Midrasch zu Schemot 2:16

(Numb. 22:7:) “So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with [the tools for] divination in their hand,” for they brought in their hands all kinds of divining instruments through which one divines, so as not to give him an excuse [for not coming].¹⁸Numb. R. 20:8. So the divining instruments were in the hands of the elders of Midian, for they said, “If he comes with us, he will succeed; but if he delays [even] for an hour, he will be of no use.” As soon as they saw that he said (in vs. 8), “Lodge here tonight,” the elders of Midian went away, because they knew through their divinations that he would be of no use. (Numb. 22:9:) “Then God came unto Balaam and said, ‘Who are these people with you?’” This text is related (to Prov. 28:10), “One who leads the upright astray on an evil course will fall into his own pit.” Thus at first mortals [behaved] with propriety, but because of his (Balaam's) words, they became [unbridled] in sexual matters.¹⁹Numb. R. 20:9; also Sanh. 106a. Thus, of former [generations] it is stated (in Gen. 29:9), “Rachel came with the sheep.” And so (in Exod. 2:16), “Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters.” Women would go out with the sheep.²⁰I.e., although these seven daughters and Rachel were shepherdesses, they had no fear of being alone among males. [But] Balaam the wicked arose and led mortals astray into unchastity. But as he led [others] astray, he [himself] was led astray. By the [very] counsel he gave, he [himself] fell. This is what is written (in Prov. 28:10), “[One who leads the upright astray on an evil course] will fall into his own pit.” So the Holy One, blessed be He, led him astray with it, as stated (in Job 12:23), “He exalts the nations and destroys them.” When [the Holy One, blessed be He,] asked him (in Numb. 22:9), “Who are these people with you,” that wicked one said, “I know nothing about them.” [He said to himself,] “It appears to me [that] there are times when [God] does not know. And so I can do all that I want to His children.” That is why [God] said to him, “Who are these people with you?” In order to lead him astray. (Numb. 22:10:), “And Balaam said to God, ‘Balak ben Zippor, [the king of Moab] sent [this message] unto me.” He began to boast and say, “Even though You do not honor me, and You do not put out a good name for me in the world, kings seek me. (Numb. 22:11:) “Behold the people has come out of Egypt […], come now, curse (qavah) them for me.” [This is] to make known that he (Balaam) hated Israel more than Balak, because (in Numb. 22:6) Balak did not say qavah (as Balaam claimed he had said in Numb. 22:11) but arah.²¹Both words mean “curse,” but the former is worse than the latter, because qavah involves the use of the Divine Name. This one (Balaam), however, said (in vs. 11), “curse explicitly (qavah),” [meaning] to take [God’s] name explicitly. Moreover, while the former (Balak) said (in Numb. 22:6) “And drive them away from the land,” the latter (Balaam) said [simply] (in vs. 11), “and drive them out” [i.e.,] from this world and from the world to come.

(Numb. 22:9:) THEN GOD CAME UNTO BALAAM AND SAID: WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WITH YOU? This text is related (to Prov. 28:10): ONE WHO LEADS THE UPRIGHT ASTRAY ON AN EVIL COURSE [WILL FALL INTO HIS OWN PIT]. Thus at first mortals [behaved] with propriety, but because of his (Balaam's) words, they became unbridled in sexual matters.²¹Tanh., Numb. 7:5, cont.; Numb. R. 20:9; also Sanh. 106a. Thus of former <generations> [it is written] (in Gen. 29:9): RACHEL CAME WITH THE SHEEP. (Exod. 2:16): NOW THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN HAD SEVEN DAUGHTERS.²²I.e., although these seven daughters and Rachel were shepherdesses, they had no fear of being alone among males. Balaam the Wicked arose and led mortals astray into unchastity; but as he led <others> astray, he <himself> was led astray. By the <very> counsel he gave, he <himself> fell. [This is what is written] (in Prov. 28:10): <ONE WHO LEADS THE UPRIGHT ASTRAY ON AN EVIL COURSE> WILL FALL INTO HIS OWN PIT. So the Holy One led him astray, as stated (in Job 12:23): HE EXALTS THE NATIONS AND DESTROYS THEM. HE ENLARGES THE NATIONS AND LEADS THEM AWAY. <When the Holy One> asked him (in Numb. 22:9): WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WITH YOU? That Wicked one said: I know nothing about them, except that (according to vss. 10–11): KING BALAK BEN ZIPPOR OF MOAB SENT <THIS MESSAGE> UNTO ME: BEHOLD THE (sic) PEOPLE HAS COME OUT OF EGYPT …; <COME NOW, CURSE (qavah) THEM FOR ME. PERHAPS I SHALL BE ABLE TO FIGHT AGAINST THEM AND DRIVE THEM AWAY FROM THE LAND>. <This is> to make known that he (Balaam) hated Israel more then Balak, because (in Numb. 22:6) Balak did not say qavah (as Balaam claimed he had said in Numb. 22:11) but arah.²³Both words mean “curse,” but the former is worse than the latter, because qavah involves the use of the Divine Name. This one (Balaam), however, explicitly said: CURSE (qavah) (in vs. 11). Moreover, while the former (Balak) said (in Numb. 22:6): AND DRIVE THEM AWAY <FROM THE LAND>, the latter (Balaam) said <simply> (in vs. 11): AND DRIVE THEM OUT <i.e.,> from this world and from the world to come.²⁴While Balak had qualified the driving away of Israel with FROM THE LAND, Balaam did no such thing; therefore, one must assume that Balaam wanted to drive Israel, not only from the land, but even from the world to come.

Now the Priest of Midian had seven daughters (Exod. 2:16). Was it proper for this righteous man to go to the home of an idolater? After all, since the Holy one, blessed be He, detests idolatry, why did he permit Moses to go to a place where idols were worshipped? That fact is that though Jethro had been the priest of idolaters, he always held idols in contempt. Jethro was convinced of their falseness and despised them. In fact he had decided to repent even prior to the arrival of Moses. He had summoned his townsmen and told them: “I have served you until now, but now I am old; select another priest.” Because he had returned the paraphernalia used in idolatrous worship, they were angry with him, and turned against him so violently that no one would speak to him, or work for him, or tend his flocks. He pleaded with the shepherds to care for his flocks, but they refused. Hence his daughters were compelled to take them out to pasture, as it is said: Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters (Exod. 2:16).

What is written above on the matter (in Exod. 2:16)? NOW THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN HAD SEVEN DAUGHTERS. What is written there (in vs. 17)? BUT THE SHEPHERDS CAME AND DROVE THEM OFF. What did they do to them? They seized them in order to throw them in the water. (Ibid., cont.:) THEN MOSES ROSE UP AND SAVED (a form of hoshia') THEM. Now this word (hoshia') is only <used of> a deliverance (rt.: NTsL) from water. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 69:2 [1]): SAVE (hoshia') ME, O GOD, FOR THE WATERS HAVE REACHED MY NECK.⁵¹Exod. R. 1:32. (Exod. 2:17, cont.:) AND HE WATERED THEIR FLOCK. (Vs. 18:) WHEN THEY CAME TO THEIR FATHER REUEL. He was called by seven names: Jether, Jethro, Reuel, Hobab, [Heber,] Keni, Putiel.⁵²Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Amaleq, 3.

Two men welcomed two righteous men and were blessed because of them. At first they had no sons, but after these righteous men entered their homes and then departed, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them sons. These two were Laban and Jethro. If Laban had any sons of his own, would his daughters have been forced to shepherd his flock? The fact is that he had no sons, but after Jacob’s arrival, he was blessed with property and sons, as it is written: And the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake (Gen. 30:27), and furthermore, it is written: And he heard the words of Laban’s sons (ibid. 31:1). In this instance, it is written: Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters (Exod. 2:16). Is it likely that if he had sons his daughters would have been shepherdesses? No. Obviously, he had no sons. After Moses entered his house, however, he was blessed with sons, as it is written: And the sons of the Kenite, Moses’s father-in law (Judg. 14:17).

(Exod. 9:18:) BEHOLD, AT THIS TIME TOMORROW I WILL RAIN DOWN <VERY HEAVY HAIL>. Zavday ben Levi said: He scratched a single mark for him on the wall.¹¹⁰Tanh., Exod. 2:16; Exod. R. 12:2. He said to him: Tomorrow when the sun reaches here, I will bring hail down upon you. (Ibid., cont.:) SUCH AS HAS NEVER BEEN. Nothing has happened like it, but it is going to happen to the nations. It is prepared for Sennacherib. <These are> the words of R. Simon. R. Hanina said: It is prepared for the punishment of Gog and Magog, as stated (concerning Gog in Ezek. 38:22): AND I WILL POUR TORRENTIAL RAIN, HAILSTONES, <FIRE, AND BRIMSTONE UPON HIM AND HIS HOSTS AND THE MANY PEOPLES THAT ARE WITH HIM>.¹¹¹On Gog and Magog, see above, note 68.

9 (Numb. 22:9) “Then God came unto Balaam and said, ‘Who are these people with you’”: This text is related (to Prov. 28:10), “One who leads the upright astray on an evil course will fall into his own pit.” This refers to Balaam. For at first mortals [behaved] with propriety, but because of his (Balaam's) words, they became [unbridled] in sexual matters.¹⁴Sanh. 106a. Thus, of former [generations] it is stated (in Gen. 29:9), “Rachel came with the sheep.” And so (in Exod. 2:16), “Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters.”¹⁵I.e., although these seven daughters and Rachel were shepherdesses, they had no fear of being alone among males. [But] Balaam the wicked arose and led mortals astray into unchastity. But as he led [others] astray, he [himself] was led astray. By the [very] counsel he gave, he [himself] fell. So the Holy One, blessed be He, led him astray, as stated (in Job 12:23), “He exalts the nations and destroys them.” When [the Holy One, blessed be He,] asked him (in Numb. 22:9), “Who are these people with you,” that wicked one said [to himself,] “He knows nothing about them; It appears to me [that] there are times when [God] does not know. And so I can do all that I want to His children.” That is why [God] said it. In order to lead him astray. (Numb. 22:10), “And Balaam said to God, ‘Balak ben Zippor, [the king of Moab] sent [this message] unto me”: He began to boast and say, “Even though You do not honor me, and You do not put out a good name for me in the world, kings seek me. (Numb. 22:11) “Behold the people has come out of Egypt […]; come now, curse (qavah) them for me”: [This is] to make known that he (Balaam) hated Israel more than Balak, because (in Numb. 22:6) Balak did not say qavah (as Balaam claimed he had said in Numb. 22:11) but arah.¹⁶Both words mean “curse,” but the former is worse than the latter, because qavah involves the use of the Divine Name. This one (Balaam), however, said (in vs. 11), “curse explicitly (qavah).” Moreover, while the former (Balak) said (in Numb. 22:6) “And drive them away from the land,” the latter (Balaam) said [simply] (in vs. 11), “and drive them out” [i.e.,] from this world and from the world to come.

(Exod. 9:23:) AND THE LORD, <implies the Holy One> and all <his> council,¹¹⁴Gk.: sugkletos. for did they not decree that the hail come down upon Egypt?¹¹⁵See Tanh. Exod. 2:16; Exod. R. 12:4. The exegetical principle here is that, wherever the expression, AND THE LORD, appears, there is an implication that the heavenly court is also present. So below, 3:17; yBer. 9:7 (14b); ySan. 1:1 (18a); Gen. R. 51:2; Lev. R. 24:2.

It is written (in Exod. 9:32): BUT THE WHEAT AND THE SPELT WERE NOT HURT BECAUSE THEY RIPEN LATE. R. Pinhas bar Hama the Priest and R. Judah bar Shallum differ.¹¹⁷Tanh., Exod. 2:16; Exod. R. 12:6. R. Pinhas says: What is the meaning of BECAUSE THEY RIPEN LATE (rt.: 'PL)? The Holy One performed miracles (rt.: PL') through them. But R. Judah says: They were late crops. R. Pinhas said to him: But look, it is written (in Exod. 9:25): THE HAIL SMOTE EVERY HERB OF THE FIELD; yet you say: Because they were tiny they were not smitten. Rather the Holy One performed miracles through them. At that time, when Pharaoh saw this, he said to Moses: Pray for me. He said to him: {(Exod. 8:5 [9]:) YOU MAY HAVE THIS TRIUMPH OVER ME; so I will let them go.} In the first plague you said to me: Pray for me and I will let them go. Then I prayed, but you did not let them go. {(Exod. 8:5 [9], cont.:) FOR WHAT TIME SHALL I MAKE SUPPLICATION FOR YOU…?} Pharaoh said to him (in Exod. 9:27): [THIS TIME] I HAVE SINNED {AGAINST THE LORD YOUR GOD AND AGAINST YOU.} Now I will let them go. As soon as Moses heard this, what is written (in vs. 33)? SO LEAVING PHARAOH, MOSES WENT OUT OF THE CITY AND SPREAD OUT HIS HANDS UNTO THE LORD. <THEN THE THUNDER AND THE HAIL CEASED>… See how dear the righteous are to the Holy One! For whatever they decide to do, the Holy One does <for them>. Our masters have said (in Ta'an. 3:8):¹¹⁸See also yTa‘an. 3:8–12 (66d-67a); Ta’an. 23a. Once upon a time Honi the Circle-Drawer prayed for rain to fall. He drew a circle and stood within it. He said to him: Sovereign of the World, your children have set their faces upon me, for here I am like a house child (i.e., a close friend) before you. I swear by your great name that I will not move from here until you have compassion upon your children. Immediately the rains came down. Now if Honi the Circle-Drawer, who was from the children of the children of Moses < could do> this, how much the more so in the case of Moses himself. Ergo (ibid.): THEN THE THUNDER AND THE HAIL CEASED, [AND NO RAIN CAME POURING DOWN TO EARTH]. And where is it to be found? Our masters have said: It is suspended in the air¹¹⁹Gk.: aer. until Gog and Magog come.¹²⁰Exod. R. 12:7; cf. Ber. 54b. It is so stated (concerning Gog in Ezek. 38:22): AND I WILL POUR TORRENTIAL RAIN, HAILSTONES, <FIRE, AND BRIMSTONE UPON HIM AND HIS HOSTS AND THE MANY PEOPLES THAT ARE WITH HIM>.¹²¹On Gog and Magog, see above, note 68. Immediately (after Exod. 9:33 it says in vs. 34): BUT WHEN PHARAOH SAW THAT THE RAIN AND THE HAIL <AND THE THUNDER> HAD CEASED, HE REVERTED TO SINNING.¹²²Tanh., Exod. 2:17. So it is with the wicked. When they see that trouble has come upon them, they humble themselves; but as soon as the trouble passes and one feels relief, they return to their evil deeds. When Nebuchadnezzar saw trouble come upon him, he began giving praise to the Holy One. (Dan. 4:34 [37]:) SO NOW I, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, PRAISE, EXALT, AND HONOR THE KING OF HEAVEN…. R. Berekhyah the Priest said in the name of R. Helbo, <who spoke> in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman: Were it not for the fact that the Holy One judges the hearts and thoughts, would Nebuchadnezzar have given praise with one verse, just as David gave praise in his whole book? When Nebuchadnezzar saw himself <to have> greatness, he began to boast (in Dan. 4:1 [4] and 27 [30]): I <AM> NEBUCHADNEZZAR,… IS NOT THIS BABYLON THE GREAT < WHICH I HAVE BUILT >…? The Holy One said to him: You wicked man, what are you boasting about? (Vs. 28 [31]:) THE WORDS WERE STILL ON THE KING'S LIPS, <WHEN A VOICE FELL FROM HEAVEN…: THE KINGDOM HAS PASSED FROM YOU>…. As long as the wicked see trouble coming upon them they are humble. When they see that it is going <away>, they return to their wickedness. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 9:34): BUT WHEN PHARAOH SAW THAT <THE RAIN AND THE HAIL AND THE THUNDER> HAD CEASED, <HE REVERTED TO SINNING>. The nations of the world continue to sin, but as for Israel (according to Lam. 4:22): YOUR INIQUITY IS ENDED, O DAUGHTER OF ZION. When? When he attends to the iniquity of the house of Edom, as stated (ibid., cont.): HE HAS ATTENDED TO YOUR INIQUITY, O DAUGHTER OF EDOM. From now on Israel shall never go into exile.¹²³Heb. golim. The word also connotes being exposed or uncovered. Rather the Holy One shall gather them to Jerusalem, as stated (in Ps. 107:2–3): LET THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD SAY SO, THOSE WHOM HE HAS REDEEMED FROM THE HAND OF ADVERSITY; FOR HE HAS GATHERED THEM FROM THE LANDS, FROM THE EAST AND FROM THE WEST, FROM THE NORTH AND FROM THE SEA.

[(Gen. 21:1:) AND THE LORD VISITED SARAH.] R. Eleazar ben Pedat said: Every place that you find AND THE LORD, < the words mean > "he and his sygkletos"¹²⁷The Greek word means “assembly” or “senate.” {i.e., his host}.¹²⁸yBer. 9:7 (14b); Gen. R. 51:2; Exod. R. 12:4; Lev. R. 24:2; Tanh., Exod. 2:16; PR 42:3. {Another interpretation: AND THE LORD < VISITED SARAH >.} < These words > teach that the Holy One sat in judgment and said to his ministering angels: Does Sarah deserve to bear a son? When they all agreed and said: Yes, the Holy One set his seal after theirs. This is the meaning of (Gen. 21:1): AND THE LORD VISITED SARAH….

Whence again dost thou learn this? Know that it is so. Come and see from Moses, for, although he had not yet entered the city, he found maidens coming out before him, as it is said, "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came" (Ex. 2:16). And He prospered his way, and he redeemed Israel from Egypt. Whence dost thou know this? Know that it is so. Come and see from Saul, for whilst he had not yet entered the city, he found maidens coming forth before him, as it is said, "As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out" (1 Sam. 9:11). And He prospered his way and he acquired the sovereignty. || And whence do we know this? Know thou that it is so. Come and learn from Jacob, for whilst he had not yet entered the city, he found maidens coming forth before him, as it is said, "And, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh" (Gen. 29:6).

And in the fortieth year of the kingdom of Moses over Cush, Moses was sitting upon his ‎throne with queen Adoniah before him, and all the princes were seated around them, and ‎Adoniah spoke before the king and the princes saying: What is this thing which you have done, ‎oh children of Cush these many days? Know ye not that within the forty years that this man ‎reigned over Cush he hath not come near me, nor hath he served the gods of the children of ‎Cush. Now, therefore, hear me, oh children of Cush, and suffer this man no longer to rule over ‎us, for he is not of our flesh; behold here is my oldest son Menaeris, and let him be your king, ‎for verily it is better for you to serve the son of your master, than to serve a stranger, a former ‎slave to the king of Egypt. And the people heard the words which Adoniah had spoken in their ‎hearing, and they were in consultation until evening, and next morning they arose and made ‎Menaeris, the son of Kikianus, king over Cush.‎‏ ‏And all the sons of Cush were afraid to put forth ‎their hands against Moses, for the Lord was with him, and the sons of Cush remembered the ‎oath which they have sworn unto Moses, and therefore they would do him no harm; but they ‎gave unto Moses many gifts and they sent him away from them with great honors. Thus ‎Moses left the land of Cush and he went his way after he ceased to be king over Cush; and ‎Moses was sixty seven years of age when he departed from the land of Cush, and this was ‎ordained by the Lord, for the time had come which he had appointed in times of old, when he ‎was to bring forth the children of Israel from the affliction of the sons of Ham.‎‏ ‏And Moses ‎went to Midian, as he was afraid to return unto Egypt on account of Pharaoh, and he went and ‎seated himself at the well of water in Midian.‎‏ ‏And the seven daughters of Reuel, the ‎Midianite, went forth to feed the sheep of their father, and they came to the well to draw ‎water for their father's flocks; but the shepherds of Midian came and drove them away, and ‎Moses stood up and assisted them, and watered their sheep.‎‏ ‏And they came home to Reuel, ‎their father, and they told him what Moses had done for them, and they said: An Egyptian ‎man hath delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he drew up for us the water, and ‎he watered the sheep.‎‏ ‏And Reuel said unto his daughters: And where is he, why have ye left ‎the man? And Reuel sent for him, and brought him into his house and he ate with him bread.‎‏ ‏And Moses related unto Reuel, that he had fled from Egypt and that he had been reigning for ‎forty years over Cush, and how they had deprived him of his kingdom, and sent him away in ‎peace with honor and with gifts.‎‏ ‏And when Reuel heard the words of Moses he said within ‎himself: I will put this man into the prison house and gain favor by the children of Cush on his ‎account, for he hath surely fled from them; and they took him and put him into the prison ‎house, and Moses remained in prison for ten years.‎‏ ‏And while Moses was in the prison house, ‎Zipporah, Reuel’s daughter, had pity upon him, and she supplied Moses with bread and with ‎water all the time.‎‏ ‏And all the children of Israel were still in the land of Egypt, and they served ‎the Egyptians in all manner of hard labor, and the hand of Egypt continued in its rigor over the ‎children of Israel in those days. ‎

And the task masters forced the Israelites to put their children into the building, and a man had ‎to take his own child and place him into the wall and put mortar over him, though his eyes ‎were weeping and his tears streamed down upon his child. And the task masters of Pharaoh ‎did so for many days, and they had no pity and mercy upon the infants of the children of Israel; ‎and the number of children that were caused to die in the building was two hundred and ‎seventy. And the labor of the children of Israel was heavier upon them in the days of Adicom ‎than in the days of his father, and the children of Israel sighed every day in the hardship of ‎their labor, saying: Behold, when Pharaoh died and his son was crowned we hoped to have ‎our work lightened, and now the rigor of the latter is by far greater than of the former; and the ‎children of Israel sighed on that account, and their cries ascended to the Lord, and the Lord ‎heard their cries in those days, and he remembered unto them the covenant which he had ‎made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and he resolved to deliver them. Meantime Moses, the ‎son of Amram, was still confined in the prison house in those days, in the house of Reuel, the ‎Midianite, and his daughter Zipporah supplied Moses secretly with food day after day. And at ‎the end of ten years, which was the first year of the kingdom of the new Pharaoh, Zipporah ‎said unto Reuel, her father: Behold, the Hebrew man whom thou hast bound in the prison ‎house is there for ten years, and yet no man inquired or searched for him; and now if it ‎seemeth good in thine eyes, let us send and see whether he be dead or alive; and her father ‎knew not that she had supported him. And her father said unto her: Hath ever such a thing ‎come to pass, that a man could stand to be ten years in prison without eating and live? And ‎Zipporah answered unto her father, saying: Verily, thou hast heard that the God of the ‎Hebrews is great and fearful, and that he works wonders in their behalf at all times. It is he ‎who hath delivered Abraham from Ur Chasdim, and Isaac from his father's sword, and Jacob ‎from the angel of the Lord at the ford of Jabbok; and with this man also he hath done many ‎things, for he delivered him from the river of Egypt, and from the sword of Pharaoh, and from ‎the sons of Cush, and in the same way he can save him from starvation and keep him alive. ‎And the thing seemed good in the eyes of Reuel, and he did according to the words of his ‎daughter, and he sent to the prison to see what had become of Moses, and he saw and ‎behold, the man was alive in the pit, standing upon his feet, engaged in singing praises and ‎praying to the God of his fathers.‎

And Reuel commanded that Moses be brought forth from the pit, and they shaved him and he ‎changed his prison garments, and he ate bread; and afterwards he went into Reuel's garden, ‎which was back of the house, and there he prayed unto the Lord his God, who had done with ‎him such great wonders. And whilst he was praying he looked before him, and beheld a rod of ‎the saphir tree, which had been planted in the midst of the garden. And he approached the ‎rod, and looking at it closer, he saw the name of the Lord, the God of hosts, engraved upon ‎the rod in distinct characters. And he read it, and put forth his hand, and he extracted it from ‎the ground wherein it was rooted, like a tree in the forest. And this is the rod with which all the ‎wonders of our God have been performed from the day he finished heaven and earth and all ‎their hosts, the oceans and streams, and all their fishes. And when God drove Adam from the ‎Garden of Eden, Adam took this rod along with him, and he went to till the ground whence he ‎was taken. And the rod was transmitted to Noah and through him to Shem and his ‎descendants, and then it came into the hands of Abraham, the Hebrew; and when Abraham ‎gave all his property unto Isaac, his son, he gave him this rod likewise. And when Jacob fled to ‎Padan-aram he took that rod with him, and when he returned to his father the rod was not ‎forgotten. And when Jacob went down to Egypt he gave that rod unto Joseph, saying: I have ‎given to thee a portion above thy brethren which I took out of the hands of the Amorite; for ‎Jacob took it forcibly from Esau, his brother. And after the death of Joseph, when the princes ‎of Egypt came into his house, the rod fell into the hands of Reuel, the Midianite, and when he ‎left Egypt he took it along and planted it into his garden. And whenever a man came to ask ‎Zipporah for a wife, Reuel would tell him to extract the rod from the ground, for she would not ‎be given for a wife to any man who could not pluck it. And all the powerful men of the Kanites ‎tried to pluck that stick, for they endeavored to get Zipporah, his daughter, but they could not. ‎Thus that rod remained in Reuel's garden until the man came who had the right to take it. And ‎when Reuel saw the rod plucked by the hand of Moses, he was greatly astonished, and he ‎gave his daughter Zipporah unto Moses for a wife. ‎

(Bamidbar 12:1) "And Miriam and Aaron spoke (vatedaber) against Moses": "dibbur" in all places connotes "harsh" speech, as in (Bereshit 42:30) "The man, the lord of the land, spoke ("dibber") roughly to us," (Bamidbar 21:5) "and the people spoke ("vayedaber") against G-d and against Moses." And "amirah" in all places connotes imploration as in (Bereshit 19:7) "And he said (vayomer): Do not, I pray you, my brothers, do ill," (Bamidbar 12:6) "And He said (vayomer): Hear, I pray you, My words." "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses": We are hereby apprised that both spoke against him, but that Miriam spoke first. This was not her practice, but the occasion demanded it. Similarly (Jeremiah 36;6) "And you (Baruch) shall go and read from the scroll, on which you have written from my (Jeremiah's) mouth, the word of the L-rd in the ears of the people" — not that it was Baruch's practice to speak before Jeremiah, but the occasion demanded it. "and Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses": How did Miriam know that Moses had ceased from marital relations (with his wife Tzipporah)? Seeing that Tzipporah did not adorn herself as other (married) women did, she asked her for the cause and was told: "Your brother is not 'particular' about this thing" (intercourse, [being constantly "on call" for the word of G-d]). Thus Miriam learned of the matter. She apprised Aaron of it and they both spoke of it (as being a troublesome precedent for others.) Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If Miriam, whose intent was not to berate her brother, but to praise him, and not to diminish propagation (in Israel), but to increase it, and who spoke thus privately — If she was thus punished, then one who intends to speak against his brother, in defamation and not in praise, and to diminish propagation and not to increase it, and in public — how much more so (is he to be punished!) Similarly, a fortiori from the instance of Uzziah (viz. II Chronicles 16-19) If King Uzziah, whose intent (in offering the incense) was not self-aggrandizement or personal honor but the glory of his Master, was thus punished, how much more so one who intends the opposite! (Bamidbar, Ibid.) "… Because of the Cushite woman": Scripture hereby apprises us that whoever beheld her attested to her beauty. And thus is it written (Bereshit 11:29) "… the father of Milkah and the father of Yiskah": Yiskah is Sarah: Why was she called "Yiskah"? For all gazed upon ("sochim") her beauty, as it is written (Ibid. 12:15) "And Pharaoh's officers saw her and praised her to Pharaoh." R. Eliezer the son of R. Yossi Haglili said: "Tzipporah" (Moses' wife) — Why was she called "Tzipporah"? "Tzfu ur'uh" ("Look and see") how beautiful this woman is! "the Cushite (Ethiopian) woman": Now was she an Ethiopian? Wasn't she a Midianite, viz. (Shemot 2:16) "And the priest of Midian had seven daughters, etc." What is the intent of "Cushite"? Just as a Cushite is exceptional in his skin, so Tzipporah was exceptional in her beauty — more so than all the women. Similarly, (Psalms 7:1) "A Shiggayon of David, which he sang to the L-rd concerning Cush (Saul), a Benjaminite." Now was he a Cushite? (The intent is:) Just as a Cushite is exceptional in his skin, so Saul was exceptional in his appearance, as it is written of him (I Samuel 9:2) "… from his shoulder and upwards, taller than all of the people." Similarly, (Amos 9:7) "Are you not like Cushites to Me, O children of Israel?" Now were they Cushites? (The intent is:) Just as a Chushite is exceptional in his skin, so, is an Israelite exceptional in mitzvoth. Similarly, (Jeremiah 32:7) "And Eved-melech the Cushite heard": Now was he a Cushite? Was he not Baruch? But, just as a Cushite is exceptional in his skin, so, was Baruch ben Neriah exceptional in his deeds, more so than any of the others in the king's palace. (Bamidbar, Ibid.) "for he had taken a Cushite woman": Why is this written? Is it not written (immediately before) "about the Cushite woman that he had taken"? — There are those who are beautiful in appearance, but not in deed; in deed, but not in appearance, viz. (Proverbs 11:22) "Like a golden ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman lacking in sense. Tzipporah was beautiful in both — wherefore it is written "about the Cushite woman that he had taken, for he had taken a Cushite woman."

(Bamidbar 31:6) "And Moses sent them, a thousand to a tribe to the host, them and Pinchas": We are hereby apprised that they were as "weighty" as Pinchas, and Pinchas was over and against all of them. Why did Pinchas go and not Elazar? Because Pinchas went to take revenge (of the Midianites) for his mother's father (Yithro, viz. Shemot 2:16), it being written (Bereshit 37:36) "And the Midianites sold him (Joseph) to Egypt." (Bamidbar, Ibid.) "and the holy articles … in his hand": This refers to the ark, viz. (Ibid. 4:20) "And they shall not see when the 'holy' is being covered, lest they die." (Ibid. 31:6) "in his hand": "his hand" is his domain, as in (Ibid. 21:26) "and he took all his land from his hand," and (Bereshit 24:10) "and all the good of his master in his hand."