The book of Shemot spans the time period of Bnei-Yisrael’s exile in Egypt. The first verse has many hidden messages and Mitzvot that Bnei-Yisrael will be obligated to keep. The first four words in the Parasha are “Shemot Bnei-Yisrael HaBaim” (“שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים”); the names of Bnei-Yisrael’s descendants provide a clue to the future reality and HaShem’s promise. The acronym formed by each of the first letters of the words spells “Shivyah” (“שביה”) which means captivity. This is the beginning of four hundred years of exile and slavery in Egypt. In the same sentence we see a hint to counteract the exile as “Yeshua” (“ישועה” – a salvation). “These are the names” (“וְאֵלֶּה, שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַבָּאִים”); the last letter of each word spells the word “תהילים”, alluding to King David (“דוד המלך”) and the redemption from exile. Most of the book of Tehilim was written by King David, while some chapters were compiled by him. We also learn from the word “Shemot” (“שְׁמוֹת“) the connection to our Jewish heritage as it comes from the word “Shem” (“שם”), Noach’s son and our ancestor. Furthermore, this verse “Shemot Bnei-Yisrael HaBaim” (“שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים“) eludes to the future use of these specific names by the descendants of Bnei-Yisrael’s. The first word “Ve’ela” “וְאֵלֶּה” is 42 in numerical value, referring to the 42 future journeys Bnei-Yisrael will travel after leaving Egypt.
The first verse starts with “these are the names” (“וְאֵלֶּה, שְׁמוֹת”). Why does the Torah mention their names again, when we already know them all? To teach us that all seventy were big Tzadikim (“צדיקים”), righteous men, and the twelve heads of tribes were like the stars to HaShem. By writing their names again, HaShem blessed them and their offspring after their passing. When HaShem counted and mentioned their names it showed their great importance to Him and to us all. All seventy people who descended were Yaakov’s children, including the wives of each of his sons, the Midrash says. The Zohar explains that when the Torah writes the word “Ele’e” (“אֵלֶּה” – these) it speaks of this earthly lives, and whenever the Torah writes “מי – Mi” it speaks of heaves. Together both words are HaShem’s name “Elohim” (“אלהים”) that controls heaven and earth.
The acronym of the last letter of the words “אֵת יַעֲקֹב, אִישׁ” spells the word Shabbat (“שבת”). This alludes to the seventy family members who came each Shabbat to Yaakov’s home to celebrate and honor the Shabbat while in Egypt. The acronym of the word “שבת” stands for Shabbat (“שבת”), Brit-Milah (“ברית מילה”), and Teffilin (“תפילין”). These Mitzvot are all an “oath” as the Torah writes “Ott He Le’olam” (“אות היא לעולם”), meaning these are the direct link and sign to being Jewish and a partner with HaShem forever. It is interesting to see that the word oath in English derives from the word “Ott” (“אות”) in Hebrew, meaning covenant and a sign. Yaakov made sure to raise his family to fulfill all the Mitzvot and they only married Jewish people. King David did not raise his son Avshalom same way and as a result his son tried to kill him and take the kingship. Avshalom was “Ben Sorer U‘More”, a defiant and disgraceful son, the only one mentioned in the Torah. Avshalom sinned against his father in many ways; he slept with ten of King’s David mistresses and was punished and killed by ten spears.
Seventy Nefesh (souls) went down to Egypt. The number 70 has a significant “ties” to many portions of the Torah both written and oral:
There are 70 faces to the Torah
Moshe taught the Torah in 70 languages
The Sanhedrin had 70 Rabbis
There were 70 levels to the pyramids
The Laws of nature are 70
The word “יין” YAYIN/Wine in numerical value is 70
The word “סוד” SOD/Secret in numerical value is 70
The amount of people went down to Egypt is 70
Adam V’CHavah “אדם וחוה” (Adam and Eve) in numerical value is 70
AVI V’IMI “אבי ואמי” (my father and my mother) in numerical value is 70
By naming all the twelve brothers in the Torah, we learn that they all died in Egypt. The verse says “These are the names… Now these are the names of the sons of Yisrael, who came into Egypt”. The Torah tells us that when we are in “Galut” (“גלות” – exile) we are always strangers among the “Goyim” (“גויים”), the non-Jews and shall never assimilate. The exile is only temporary and we will come back “home” to our Promised Land. Bnei-Yisrael always kept the Mitzvot while in Egypt, when the twelve heads of tribes were alive. But when they passed away, the Jewish people changed their ways and sinned by assimilation into the Egyptian society and culture. They left the land of Goshen (where there were only Jews) and lived amongst the Egyptians. Yosef, his brothers and their entire generation passed away; the new generation did not keep HaShem’s ways as Yosef’s generation had. That is why the first verse says”הַבָּאִים” “coming down” to Egypt; it should have been written “who already were there” in Egypt as they were there already. This is the sign of “lowering” their elevated status as HaShem’s people by assimilating and “coming down” to the lower levels of the Egyptian.
Yaakov made sure that his descendants always kept the Torah while in Egypt, even though they were yet to receive the full Torah laws. They all kept their Jewish way of life; they all spoke Hebrew, they all gave Hebrew names to their children, they all wore Jewish clothes, and they all acted as Jewish people to each other and to other people. It is also important to mention here that in the book of Shemot, the word Torah (“תורה”) is again spelled out by a 50-letter interval, beginning with the very first letter “Taf” (“ת”) in the first word Shemot (“שמות”). In four of the five books the word “Torah” is spelled out by a 50-letter interval; in the book of “VaYikrah” (“ויקרא”) the name of HaShem Y.H.V.H (“י.ה.ו.ה.”) is spelled out by a 7-letter interval starting from the letter “Yud” (“י”) in the first word “VaYikrah” (“ויקרא”)”.
The word “Mitzraim” (Egypt) contains the word “Meitzarim” (“מיצרים”) which means strains and hardship, alluding to a hard place to live in; this comes to teach us that they are about to be in such a place both physically and spiritually. The word “Meitzarim” also has the name of Miriam in it with the letter “Tzadik” (“צדיק”), to teach us that thanks to Miriam’s merit the Jews were saved (as we shall see in a later Parasha). Miriam had a prophecy of redemption before Moshe was born. After Moshe was born she stood guard and watched her brother who was placed in a basket in the Nile, as the Torah writes (verse 2:4) “she watches to see what will be done with him” (“וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ, מֵרָחֹק, לְדֵעָה, מַה-יֵּעָשֶׂה לוֹ”). The numerical value of the word “Deah” (“דעה” – to know) is 79, the age of Moshe when he came from Midian to redeem B’nai-Yisrael out of Egypt. The word “Mitzraim” (Egypt) has the same numerical value of the word “Lashon” (“לשן” – tongue) from Lashon Hara (evil speech) – 380.
A new Pharaoh arose (some Sages say that it was the same one) “who didn’t know Yosef”, meaning he too was surprised by Bnei-Yisrael’s behavior, by not following HaShem’s ways and Yosef’s ways as they used to. The Torah writes that Pharaoh “Lo Yada” (“לא ידע”), meaning did not know or did not recognize the people of Israel. The numerical value of the words “Lo Yada” is 115, and plus the last year of the tenth plagues signify the punishment of slavery for 116 years from this point in time. Also, in verse 9 the Torah writes about Pharaoh “And he said unto his people” (“וַיֹּאמֶר, אֶל-עַמּוֹ”); the numerical value of the word “Amo” (“עמו”) is 116. All together the total number of years Bnei-Yisrael were slaves in Egypt is 210.
The reason the Hebrews were enslaved for only two hundred and ten years and not for four hundred as HaShem promised Avraham is due to the words “VaYeMararu Et Chayieham” (“וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת-חַיֵּיהֶם”). The word “Maror” (“מרור”) means bitter. This means that Pharaoh made the Hebrews work day and night, and the 210 was equivalent to 400 years since they had very little rest. The Torah also writes in verse 9 that “the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us” (“הִנֵּה, עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל–רַב וְעָצוּם, מִמֶּנּוּ”). Pharaoh uses the word “Mimenu” (“ממנו” – from us); our Sages explain that the word “Mimenu” means from our “Mamon” (“ממון” – our money), speaking of the fortune Bnei-Yisrael accumulated. The numerical value of each of the words “Mamon” and “Kol” (“קול “- voice) is 136, to teach us that when we hear HaShem’s “Kol” (voice) and keep His Mitzvot, we will earn “Mamon” (money).
Pharaoh gathered three idol worshipers at “those times” to come up with a “solution” to stop the growth of the Hebrews. He gathered Bilam “בילעם” – the father of “Yunus and Yumbros“ (“יונוס ויומברוס”), as they were the greatest magicians and sorcerers in Egypt), Iyov “איוב”, and Yitro “יתרו” (Moshe’s future father-in-law). He asked each one for their opinion and suggestion. Bilam encouraged Pharaoh to kill the Jews and he was punished by death for it (in parashat Balak). Iyov was quiet and did not say a word; he too was punished with Tzaraat, as he should have tried to prevent Pharaoh from harming Bnei-Yisrael. Yitro did not want to participate and left Egypt; he was rewarded for that with becoming a Jew and having his daughter marry Moshe.
Pharaoh’s new decree was not to allow Brit Milah for newborn Jewish boys, except for the tribe of Levi. The reason the tribe of Levi was allowed to perform the Brit Milah was due to Pharaoh’s fortunetellers (advisors) who predicted that the “savior” of the Hebrew’s will come from Levi’s. They warned Pharaoh that HaShem would punish him harshly if he went against the tribe of Levi. The tribe of Levi was faithful to HaShem, unlike the rest of the tribes, who did not fully trust that HaShem would protect them. The tribe of Levi merited both groups of HaShem’s servants in Bait HaMikdash (“בית המיקדש”), the Levites and the Kohanim.
The Torah writes that Bnei-Yisrael increased “Meod Meod” “מאד מאד” (very much), meaning their population grew to be larger than the Egyptians. They were also greater in Mitzvot than the Egyptians, as the Midrash says Bnei-Yisrael had more Angels than the Egyptians. The word that the Torah uses to describe while speaking of their birth rate is “VaYishretzu” (”וַיִּשְׁרְצוּ”), meaning the Hebrew women gave birth to sextuplets (six babies) at each birth. The word “VaYishretzu” has six letters and it is usually reserved for describing animals giving birth. This shows us that HaShem’s promise to our forefathers that Bnei-Yisrael would become many was already occurring in Egypt. HaShem’s blessing uses two words “Rav VeAtzum” (“רב ועצום”) which have six letters same as the word “VaYishretzu”. The word “Atzum” (“עצום” – mighty, strong) comes from the word “Etzem” (“עצם” – bone) which too is very strong. The Jewish people were stronger than the Egyptians in many ways; one of them was with money.
The Egyptians were afraid that the Hebrew’s population was so large that in the event of war the Hebrews will join the enemy. This teaches us that even when Jews have “friends in high places” (like Yosef) and we hold powerful positions we should always be ready for the worst. As history proved many times while in exile and “far” from HaShem, we were prone to the same outcome. The reason for the Egyptians taking such measures was due to the Hebrew’s leaving Goshen and assimilating into the Egyptian society, meaning they left HaShem’s ways. The Egyptians said “let us be smarter” and began taxing and enslaving the Hebrews. Pharaoh first separated the men from the women in order to “slowdown” the birth rate; he also gave men women’s work and to women he gave men’s work. He ordered his slave-masters to have the Hebrews build cities/pyramids on swamp land, to make their mission impossible to achieve. Only by a miracle of HaShem they were able to build on a swamp land, and the massive pyramids did not sink.
The Midrash tells us that in the beginning Pharaoh had his own Egyptian slaves work with the Hebrews, but they left and the Hebrews built the cities/pyramids alone. It took the Hebrews sixteen years to build these cities/pyramids. Pharaoh originally promised the Hebrew payment for their hard work but never paid them. In additions he stole all the Hebrews monies. It is one of the reasons that the Hebrews, when leaving Egypt on 14th of Nissan, took all their “owed” money and riches from Egypt. The two cities/pyramids were Pitom and Ramses. These cities/pyramids were never to be finished as Pharaoh hoped, but they are still standing today as testament to HaShem’s miracles and our redemption from Egypt. Pharaoh decreed killing Hebrew boys in the hope that Hebrew women would marry Egyptian men and assimilate completely into his society. Our Sages explain that Pharaoh understood that by killing only Jewish boys, he ensured that the newborn that will be born to Hebrew women will be Jewish, since the newborn descendant and progeny determine by the mother.
The more hardship and hard work Pharaoh placed on the Hebrews, the more they increased and grew in numbers by having more babies. The Hebrew women gave birth at alarming rate, and Pharaoh recruited two midwives to stop boys from being born. According to HaShem’s plans, the two midwives were Yocheved and Miriam also known as Shifrah and Puah (“שיפרה ופועה”) are divinely chosen for this task. These were Moshe’s mother and sister, who were selected to fulfill HaShem’s will. Their names stand for improving, beautifying and calming down babies while helping with the birth process of the Hebrew babies. Pharaoh instructed these midwives to kill all newborn boys born to the Hebrews, but they of course refused to do so. It is worth mentioning here a brilliant method of finding out the gender of a newborn prior to his/her birth. Pharaoh was aware of such method as the Torah writes “וּרְאִיתֶן, עַל-הָאָבְנָיִם” “facing the Avanim” (the stones). Pharaoh knew that when a baby’s head is out of his/her mother’s birth canal, they can determine whether it’s a boy or a girl. If the newborn face is facing down towards earth it will always be a boy, as from the earth Adam was created. When the newborn face is facing up towards sky/heavens it will always be a girl, as she Eve was created from a higher place then the earth (Adam’s rib).
Our Moroccan Sages (in the book of “Netivot HaMarav” page 350) revealed a Kabalistic method for finding out the babies’ gender during a pregnancy. They taught us that when a woman is pregnant one can ask her (must be suddenly) to show her hands. If she shows with her palms open (facing up), it’s a girl and if she shows the back of her hands (palms facing down), it’s a boy. Adam (man) was made from the earth (Adama) and Eve (woman) from above (the rib). I personally tried this method over a dozen times, and it was always the case.
When Pharaoh found out that they did not follow his orders, he summoned the midwives to his palace, and asked them why they refused to follow his commands. The midwives told Pharaoh that they are Hebrews and unlike the Egyptian midwives they respect and fear HaShem. They also claimed that when they arrived at a home of a women giving birth, it was too late and the baby was already born. HaShem saw the greatness of the midwives the Torah writes (1:21) “He made them houses” (“וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם, בָּתִּים”), meaning that HaShem will reward them with Kohanim and Levites and forever being part of the Bait HaMikdash. Miriam married Calev Ben Yefune and their offspring will always be part of the future house of kings and Bait HaMikdash. There is another Midrash on the verse “He made them houses” that teaches us that Pharaoh built Egyptian homes between the Hebrew homes to see and hear if babies are born, in order to have them killed. Rabbi Chizkuni says “and he made them homes”, meant to teach us that Pharaoh built birth homes for the midwives to deliver (and kill) babies there. Pharaoh sent his soldiers to kill Yocheved and Miriam, but they could not be found. When the soldiers arrived at Yocheved and Miriam’s house, HaShem made a miracle and they were invisible and blended into the walls.
In chapter two in the book of Shemot (verse 2:1) we have a “strange” story, as it says, “A Levite man marries a Levite woman” (“וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ, מִבֵּית לֵוִי; וַיִּקַּח, אֶת-בַּת-לֵוִי”). These were Amram and Yocheved, who were already married and had Aaron and Miriam; so why is it written that they got married? From this we learn of Miriam’s great role in saving the entire Jewish nation in Egypt. Since Pharaoh’s new decree ordered that every boy to be killed at birth by drowning him in the Nile, Amram divorced Yocheved. He claimed that due to this decree Jewish men should refrain from having children. Since he was the leader, hundreds of thousands of Hebrew men followed his action and divorced their wives. Amram refused to have more baby boys killed by Pharaoh. Miriam rebuked him by saying that he (her father) is worse than Pharaoh; since Pharaoh only decreed on the boys but Amram decreed on the girls as well. Upon such rebuke he remarried his wife, and she gave birth to Moshe. It is worth mentioning here that after Amram divorced Yocheved, she remarried and had two sons named Eldad and Maydad who were Moshe’s half-brothers.
The name “Amram” (“עמרם”) is made up of two words: “Am” (“עם” – nation) and “Ram” (“רם” – great), alluding to his contribution to Bnei-Yisrael. Following Amram’s example, hundreds of thousands of Hebrew men re-married their wives, and hundreds of thousands Jewish children were born. Yocheved gave birth to a boy and hid him for three months in her home (“וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה יְרָחִים”). The Torah writes that she could not hide him any longer, to teach us that the redemption prophecy will commence right there and then. Yocheved saw that “he is good”; just as HaShem said “Ki Tov” on his creation (in Beresheet), so did Yocheved recognize that her son is blessed, as he was born circumcised. Another Midrash says that when Moshe was born, the house was filled with light and she saw that he is good.
It is important to mention that Yocheved was a hundred and thirty years old when she gave birth to Moshe. The question is why the Torah didn’t make a “big deal” out of such birth at such an advanced age as it did with Sarah. We know that Sarah was ninety years old when she gave birth to Yitzchak, and the Torah wrote all about it. The Zohar says that when the Torah mentioned Sarah’s age and the miracle, there was no need to tell of another miracle of the same stature. Moshe was born on Adar 7th in the year 2368 from Creation (and also passed on Adar 7th)
Miriam’s name derives from “Mar” (“מר” – bitter) as the Hebrews suffered in Egypt and also from “Mayim” (“מים” – water), to teach us that Miriam and all the Hebrew wives brought water to their husbands while being slaves, as their lives were bitter. HaShem rewarded the women with the word Maie (“מי” – water) in the name “Nashim” (“נשים” – wives). In the Merit of Miraim, Bnei-Yisrael had water during their forty years in the desert, and only after her passing the water well disappeared.
The tribe of Levi was allowed to study Torah and have their children circumcised since Pharaoh feared HaShem (to some extent). Now the Egyptian “fortunetellers” and Pharaoh’s advisors told him that the Hebrew savior will be a boy and they mentioned that he will come from a water source. Pharaoh then issued a new decree and ordered every newborn boy, even Egyptian ones, to be killed at birth by drowning them in the Nile.
When Yocheved was no longer able to hide Moshe, she built a reed basket with clay on the inside and tar on the outside. This was Moshe’s protective ark while he was placed on the banks of the Nile (similar to Noach’s ark). Yocheved knew that the Egyptians compared the Nile to an idol, and that is why she placed him on its banks. Yocheved chose the Nile as a hiding place since she knew that Pharaoh’s decree was to kill all baby boys in water, and she understood that the river will be the last place the Egyptians will look for a Hebrew boy. Yocheved and Miriam placed Moshe in the basket right in front of Pharaoh’s daughter’s palace. Miriam, Moshe’s sister, stood and watched over him from afar to see what would be the outcome, since she knew the prophecy. She did so to make sure that if he needed help, she would be there to help and provide for all his needs. The word Nile is “Nilus” (“נלוס”) which has two words “Lo” (“לו”) and Nes (“נס”), as Moshe had a miracle in the Nile. The word ark (“Teiva” – “תיבה”) in Hebrew contents in it the secret of Pharaoh’s daughter; as it also spells her name “Batya” (“בתיה”), meaning the daughter of HaShem.
Miraim (and Aharon) were watching Moshe as he was placed by the river bank, close to Pharaoh’s daughter’s palace and bathing area. Batya, along with her maidservant, went to the river. There is a Midrash that says that she was so disgusted by her father’s decree of drowning babies (both Hebrews and Egyptians) and she was worried that he would do the same to her. The verse says “the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river” (“וַתֵּרֶד בַּת-פַּרְעֹה לִרְחֹץ עַל-הַיְאֹר”). Our Sages say that she “went down” to the water at the same time she saw the “Hebrew Baby”, to teach us that she actually made a Tevilah in the Mikvah; she immersed herself in water and converted to Judaism. The Zohar says that when “she opened it, and saw the child”, she “saw” her Jewish Neshamah, and converted. The Torah writes “Vatishkach Amata” (“וַתִּשְׁלַח אֶת-אֲמָתָהּ”), sent her hand or her maid. The Midrash tells us that a miracle occurred and her arm extended across the Nile and she reached the baby’s basket and pulled it towards her.
Upon opening the basket she saw a crying Hebrew baby boy (“וְהִנֵּה-נַעַר בֹּכֶה”). The Torah refers to Moshe as “Na’ar” (“נַעַר” – teenager), to teach us that his voice sounded as a young man. Our Sages explain that the “Na’ar” was Aharon (Moshe’s brother) who too was watching him and was crying. Batya noticed that the baby was of Hebrew descent and had mercy on him. She saw that the baby was already circumcised and was surrounded by the Shechinah (“שכינה”). As soon as Batya took the baby, Miriam rushed to her and offered her help. She asked Batya if she would like to have surrogate nurse from the Hebrews to nurse the baby. Batya said “Go” because the baby would not nurse from any of the Egyptian women who tried to feed him. There is a Midrash that says Batya was Tziporah’s sister (Chesed LeAvraham). It is important to mention here that Batya told her father Pharaoh not to enslave the tribe of Levi since she did not want her “son”, Moshe, to be a slave.
Batya named him Moshe because he was pulled out of the water (Nimsha); the word Moshe, when is written backwards, will read “HaShem” (“השם”). The Torah writes twice about Moshe growing up in years, once as he grew up at his mother’s house and once at Pharaoh’s daughter house, as it says (chapter 2:1), “And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moshe, and said: ‘Because I drew him out of the water” (“וַיִּגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד, וַתְּבִאֵהוּ לְבַת-פַּרְעֹה, וַיְהִי-לָהּ, לְבֵן; וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ, מֹשֶׁה, וַתֹּאמֶר, כִּי מִן-הַמַּיִם מְשִׁיתִהוּ”). Moshe first grew up with all the Jewish values as a leader and then as an Egyptian prince. The question is asked how Batya (Pharaoh’s daughter) knew how to speak Hebrew, being an Egyptian. We know that in the past HaShem appeared to Hagar (also Pharaoh’s daughter) and told her that her son will be called Yishmael. Hagar never told Avraham about this event, yet Avraham knew and named him Yishmael. The Zohar says that when one takes the first step towards HaShem (as Batya did) HaShem places the words in our mouth as He did to Avraham. The Midrash says that Batya was one of the ten people who went up to heaven alive.
Moshe was forty years old when he went out to “see” his “brothers”; even though he was royalty and grew up as a prince with all the privileges, he never left HaShem’s ways. The Midrash says that when Moshe “saw their sufferings” he asked Pharaoh to let the Hebrews rest on Shabbat. This is one of the reasons HaShem chose him to take Bnei-Yisrael out of Egypt and lead them to freedom. Moshe left everything behind to be with his people and when he saw an Egyptian man hit a Hebrew man (“וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי, מַכֶּה אִישׁ-עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו”). He killed the Egyptian by pronouncing HaShem’s secret name. The Torah says (verse 2:12) that Moshe “looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man” (“וַיִּפֶן כֹּה וָכֹה, וַיַּרְא כִּי אֵין אִישׁ”); the Midrash tells us that before killing the Egyptian Moshe made sure that none of this man’s future offspring is going to be righteous or good member in them (through the prophecy and his Shechinah). Only after confirming such information Moshe killed the wicked Egyptian and buried him. Our Sages say the “Egyptian man” was a “Gilgul Neshamah” (reincarnation) of Kayin. The Midrash says that half of the Neshamah was given to the Egyptian man and half was given to Yitro (“יתרו”). Since Kayin killed his brother Hevel, his punishment was to be killed by Moshe as the “Egyptian-man”. The Midrashs says that Moshe got Hevel’s Neshamah (soul) in a “Gilgul” (reincarnation). Yitro gave his daughter (Tziporah who’s soul is Havel’s sister/wife) to Moshe and that made a full Tikun (fix). Due to Kayin’s Neshamah, as he killed his brother in order to take his twin sister (as Hevel had two sisters while Kayin had only one sister).
The Midrash tells us that when Pharaoh heard about this event, he sought to kill Moshe. Therefore, Moshe fled from Egypt to Midian and sat by a well. It is interesting to note that all our forefathers met their wives at the water well: Yitzchak’s wife, Rivka, met Eliezer, Avraham’s servant, by the water well, Yaakov met Rachel by the water well and Moshe met his wife, Tzipora (“ציפורה”), at the water well. This teaches us that a good wife is like water (Torah) in one’s life, as women are obligated to have a home filled with Torah. There are several opinions (by the Midrash) about how old Moshe was when he fled Egypt, some say twelve, some say twenty and some say forty. The most common opinion is forty as in Miriam’s prophecy.
Midian was ruled by a leader named Reuel, also known as Yitro (“יתרו “) who originally was Pharaoh’s top advisor, who fled Egypt, not willing to participate in the killing of babies (Pharaoh had three top advisors: Iyov and Bilam, who were wicked, and Yitro, who was righteous). The Torah writes that Yitro was a Kohen of Midian, to teach us that future blessings would come upon his family. It also teaches us that the people of Midian did not respect him and his daughters, since they drew their own water. Yitro had seven daughters who came to the water well to provide for their father’s flock. The shepherds used to drive Yitro’s daughters away. Moshe witnessed this incident and immediately came to the women’s aid and helped them watered their flock, as a good “Shepherd” would do. The Torah writes “Vayakom/stood up” (“וַיָּקָם מֹשֶׁה וַיּוֹשִׁעָן”), to teach us that he was ready to kill them (the other shepherds), in the name of justice. The daughters rushed back to their father and told him about the “Egyptian man” who came to their rescue (“וַתֹּאמַרְןָ–אִישׁ מִצְרִי”). Yitro understood that he was of a divine family, the family of Yaakov. The Midrash says that the water in the well rose up when Moshe came to their rescue.
It is important for us to know that when Yitro’s daughters introduced Moshe as “Egyptian man”, Moshe never corrected them and said that he was not an “Egyptian man”, but rather a Hebrew man. This was one of his sins (among few others) which prevented him from entering the land of Israel. Another Midrash says that the reason he did not correct their statement about being an “Egyptian man” is to tell Yitro that he should thank him (the dead Egyptian) for brining Moshe to Midian. We must point out that Yitro was Pharaoh’s top advisor, who knew Moshe from the palace, yet Moshe never corrected their statement.
Moshe came upon “Har HaElokim” (“וַיָּבֹא אֶל-הַר הָאֱלֹהִים”), HaShem’s Mountain, also known as Mount Sinai, where the TORAH was given. For the first time Moshe was introduced by HaShem to a Divine “Nevuah” (prophecy) by three elements on Mount Sinai:
- HaShem’s Angel
- Fire
- HaShem
Moshe witnessed an amazing sight, the burning bush (“הסנה הבוער”), where HaShem’s Angel appears to him in the “heart of fire”, as it says (chapter 3:2), “וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה אֵלָיו, בְּלַבַּת-אֵשׁ–מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה”. Moshe noticed that the fire did not consume the thorny bush. He decided to get a “closer look” and to examine the phenomenon. Moshe asked himself why the fire did not consume the thorny bush. This teaches us about another leadership quality, to question odd and unexplained sights or actions. The mere fact that Moshe walked towards the fire, teaches us of his unshakable trust in HaShem knowing that nothing would happened to him. This burning bush symbolized Bnei-Yisrael, who like the bush, will never be consumed by their enemies, in this case the Egyptians. It also teaches us that even in the harshest of times and even in the middle of fire, HaShem exists and is there to save us.
Moshe was just as Rabbi Akiva. There is a well-known story of how Rabbi Akiva began his path toward leadership after experiencing a phenomenon in nature: the water eroding a rock, similar to how Moshe began his path toward leadership, when he experienced a phenomenon in nature: the burning bush. This similarity opens up several important questions: Are there other similarities? What are the key contrasts? Is the resemblance between the two stories intentional? Let us begin to answer these questions by considering first the similar qualities of each individual story. Both Rabbi Akiva and Moshe started out in positions from which it appears unlikely that one can become a leader. The Ramban points out that for most of Moshe’s life before he encountered the burning bush he was a fugitive fleeing from Pharaoh for having killed an Egyptian taskmaster. In Shemot 2:11 it says that “Moshe grew up…” “ויגדל” (“VaYigdal”). The Ramba”n says that Moshe had just reached maturity. So too Rabbi Akiva who was forty when he witnessed a constant drop of water that reshaped the rock, and realized that he too can “grow”.
HaShem told Moshe about the suffering of Bnei-Israel in Egypt and He used the phrase “Ata Yadati” (“עתה ידעתי“ – now I know). It was meant to teach Moshe that now that HaShem is accepting their prayers and cries for redemption, he too (Moshe) should now know that HaShem exists. HaShem said “VaEred” (“וארד” – I will come down), meaning that now He will come down from the heavens to be with Bnei-Israel, to save them and to make them His chosen people. HaShem reinforces His promise to redeem Bnei-Israel and to bring them to the land of Milk and Honey, all while alienating the seven nations in Canaan; the Hitties, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites), just as He promised our forefathers.
HaShem provided Moshe with three “proofs” in order to show His greatness to Pharaoh and his advisors.
- The Staff, the stick in Moshe’s hand, to produce magic.
- The snake, the serpent, to teach Moshe that just as Adam did not believe and listen to HaShem he was punished for listening to the snake.
- Tzarat, skin as white as snow, to teach him of the punishment of speaking “Lashon Hara” (“לשון הרע “) about Bnei-Yisrael as Moshe said “What if they do not listen to me”. Moshe was blaming Bnei-Yisrael without proof, without witnessing such sin yet.
The Midrash says that it took HaShem seven days to convince Moshe to accept the task of redeeming Bnei-Israel from Egypt, and be their leader. Moshe was extremely humble and he offered his older brother Aaron first, saying “who am I?” (“מִי אָנֹכִי”). Moshe told HaShem that he cannot even speak properly; when he was growing up in Pharaoh’s house Moshe was tested and was offered to choose between gold and coals, by Pharaoh’s advisors. As he extended his hand towards the Gold (being shiny), the Angel Gabriel (“גבריאל “) pushed his hand to the fire; Moshe got burnt and he put his hand (with a hot coal) into his mouth causing him to have a speech impediment. Eventually Moshe understood that he is the one who must take on this task and he accepted the full responsibility. HaShem promised Moshe that He will be with him the whole time. The Zohar says that the fire that burnt his lips came to purify him from all the non-kosher milk the Egyptian nurses tried to feed him when he was a baby.