출애굽기 3:2 미드라쉬: Shemot Rabbah, Devarim Rabbah, Midrash Tanchuma Buber & Pesikta Rabbati

“These are the names of the children of Israel,” they are all mentioned here in the sense of the redemption of Israel.
Reuben, as it is stated: “I have seen the affliction of his people” (Exodus 3:7).¹⁰When Leah named her son Reuben, she said: “because the Lord has seen my affliction” (Genesis 29:32). The midrash is stating that his name also refers to the redemption of the children of Israel, as demonstrated by this verse (Midrash HaMevoar). This is true in a similar vain for all of the names listed below.
Simeon, in the sense of: “God heard their groan” (Exodus 2:24).¹¹Leah named Simeon saying: “because the Lord has heard that I am hated” (Genesis 29:33).
Levi, in the sense that the Holy One blessed be He joined [them] in their troubles “from inside the bush” (Exodus 3:2),¹²Leah named Levi saying: “now this time my husband will be joined to me” (Genesis 29:34). The fact that God spoke to Moses from inside a thorn bush indicated that He was with them in their pain. to fulfill what is stated: “I am with him in times of trouble” (Psalms 91:15).
Judah, because they thanked the Holy One blessed be He.¹³When Leah named Judah, she said “this time I will thank the Lord” (Genesis 29:35).
Issachar, because the Holy One blessed be He paid their wages [sakhar] for their labor; the loot of Egypt and the loot at the sea, to fulfill what is written: “Afterward they will emerge with great wealth” (Genesis 15:14).
Zebulun, because the Holy One blessed be He rested His Divine Presence in their midst, as it is stated: “They shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). Zebulun is nothing other than the Temple, as it is stated: “I have built You an abode [beit zevul], a place for Your dwelling forever” (I Kings 8:13).
Benjamin, in the sense of: “Your right hand, Lord, is glorious in power” (Exodus 15:6).
Dan, in the sense of: “And also that nation that they shall serve, I will judge [dan]” (Genesis 15:14).
Naftali after the Torah and mitzvot that the Holy One blessed be He had given them, regarding which it is written: “And sweeter than honey and the juices [nofet] of ripe fruit” (Psalms 19:11).
Gad, after the manna that the Holy One blessed be He fed them, which was “like the coriander [gad] seed” (Exodus 16:31).
Asher, because everyone who heard of their redemption and prominence would praise them, as it is written: “All the nations will praise you [ve’ishru], as you will be a desired land, said the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:12).
Joseph, because the Holy One blessed be He is destined to additionally [lehosif] redeem Israel from the evil empire,¹⁴Rome just as He redeemed them from Egypt, as it is written: “It shall be on that day that the Lord will once again [yosif] set His hand a second time [to acquire the remnant of His people…as there was for Israel on the day of its ascent from the land of Egypt]” (Isaiah 11:11, 16), and the entire matter [written there].

“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2).
“An angel of the Lord appeared to him” – that is what is written: “I am asleep, but my heart is awake” (Song of Songs 5:2). I am asleep from the mitzvot, but my heart is awake to perform them. “My perfect one [tamati]” (Song of Songs 5:2) at Sinai, as they had perfect faith [shenitamemu] with Me at Sinai, and they said: “Everything that the Lord spoke, we will do and we will obey” (Exodus 24:7). Rabbi Yannai said: Just as it is with twins [teomim], if the head of one hurts, the other feels it, so too, the Holy One blessed be He said, as it were: “I will be with him in trouble” (Psalms 91:15).
Alternatively: What is: “I will be with him in trouble?” When they have trouble they call out only to the Holy One blessed be He. In Egypt – “their cry came up to God” (Exodus 2:23); at the sea – “and the children of Israel cried to the Lord” (Exodus 14:10), and many others like that. And it says: “In all their trouble, He was troubled” (Isaiah 63:9). The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Don’t you sense that I am suffering just as Israel is suffering? Know that from the place that I am speaking with you, from the thorns, as it were, I am party to their suffering.’
“An angel of the Lord appeared.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: That is Michael. Rabbi Ḥanina said: That is Gabriel. [Regarding] Rabbi Yosei the tall, everywhere that they would see him, they would say: ‘Here is our saintly rabbi.’¹²Rabbi Yosei was an attendant of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. Similarly, everywhere that Michael appears, there is the glory of the Divine Presence.
“To him” – what is “to him?” It teaches that there were people with him and they did not see, only Moses alone. As it is written regarding Daniel: “I, Daniel, alone, saw the vision” (Daniel 10:7).
“In a flame [belabat] of fire” – to give him courage [lelabevo], so that when he arrives at Sinai and sees those fires, he will not fear them. Alternatively, belabat esh, from two thirds of the bush and above, just as the heart [lev] is placed at two thirds of the person and above.
“From the midst of the bush” – a gentile asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa: ‘What did the Holy One blessed be He see that led Him to speak with Moses from the midst of the bush?’ He said to him: ‘Had he spoken to him from a carob tree or a sycamore tree, would you ask me the same? However, to dismiss you outright is impossible. Why from the midst of the bush? It is to teach you that there is no place that is vacant of the Divine Presence, even a bush.’
“In a flame of fire” – initially, only one angel descended, which stood in the center of the fire, and then the Divine Presence descended and spoke with him “from the midst of the bush”¹³In Exodus 3:2 it says: “He saw an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in the midst of the bush” and then in verse 4 it says: “God called him from the midst of the bush.” (Exodus 3:4).
Rabbi Eliezer says: Just as a bush is the lowliest of all the trees in the world, so too, Israel was lowly and humble to the Egyptians; therefore, the Holy One blessed be He appeared to them and redeemed them, as it is stated: “I came down to deliver them from the hand of Egypt” (Exodus 3:8). Rabbi Yosei says: Just as the bush is the harshest of all the trees, and any bird that enters the bush does not emerge from it unharmed, so too, the enslavement in Egypt was the harshest of all the enslavements in the world before the Omnipresent, as it is stated: “The Lord said: I have seen [ra’o ra’iti] the affliction of My people” (Exodus 3:7). Why does the verse state ra’o ra’iti twice?¹⁴The question is based on the doubled verb, combining the absolute infinitive ra’o with the first person past tense ra’iti, meaning ‘I have seen.’ This formulation is common in Biblical Hebrew and is often understood to indicate emphasis. In any case, the midrash takes the opportunity to expound upon the double verb. It is because after they would drown them [the Hebrew children] in the river they would then crush them under the construction. This is analogous to one who took a rod and struck two people and both of them receive the lash and know its pain.¹⁵ It is as if God also feels the pain of Israel. So too, the pain and enslavement of Israel was revealed before the One Who spoke and the world came into being, as it is stated: “As I know its pains” (ibid.).
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Just as this bush, one makes it into a fence for a garden, so too, Israel is a fence for the world. Alternatively: Just as this bush grows on any water,¹⁶It grows both from rainwater and irrigation. so too Israel grows only due to the merit of the Torah, which is characterized as water, as it is stated: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, go to the water” (Isaiah 55:1).
Another matter: Just as this bush grows in a garden and by a river, so too, Israel is in this world and in the World to Come. Alternatively, just as the bush produces thorns and produces roses, so too, in Israel there are both righteous and wicked. Rabbi Pinḥas the priest, son of Rabbi Ḥama said: Just as the bush, when one inserts his hand into it, one doesn’t feel anything, but when one removes it, it is scratched, so too, when Israel descended to Egypt, no creature knew them, but when they emerged, they emerged “with signs, with wonders, and with war” (Deuteronomy 4:34). Rabbi Yehuda bar Shalom said: Just as the bush, when a bird enters it he doesn’t feel it and when it emerges, its wings are plucked, so too, when Abraham descended to Egypt, no creature knew him, and when he emerged: “The Lord plagued Pharaoh” (Genesis 12:17).
Another matter: “From the midst of the bush” – Rabbi Naḥman, the son of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman says: All trees – some of them produce one leaf, some two or three. The myrtle produces three, as it is called: “a leafy tree” (Leviticus 23:40); however, the bush has five leaves. the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: Israel is redeemed only due to the merit of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and your merit and the merit of Aaron. Alternatively, “from the midst of the bush [hasneh]” – He alluded to him [to Moses] that he would live one hundred and twenty years, corresponding to the numerical value of hasneh.¹⁷Heh – 5, samekh – 60, nun – 50, heh – 5 = 120.
“He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire.” From here they say that heavenly fire generates rays of light and burns but does not consume,¹⁸It burns without consuming fuel. and it is black. Earthly fire does not produce light rays, it is red, and it consumes but does not burn. Why did the Holy One blessed be He show Moses this matter? It is because he was contemplating in his heart and saying: Perhaps the Egyptians will eradicate Israel; therefore, the Holy One blessed be He showed him a burning fire that is not consumed. He said to him: ‘Just as the bush burns in fire but is not consumed, so too, the Egyptians will be unable to eradicate Israel.’
Another matter: Because the Holy One blessed be He [wanted to] speak with Moses, but he [Moses] did not want to interrupt his work [of shepherding], He showed him this thing so that he would turn his head and see, and He could speak with him, as you find initially: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him,” and Moses did not go. Once he stopped working he went to see, immediately: “God called to him” (Exodus 3:4).

“Lord God, You have begun” – he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, why am I not entering the land? Is it because I said: “Hear now, defiant ones”? It was You who said first: “As a safekeeping, as a sign for the defiant ones”’ (Numbers 17:25).
Another matter: “Lord God, You have begun” – Rabbi Reuven said: Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Why are You doing this to me? It was You who first approached me.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from inside the bush” (Exodus 3:2). He said to Him: ‘After You elevated me, You are demoting me from my elevated stature?’
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘But I took an oath.’ [Moses] said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, when I requested, did You not break an oath? Did You not take an oath that You would eradicate Your children, and You reconsidered, as it is stated: “The Lord reconsidered”’ (Exodus 32:14)?
Another matter: Rabbi Levi said: He said before Him: ‘Joseph’s bones will enter the land, but I will not enter the land?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘The one who acknowledged his land will be buried in his land, and the one who did not acknowledge his land will not be buried in his land.’ Joseph acknowledged his land; from where is this derived? His master’s wife said: “See, he brought us a Hebrew man…” (Genesis 39:14), and he did not deny it; rather, “I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews” (Genesis 40:15). He was buried in his land. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel took up from Egypt, they buried in Shekhem” (Joshua 24:32). ‘You, who did not acknowledge your land, will not be buried in your land.’ How so? Yitro’s daughters said: “An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds” (Exodus 2:19), and he heard and was silent. That is why he was not buried in his land.