There were two: מְ י לְ דתוֹ midwives in Mitzrayim. Yocheved and Miriam. Yocheved was called: שִׁ פְ ר ה Shifra, since she was: ר ָׂפ ָׂשׁ ָׂמְָׂתָָׂׂא תָָׂׂדל ָׂוְָׂה ָׂ (beautified the baby), and Miriam was called: פוּע ה Puah since she calmed down a crying baby. As a reward, Yocheved was Zoche to Kehuna, where the Ikar is: לְ כ בוֹדָׂוּלְ תִ פְ א ר ת for beauty and glory, to beautify, enhance, and add Simcha to the Avoda of the Bais Hamikdash. Miriam was Zoche to Malchus, and the Tachlis of a king is: וְנִ לְ ח םָׂא תָׂמִ לְ חֲ מֹת נוָָּׂׂש"אָׂחָׂכ to fight our wars and save us from Tzaros, like Dovid who was always fighting wars.
We all know that the worst Tzara is a sin. Chazal say that the Malach of Ta'ava just about forced Yehuda to be: םב ָׂי ָׂמְָׂ marry Tamar, although he thought she was a Zonah. This was very embarrassing to Yehuda, and the Meforshim say that all great things need to be done in a way that satisfies the evil Kochos of the world. Why does the Torah mention that in the end: וְל ֹאָׂי ס ףָׂעוֹדָׂלְ ד עְ ת הָָׂׂלחָָׂׂ כו Yehuda kept away from Tamar?
The Baal Teshuva Is on Top of Everyone
ְ מ קוֹםָׂ שׁ ב עֲ ל יָׂ תְ שׁוּב הָׂ עוֹמְ דִ יםָׂ א יןָׂ צ דִ יקִ יםָׂ גְ מוּרִ יםָָׂׂב יְכוֹלִ יןָָׂׂל עֲ מוֹדָָׂׂברכותָׂ לדָׂ ב Baalei Teshuva are even GREATER than pure Tzaddikim! Although at this point Yehuda realized that Tamar was: מוּתר ָׂת ָׂ permitted to him like a: המ ָׂב ָׂיְָׂ Yevama, he still kept away as if she is Assur (forbidden). We can suggest that this was like a Teshuva for engaging in Ta'ava. And now we see that Malchus Yehuda is not from a shameful act, rather from the most noble, since even Tzaddikim G'murim aren’t anywhere near the greatness of a Baal Teshuva.
And now Yehuda remains an example of the highest-level Teshuva. As a result, he has “rescued” all those broken souls who have sinned, since by example he shows how by being: מְ ת ק ן (spiritually repairing) he came out AHEAD, to the extent that Malchus itself Davka comes out from such an unwanted situation. The whole idea of Malchus is being on top, like Melech HaMoshiach means that he is smeared with “oil” which floats on “top” of all other liquids.
Not only does the Melech go to war against physical issues and saves everyone like Yehuda did, but by example, he saves all those broken souls whose sins give them perpetual pain and guilt for the rest of their lives. And indeed, by Dovid it says: ל ֹאָׂח ט אָׂד וִדָׂא ל אָׂלְ הוֹרוֹתָׂתְ שׁוּב הָׂ לְ י חִ יד Dovid sinned only in order to teach a person how to do Teshuva. It is striking how in the last story of Dovid, we have him using the greatest beauty in the world, Avishag HaShunamis, as his servant, and yet: וְה מ ל ךְָָׂׂ ל ֹאָׂיְד ע הָָׂׂמ"אָׂאָׂד he kept away from her.
The Yerushalmi says that Dovid dressed up his Pilagshim and he kept away from them, saying to his Yetzer Hara: “You took what was Assur to you (Bas-Sheva) and now you won’t get near what is: מוּתר ָׂת ָׂ permitted to you”. We can suggest that this is exactly why he kept away from Avishag. And this explains why when Bas-Sheva came to him (to make sure that her son Shlomo gets the throne) it says that Avishag was next to him.
Who cares about Avishag? We already know about her; why does the Passuk mention her? We can suggest that as Dovid is about to give the reins of Malchus to Shlomo; he is showing his Teshuva, and his undoing of Chet Bas-Sheva, which is now becoming transformed into the biggest Mitzva, and thereby the continuity of Malchus Bais Dovid is purest of the pure.
We have loads of Chizuk from all this, and Yehuda and Dovid continue to give us Chizuk forever. They teach us that: א יןָׂ ה ק דוֹשָׁׂ ב רוּךְָָׂׂ הוּאָׂב אָׂבְ טְ רוּנְ י אָׂעִ םָׂבְ רִ יוֹת יוָָׂׂע"זָׂגָׂא Hashem does not act with tyranny (i.e., to demand the impossible) from His creations, and the greatest Malchus in the world had Davka such a shady background; so can we all become the greatest of the great. Most people make grave mistakes, in the way they view their weaknesses and sins.
The most “impossible” addictions and sick habits can become a total, total, Aderaba; with the biggest Bracha in the universe. The main thing is to never, never, give up. מְ קִ ימִ יָָׂׂ ע פ רָׂ דָׂ ל מ א שְׁ פֹ תָׂ י רִ יםָׂ א בְ יוֹןָׂ לְ הוֹשִׁ יבִ יָׂ עִ םָׂ נְ דִ יבִ יםָָׂׂמ from smelly garbage (i.e., lowest sins), to the elite and most giving people of Klal Yisroel (the highest! the kings!).
