first glance, this seems repetitive. The Torah had already listed the names of those who descended to Egypt in Book of Bereishit. Why repeat them here?

The answer offered is that because they were precious and beloved before God, they are counted again and again, like one who counts jewels, naming each one individually with affection and care. This repetition is not redundancy; it is a declaration of worth. Each soul is counted. Each name matters.

The phrase “each man and his household” also carries an important moral teaching. The Talmud explains that a person’s wife is often referred to with honor as “his household.” The commentators explain that Yaakov arranged marriages for his descendants before their descent into Egypt, concerned that they not assimilate into Egyptian society. From here emerges a timeless lesson: the most important consideration in choosing a life partner is not wealth, status, or convenience, but spiritual character and moral qualities. The future of a person — and of future generations, rests heavily on this foundation.

Yosef in Egypt: Remaining Righteous Under Pressure

The Torah then states: “And Yosef was in Egypt.” Do we not already know where Yosef was?

The sages explain that this phrase is not informational but spiritual. It comes to emphasize that Yosef remained righteous despite being in Egypt. All of Yaakov’s sons were righteous, but Yosef stands out because he maintained his integrity while surrounded by power, temptation, and moral corruption.

This becomes an eternal model. He remained pure in an impure environment. He remained faithful under pressure.

The message is profoundly relevant. Heaven “announces,” as it were, every person who remains true despite difficult surroundings: a person who stays kind while struggling with depression, a person who preserves modesty even when everyone around them acts differently, or a person who continues honoring a difficult parent.

The value of righteousness is magnified when it is achieved through struggle.

The More They Were Afflicted, the More They Grew

One of the most powerful verses in the opening chapter of Shemot states: “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread.”

On its simple level, this verse reveals the power of divine providence. No human force determines the ultimate outcome of a person’s life or a nation’s destiny. Even if the whole world seeks your downfall, if God is with you, the opposite of all logic may occur: you may flourish precisely through the opposition.

But the verse also contains a profound life principle. Often, the very places of pressure become the places of growth. Just as a lemon yields juice only when pressed, so too hardship can release hidden strength, blessing, and transformation.

Two central lessons emerge from this. First, one should never assume that suffering is meaningless. From every moment of difficulty, gifts may yet emerge. Second, one should not run from challenges. Growth is rarely born from ease.

No one builds strength through effortless training. A person who wishes to reach heights that few attain must often accept uncommon effort. The very struggle may be the gateway to expansion.

The Courage of the Midwives

Later in the chapter, the Torah introduces two women whose names are preserved forever: Shifra and Puah.

These midwives were commanded by Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew male infants. Instead, the Torah says: “They let the children live.”

The text emphasizes this even though it seems obvious from the story, because they did more than merely refrain from murder. They made extraordinary efforts to save the children, even at great personal risk.

Because of this courage, their names are written eternally in the Torah. Their reward was both immediate and everlasting. The people multiplied, increasing the need for their work, and they were blessed materially and spiritually. The Torah later states that God “made houses for them” — a phrase understood as a blessing of enduring legacy and descendants.

Every Struggle Can Become a Blessing

The opening of Shemot is not only the story of national exile. It is also a guide to personal life.

The names are counted again because every individual matters. Yosef teaches that righteousness in difficulty is precious. Israel’s suffering in Egypt teaches that pressure can become expansion. And the midwives teach that moral courage leaves an eternal legacy.

The deeper message is that hardship does not always diminish a person. Sometimes it is precisely what causes them to multiply, grow, and break through. When life presses hard, it may not be the end of blessing. It may be the beginning of it.