Wyjścia 2:15 Komentarz: Rashi, Da'at Zekenim, Ibn Ezra & Rashbam

וישמע פרעה AND PHARAOH HEARD IT — they (Dathan and Abiram) slandered (denounced) him (Exodus Rabbah 1:31).

ויבקש להרגו, “he tried to have him executed.” He handed him over to his executioner. However the executioner’s sword did not carry out its function. His neck had turned into stone. (Jerusalem Talmud tractate B’rachot 9,1) As a result, Moses was able to flee to Midian. The numerical value in the words: וישב משה, “Moses settled down,” are equivalent to אבן שיש, “stone of marble.” A Midrash quoted on the same folio of the Jerusalem Talmud just related also says that the Archangel Gavriel descended to earth, grabbed the executioner’s sword and made his face look like that of Moses, and proceeded to execute him. [It would have taken a while to realise that the dead body was not that of Moses, giving him a head start when he fled. Ed.]

And settled in the land of Midian. The Midianites were subservient to Pharaoh, so Moshe chose to be a shepherd in order to keep his distance from the civilized areas, where he might be recognized. When Hashem told him that Pharaoh and all the people that sought his life had died (4:19), and at the same time his youngest son was born, he expressed his appreciation by naming him Eliezer: “The God of my father came to my aid and He saved me from the sword of Pharaoh” (18:4).

ויבקש להרג את משה AND HE SOUGHT TO SLAY MOSES — He handed him over to the executioner to slay him, but the sword proved powerless against him. It is to this that Moses referred when he said, (18:4) “And He delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword” (see Mechilta יתרו and Exodus Rabbah 1:31).