Midrasch zu Schemot 17:15

“I am black but lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon” (Song of Songs 1:5).
“I am black but lovely,” black in terms of my actions but lovely in terms of the actions of my ancestors. “I am black but lovely,” the congregation of Israel said: I am black in terms of myself,¹⁸⁸I acknowledge my sins and demand of myself that I improve in my service of God (Maharzu). and am, therefore, lovely before my Creator, as it is written: “Are you not like Kushites to Me, children of Israel [– the utterance of the Lord]” (Amos 9:7), you are like Kushites in terms of yourselves, but to Me you are the children of Israel – the utterance of the Lord.
Another matter, I was black in Egypt and I was lovely in Egypt. I was black in Egypt; “they defied Me and were unwilling to heed Me” (Ezekiel 20:8). I was lovely in Egypt, with the blood of the Paschal offering and the blood of circumcision, as it is written: “I passed you, and I saw you wallowing in your blood, and I said to you: In your blood, you shall live” (Ezekiel 16:6); this is the blood of the Paschal offering; “I said to you: In your blood, you shall live” (Ezekiel 16:6); this is the blood of circumcision.
Another matter, I was black at the sea, as it is stated: “They rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea” (Psalms 106:7). And I was lovely at the sea, as it is stated: “This is my God and I will glorify Him” (Exodus 15:2). I was black at Mara, as it is stated: “The people complained against Moses, saying: What will we drink?” (Exodus 15:24). And I was lovely at Mara, as it is stated: “He cried to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree and he cast it into the water and the waters were sweetened” (Exodus 15:25). I was black in Refidim, as it is stated: “He called the name of the place Masa and Meriva” (Exodus 17:7).¹⁸⁹Masa and Meriva literally translate to “trial” and “dispute.” And I was lovely in Refidim, as it is stated: “Moses built an altar, and he called its name: The Lord is my banner” (Exodus 17:15). I was black at Ḥorev, as it is stated: “They crafted a calf at Ḥorev” (Psalms 106:19). And I was lovely at Ḥorev, as it is stated: “Everything that the Lord stated we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7). I was black in the wilderness, as it is stated: “How much they defied Him in the wilderness” (Psalms 78:40). And I was lovely in the wilderness with the establishment of the Tabernacle, as it is stated: “On the day the Tabernacle was established” (Numbers 9:15). I was black with the scouts, as it is stated: “They issued a slanderous report” (Numbers 13:32). And I was lovely with Joshua and Caleb, as it is stated: “Except Caleb ben Yefuneh the Kenizite [and Joshua son of Nun]” (Numbers 32:12). I was black in Shitim, as it is stated: “Israel settled in Shitim [and the people began engaging in harlotry]” (Numbers 25:1). And I was lovely in Shitim, as it is stated: “Pinḥas stood and prayed” (Psalms 106:30). I was black regarding Akhan, as it is stated: “The children of Israel trespassed regarding the proscribed spoils” (Joshua 7:1). And I was lovely regarding Joshua, as it is stated: “Joshua said to Akhan: My son, please give honor [to the Lord, God of Israel]” (Joshua 7:19). I was black regarding the kings of Israel and I was lovely regarding the kings of Judah. If with the black that I had, I was lovely, among My prophets, all the more so.¹⁹⁰Many commentaries suggest that the text should read “lovely ones [na’im]” rather than “prophets [neviim]” (see, e.g., Maharzu; Etz Yosef). One interpretation of this statement is: If even at the places where I was black I was also lovely, how much more so in the places where I was not black.

Another explanation of The wise shall inherit honor. This refers to Joshua, who inherited honor from Moses, our master, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee (Josh. 1:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Put off thy shoes from off thy feet (Exod. 3:5), and to Joshua He said: Put off thy shoe from off thy foot (Josh. 5:15). Concerning Moses it is written: Then sang Moses and the children of Israel (Exod. 15:1), and about Joshua it is said: Then spoke Joshua to the Lord, in the day when the Lord delivered (Josh. 10:12). Moses led them out of Egypt, while Joshua led them into the Holy Land. Moses slew Sihon and Og, while Joshua slew thirty-one kings. Moses halted the revolution of the sun in the war with Amalek, as it is said: And Moses lifted up his hand (Exod. 17:11). The word lifted up refers to his halting of the revolution of the sun, as it is said: The deep uttereth its voice, and lifteth up its voice on high (Hab. 3:10). Joshua did likewise, as is said: Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, moon, in the valley of Aijalon (Josh. 10:12). Moses erected an altar, as it is said: And Moses built an altar (Exod. 17:15), and Joshua did likewise: Then Joshua built an altar (Josh. 8:3). Moses wrote the law, as is said: And Moses wrote this law (Deut. 31:9), and Joshua did also, as it is said: And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God (Josh. 24:26). And so this was in every instance.

(Exod. 17:15–16:) <AND MOSES BUILT AN ALTER AND CALLED ITS NAME ADONAI-NISSI.> AND HE SAID: <IT IS> BECAUSE A HAND IS UPON THE THRONE OF THE LORD. THE LORD HAS A WAR WITH AMALEK FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. It is taught in the name of R. Eleazar: The Holy One swore an oath and said: By my right hand, <by> my right hand, <by> my throne, <by> my throne, <I swear that> if gentiles come from any of the peoples, them I will accept; but those from the seed of Amalek I will not accept.⁷¹Tanh., Deut. 6:11, cont.; PRK 3:16; PR 12:9; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, ‘Amaleq, 2. And David also acted in this way, as stated (in II Sam. 1:13): AND DAVID SAID UNTO THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD TOLD HIM: WHERE DO YOU COME FROM? THEN HE SAID I AM THE SON OF AN AMALEKITE PROSELYTE.⁷²Ger. The word denoted a resident alien in biblical times, but in rabbinic literature the word denotes a proselyte. R. Isaac said: He was the son of Doeg the Edomite. Then David said to him (in vs. 16): YOUR BLOOD BE UPON YOUR OWN HEAD. <This is what one reads, but> [the written text (ketiv) is YOUR BLOODS.] You shed a lot of bloods in Nob, the city of priests.

And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-nissi (Exod. 17:15). Moses said to the Israelites: The miracle that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed, was only for the sake of His name, since they were not worthy of having a miracle performed for their sake. You find that whenever a miracle was performed for Israel, the miracle was for His sake, as it is said: In all their afflictions He was afflicted (Isa. 63:9). And Israel’s joys were His joys, as it is said: Because I rejoice in thy salvation (I Sam. 2:1). Thus it says: I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in My people (Isa. 65:19). It likewise says: And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee (ibid. 62:5). Amen, and so may it be.

... David is the shepherd of Israel, as it says “You shall shepherd My people Israel…” (Divre HaYamim I 11:2) And who shepherded David? The Holy One, as it says “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Tehillim 23:1) Jerusalem is the light of the world, as it says “And nations shall go by your light…” (Yeshayahu 60:3) And who is the light of Jerusalem? The Holy One, as it is written “…but the Lord shall be to you for an everlasting light…” (Yeshayahu 60:19)