The answer is: Three months

Ex 2:2

Moses' story is one of resilience and courage, beginning under the shadow of Pharaoh's oppressive rule. His mother, Jochebed, hid him for three months to protect him from the decree that sought to eliminate Hebrew boys. Imagine the tension that must have hung in the air! Not only was she safeguarding his life, but she was also engaged in a quiet act of defiance against an unjust law.

After three months, realizing she could no longer keep him hidden, Jochebed took one of the bravest steps any mother could take—she placed her baby into a small ark (or basket) coated with tar and pitched to keep it water-tight. In a twist of irony, she set Moses afloat in the very river that served as a burial ground for many Hebrew infants. But this wasn't a straightforward act of despair; it was a literal leap of faith. The Nile River, historically a source of life for the Egyptians, became the backdrop of a new beginning for Moses.

Trivia time: The word "basket" in Hebrew (tevah) is intriguingly the same term used for "ark" in the story of Noah! Both instances involved a vessel designed for salvation amid chaos, metaphorically linking the two narratives of God’s deliverance. As Moses' journey unfolds, it mirrors Israel's struggles towards freedom, making the setting of his birth profoundly significant in understanding the unfolding liberation saga. So, chains began to break as a baby nestled in an ark found his progress toward destiny!