Midrash sur L’Exode 2:6

(Ex. 2, 6) Who had been carried away into exile from Jerusalem. Raba said: "He had not been exiled, but came of his own free will. And he had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther." He calls her Esther and' then Hadassah. What was her real name? We are taught in a Baraitha that R. Meier said: "Her real name was Esther, but she was called Hadassah, merely because all the upright are called thus, and so says the passage (Zech. 1, 8) He was standing among the myrtle-trees." R. Juda said: "Her real name was Hadassah, and why was she called Esther? Because she concealed her words and so says the passage (Ib. 10) Esther told nothing of her birth nor of her nationality." R. Nechemiah said: "Her real name was Hadassah, but why was she called Esther? Because the nations called her for her beauty 'Ist'har' (corresponding to Venus)." Ben Azzai said: "Esther was neither tall nor short, but of moderate size, like a myrtle." R. Joshua b. Karcha said: "Esther was of an olive complexion, but a chord of [divine] grace was strung upon her." For she had neither father nor mother. And when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai had taken her to himself as a daughter. Why this superfluous repetition? R. Acha said: "To tell us when the mother became pregnant her father died, and when she was born her mother died." (Ib.) Mordecai had taken her to himself as a daughter; we are taught in the name of R. Meier: "Do not read Bath (daughter) but Bayith (house) and so says the passage (II Sam. 12, 3) But the poor men had nothing, save one little ewe, etc., of his bread it used to eat, etc., and it was to him as a daughter. Because it ate of his bread therefore it became to him as a daughter? We must therefore read it, 'like a house' K'bayith. The same is also here 'for a house,' L'bayith." (Ib. 9) And the seven maidens who were selected to be given to her. Raba said: "We may infer from this that with them she counted the days to know the Sabbath [by giving each the name of a day]."

(Ex. 2, 6) And she opened it, and saw him [the child]. It should have been written Vatereh (and she saw) and not she saw him? Said R. Josi b. R. Chanina: "This intends to inform us that she saw the Shechina with him." (Ib., ib., ib.) And Behold, it was a weeping boy. In the beginning she calls him child and afterward she calls him boy. We are taught that he was indeed a child, but his voice sounded like that of a boy. Such is the opinion of R. Juda. Whereupon R. Nechemia said to him: "If so then you attribute a blemish to our teacher, Moses." Therefore said he: "From this we may infer that his mother made a canopy for him and deposited it in that box, remarking: 'Lest I will not be able to see his wedding I will [therefore make it now].'" (Ib.) And she had compassion on him, and said: 'This is one of the Hebrews' children.' Whence did she know this? Said R. Jose, the son of R. Chanina: "From this it might be inferred that she saw that he was circumcized." (Ib.) This. Said R. Jochanan: "Infer from this that she prophesied not knowing the meaning of it. 'This will fall in the river, but no one else.'" And this is meant by R. Elazar, who said: "What is meant by the passage (Is. 8, 19) And when they shall say unto you inquire of those that have familiar spirits, and of the wizards, that whisper, and that mutter: They see and do not know what they see, they whisper and do not know what they whisper. When they [the astrologers of Pharaoh] saw that the redeemer of Israel would be punished through water they issued a decree, 'Every son that is born, he shall be cast into the river.' As soon as Moses was thrown into the river they said: 'We see no more of that sign any more.' Hence they repealed the decree, but they did not know that the sign being punished by water refers to the Memeriba." This is the interpretation of R. Chani b. Chanina, who said: "What is the meaning of the following passage (Num. 20, 13) There are the waters of Meriba, where the children of Israel strove with the Lord, i.e., this is the water concerning which the astrologers of Pharaoh saw and erred thereby." And this was meant by Moses, when he said (Ib. 11, 21) Six hundred thousand men on foot are the people in the midst of whom I am; i.e., Moses said to Israel: "On account of me were you saved."

(Exod. 5:3): THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS. Moses and Aaron said: <These words were necessary> because (in vs. 1) we had altered the wording (of Exod. 3:18) which was difficult for us. <So> they repeated <themselves> and said: THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS.²⁵According to Exod. 3:18, the Holy One told Moses to say to Pharaoh: THE LORD, THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS, but in Exod. 5:1: Moses and Aaron had said: THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL. For that reason Moses and Aaron corrected their wording in Exod. 5:3. So Tanh., Exod. 2:6; Exod. R.5:15. R. Simeon ben Johay says: He began to gnash his teeth at them when he said (in Exod. 5:17): YOU ARE LAZY, LAZY!….²⁶Exod. R. 5:18.