Midrash su Esodo 2:14

.And he said: Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? R. Yehudah says: Moshe was of twenty years at that time. They said to him: you are not yet worthy of being a ruler and a judge over as, for [it is said, Avot 5:21] "at forty [one aquires] wisdom." R. Nehemia said: He [Moshe] was of forty years at that time. They said to him: surely you are a man [of age], only you are not worthy to be a ruler and a judge over us. The sages say: They said to him: are you indeed the son of Yocheved? Then why do they call you son of Batya?! and you presume to be a ruler and a judge over us?! We will let be known what you did to the Egyptian. "Do you mean [Lit. say] to kill me?’ It is not written "do you mean", but "do you say". From this you learn, that [Moshe] uttered the proper name [of G-d] unto the Egyptian and killed him. When he [Moshe] heard this, his became fearful of Lashon Ha'ra [the evil tongue]. And he [Moshe] said "surely the thing is known". R. Yehudah son of R. Shalom said in the name of Hanina the Great and our sages who [in turn] said in the name of R. Alexandri: Moshe would wonder to himself and say: "what was Israel's sin, for which they became more enslaved than all other nation?" When he heard his [the Hebrew who struck his fellow's] words, he [Moshe] said: "such Lashon Harah [evil tongue] is amongst them, how would they be worthy of redemption?". And so he [Moshe] said: "Surely the thing is known" - now I know what is the cause of their enslavement....'He went out on the second day and behold to Hebrew men were fighting' - this was Datan and Aviram- who are called NITZIM fighting because of their end -- they were the ones who said this, they left over the Manna, they were the ones who said (Numbers 14:4) 'Appoint a head and let us return to Egypt', they rebelled at the Sea of Reeds. another explanation NITZIM they intended to kill each other...from here we recognize that a person who lifts up his hand to strike his friend, even though he doesn't (actually) hit him is called a wicked person....to teach that both of them were wicked

When do you learn that he lived in Pharaoh’s palace less than twenty years? We know it from the fact that at the time the two Hebrew men were fighting each other, they shouted at him: Who made thee a man? (Exod. 2:14), implying “you are not yet a man.” This indicates that he must have been less than twenty years of age.¹⁰Full manhood was achieved at twenty, the age of entering military service.

Thinkest thou to kill me? It does not say here “Do you desire to kill me?” but rather Thinkest thou to kill me? Thus you learn from this that he slew him merely by reflecting upon the Tetragrammaton. And Moses became fearful and said: Surely this thing is known (Exod. 2:14). He said to them: “You tell tales on each other, how can you be worthy of redemption?” And when Pharaoh hear this thing (ibid., v. 15). Apparently Dathan and Abiram informed against him (Moses), and he fled to Midian, where he remained twenty years, until Israel became worthy of redemption.

(Exod. 2:13:) WHEN HE WENT OUT ON THE SECOND DAY, HERE THERE WERE TWO HEBREW MEN FIGHTING (NTsYM). R. Abbahu said that they were emitting sparks (NYTsWTsYN) from their heels.⁹⁷Thus R. Abbahu understands the verse to read: HERE THERE WERE TWO HEBREW MEN SPARKING. (Ibid., cont.:) SO HE SAID TO THE WICKED ONE: WHY ARE YOU STRIKING YOUR NEIGHBOR? R. Isaac said: You learn from here that whoever raises his hand against his comrade is called wicked, since it is stated (ibid.): SO HE SAID TO THE WICKED ONE.⁹⁸Cf. Sanh. 58b. He said to him (in Exod. 2:14): WHO APPOINTED YOU <A PRINCE AND A JUDGE OVER US>? R. Judah b. R. Shallum the Levite said: Moses said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the World, why is this people enslaved? There are seventy nations in the world and none of them are enslaved except this nation alone. Surely this sin is known, even as written (in Exod. 2:14, cont.): SURELY THE MATTER IS KNOWN, since you were not were enslaved for nothing. What did Moses do (in Exod. 2:15)? BUT MOSES FLED FROM BEFORE PHARAOH and went into Midian <to be> with Jethro. (Prov. 22:29:) SOMEONE DILIGENT AT HIS WORK. This is Moses. (Ibid., cont.:) HE SHALL STAND BEFORE KINGS. This refers to Pharaoh. (Ibid., cont.:) HE SHALL NOT STAND BEFORE THE OBSCURE. This refers to Jethro. Thus the Holy One said to him (i.e., Moses, in Exod. 4:19): <THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES IN MIDIAN: > GO BACK TO EGYPT. Then he said to him (in Exod. 9:13): GO EARLY IN THE MORNING <TO PRESENT YOURSELF BEFORE PHARAOH>. R. Nehemiah said: See, you have made the holy profane and the profane holy. (Prov. 22:29:) HE SHALL STAND BEFORE KINGS, <i.e.,> before the Holy One; (ibid., cont.:) HE SHALL NOT STAND BEFORE THE OBSCURE (rt.: HShK). This refers to Pharaoh, as stated (in Ezek. 30:18): IN TEHAPHNEHES⁹⁹Heb.: THPNHS. Cf. Jer. 43:9, according to which Pharaoh’s house was located at THPNHS. THE DAY SHALL BE DARKENED (rt.: HShK) < WHEN I BREAK THERE THE YOKES OF EGYPT>.

(Exod. 9:22:) THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: HOLD OUT YOUR ARM <TOWARD THE HEAVENS > [THAT THERE MAY BE HAIL IN ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT]. Why did he smite them with hail? Because the Egyptians thought that the Israelites were their vinedressers.¹⁰⁵Since the vines of the Israelites would also have been subject to hail damage, the Egyptians believed that the Holy One would not send hail; but the Holy One did send hail and further demonstrated his power by sparing Israel’s vines in the land of Goshen. See Exod. 9:25. David said (in Ps. 78:47): HE KILLED THEIR VINES WITH HAIL, AND THEIR SYCAMORES WITH HANAMAL.¹⁰⁶Several English versions translate hanamal as “frost”; but since the word appears nowhere else in Scripture, it is well suited to speculation concerning its meaning. And how did it come down? R. Pinhas and R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite differ.¹⁰⁷Exod. R. 12:4, 6; cf. Cant. R. 3:11:1; M. Pss. 78:13; 105:10. The first of them said: It came down like the worm and cut down the trees. (Ps. 78:47:) HE KILLS THEIR VINES WITH HAIL,… And the other said: It came down like the hanamal. (Ps. 78:47:) AND THEIR SYCAMORES WITH HANAMAL.¹⁰⁸According to Exod. R. 12:4, R. Judah bar Shallum derived the meaning from the phrase WITH HANAMAL (bahanamal), which he interprets to mean, “It came (ba), it came to rest (nah), it cut off (mal)”; but R. Pinhas believed that the hail came down like an axe (pilqin, from the Gk.: pelekus) and cut down the trees. Similarly Tanh., Exod. 2:14. Cf. Yalqut Shim‘oni, Pss. 820, where these two views are attributed to other authorities. It is written (in Exod. 9:32): BUT THE WHEAT AND THE SPELT WERE NOT HURT.¹⁰⁹See Exod. R. 12:6. It is simply that it came down upon each and every thing according to its power (to exhibit the wondrous works of Holy One): upon the cattle according to their power, upon the herbage according to its power, and upon humanity according to its power. What is written above on the matter (in Exod. 9:16)? BUT NEVERTHELESS, FOR THIS REASON I HAVE PRESERVED YOU,… I have preserved you to recount my wondrous works. Thus I did not cause you to die in the first plagues, (ibid., cont.:) IN ORDER TO SHOW YOU MY POWER AND IN ORDER FOR MY NAME TO RESOUND IN ALL THE WORLD.

He went forth on the second day, and saw two Hebrew men striving. Who were they? || Dathan and Abiram, as it is said, "And he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?" (Ex. 2:18). Dathan said to him: What! Dost thou wish to kill me with the sword of thy mouth as thou didst kill the Egyptian yesterday, as it is said, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Speakest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?" (Ex. 2:14). "Seekest thou to kill me" is not written (in the Scripture) here, but "Speakest thou to kill me."