Commentaire sur L’Exode 6:23

אחות נחשון THE SISTER OF NAASHON — Hence they (the Rabbis) learned (i.e. from the fact that Scripture states who her brother was when it mentions her marriage to Aaron) that he who is about to take a wife should strictly investigate who her brothers are (Bava Batra 110a).

AND AARON TOOK HIMSELF ELISHEBA, THE DAUGHTER OF AMMINADAB, THE SISTER OF NACHSHON TO WIFE. Just as Scripture mentioned the mother of the prophets, [namely, Jochebed],⁸²Verse 20. in their honor, saying that she was the daughter of Levi, a righteous man, and alluding to the fact that a miracle occurred to her,⁸³See Ramban to Genesis 46:15 (Vol. I, pp. 554-9). it also mentioned the mother of priesthood, i.e., that she was related to the seed of royalty, being the sister of the great prince [Nachshon of the tribe of Judah].
Scripture mentioned the mother of Phinehas,⁸⁴Verse 25: And Eleazar, Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife, and she bore him Phinehas. for he too was a priest, a reward which he earned himself.⁸⁵See Numbers 25:6-13. Originally when Aaron and his four sons - Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar — were anointed as priests, this prerogative extended only to them and their offspring born after the anointment. Phinehas the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron who was alive at the time of the anointment was thus not included. Priesthood was later bestowed upon him as a reward for being zealous for G-d. Now if this name Putiel — [Phinehas’ maternal grandfather] — is a proper name, it is not clear why Scripture [suddenly] mentions the name of a person whose identity we do not know. It is for this reason that our Rabbis have said⁸⁶Sotah 43 a, and mentioned here by Rashi. that Phinehas was of the family of Joseph, who conquered his passion,⁸⁷Genesis 39:7-12. The Hebrew word pitpeit (conquered) is suggested by the name Putiel. and of the family of Jethro, who fattened⁸⁸Piteim (fattened) is also suggested by the name Putiel. Phinehas was thus descended on his mother’s side not only from Joseph but from Jethro also. calves for idolatrous sacrifice, and he is mentioned for praise [here together with Aaron and his sons], who for their righteousness were worthy to be endowed with everlasting priesthood.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, we will say [that the mothers of Moses and Aaron, of Aaron’s sons, and of Phinehas are mentioned here because] in the case of kings, it is the customary way of Scripture to mention the names of their mothers: And his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom;⁸⁹I Kings 15:10. Mentioned in the case of Asa, king of Judah. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi;⁹⁰II Chronicles 20:31. She was the mother of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. and so in all cases. It may be that [Scripture does not relate more about Putiel because] he was an honorable and known person in his generation, and it [sufficed just to] mention him in praise.
Scripture says, of the daughters of Putiel,⁸⁴Verse 25: And Eleazar, Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife, and she bore him Phinehas. and not “the daughter of Putiel,” because Putiel had many daughters and Eleazar chose one of them. It may be that she was not his daughter but his daughter’s daughter who related herself to him on account of his distinction, and therefore Scripture did not mention her name.

ויקח אהרן, “Aaron took a wife, etc.” This detail is mentioned to show that even members of the priesthood, a hereditary distinction, paid tribute to the line of the kings, so that Aaron married a member of the Royal House of Yehudah, i.e. the sister of Nachshon, who was the 5th generation after Yehudah through his son Peretz. (Chronicles I,2,7) The Torah also mentions by name the marriage of Eleazar, son of Aaron, to a daughter of Putiel, in light of their illustrious son Pinchas, seeing that Pinchas, though born before his father had become a priest, merited elevation to the priesthood by a special decree of G’d. [anyone born to a father who was already a priest at that time became a priest through hereditary genes. Ed.] Our sages state that the reason why the Torah mentioned that Eleazar married “one of the daughters of” Putiel, instead of simply ”a daughter of” Putiel, is a compliment, not a reference to a Putiel who used to sacrifice to idols, but a descendant of Joseph who had demonstrated self control in not allowing himself to be seduced by the wife of his master Potiphar. (Baba Batra 115) [the use of the expression בנות (plural of בת) here alludes to multiple genetic input, including that of Joseph. Ed.] Elezar’s wife being a granddaughter, not a daughter of Putiel, is the reason that her name is not mentioned.

When marrying a woman he should investigate her brothers. However, Lavan the brother of Rivka (Bereishis 25:20), is mentioned only “in order to praise Rivkah.” This is because Yitzchok surely would not have investigated Lavan [to know about Rivkah]. Furthermore, [it is different with Rivkah because] there was no need for Scripture to mention her father, brother or birthplace, as all were mentioned before — forcing us to say that they all have a Midrashic meaning. (Re’m) And we cannot say that it indeed teaches us that one who contemplates marrying a woman should investigate all these factors. First of all, granted that investigating the woman’s brothers has a reason: [her children will probably resemble them] as most children resemble their mother’s brothers. But this is not true of her father, and certainly not of the people of her birthplace. Secondly, [if all of these factors should be investigated], why did Aharon only investigate Elisheva’s brother? We see that her father’s name is not mentioned — implying that Aharon investigated only her brother.

ויקח אהרן את אלישבע, Aaron married Elisheva; she is mentioned by name because of the priestly status of her husband. (Compare Nachmanides)