וַיֵּשְׁב֗וּ וַיֹּאכְל֧וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֛ם יַחְדָּ֖ו וַיִּשְׁתּ֑וּ וַיֹּ֜אמֶר אֲבִ֤י הַֽנַּעֲרָה֙ אֶל־הָאִ֔ישׁ הֽוֹאֶל־נָ֥א וְלִ֖ין וְיִטַ֥ב לִבֶּֽךָ׃
I tak usiedli i jedli obaj i pili razem; poczem prosił ojciec młodej kobiety męża: Bądźże tak łaskaw a zanocuj jeszcze, i bądź dobrej myśli.
Shemot Rabbah
“Moses decided to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Tzipora to Moses” (Exodus 2:21).
“Moses decided [vayoel]” – Rabbi Yehuda says that he took an oath to him, as vayoel is nothing other than an expression of an oath, as it is stated: “Saul administered an oath [vayoel] to the people” (I Samuel 14:24). Why did he administer an oath to him? He said to him: ‘I know that Jacob your ancestor, when Lavan gave him his daughters, he took them and left without [Lavan’s] knowledge. Perhaps, if I give you my daughter you will do the same to me.’ Immediately, [Moses] took an oath to him, and [Yitro] gave him Tzipora.
Rabbi Neḥemya said: He accepted upon himself to stay the night with him, as vayoel is nothing other than an expression of staying the night, as it is stated: “Please agree [hoel] and stay the night” (Judges 19:6). Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that he accepted upon himself to herd his flocks, as vayoel is nothing other than an expression of beginning. When he married his daughter, he began and accepted upon himself to herd his flocks.
“She bore a son and he named him Gershom because he said: I was a stranger [ger] in a foreign land” (Exodus 2:22).
“She bore a son and he named him Gershom.” It is the way of the righteous to name their sons after an event. In Joseph’s regard what does it say? “He named the firstborn Manasseh…and the second he named Ephraim”72Manasseh, “because God has made me forget [nashani] all my toil and all my father’s household.” Ephraim, “because God has made me fruitful [hifrani] in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:51–52), in order to recall the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on his behalf. Moses, too, named his son Gershom after the miracle that the Lord performed on his behalf; that he was a stranger in a foreign land, and the Holy One blessed be He brought him success there.
“Moses decided [vayoel]” – Rabbi Yehuda says that he took an oath to him, as vayoel is nothing other than an expression of an oath, as it is stated: “Saul administered an oath [vayoel] to the people” (I Samuel 14:24). Why did he administer an oath to him? He said to him: ‘I know that Jacob your ancestor, when Lavan gave him his daughters, he took them and left without [Lavan’s] knowledge. Perhaps, if I give you my daughter you will do the same to me.’ Immediately, [Moses] took an oath to him, and [Yitro] gave him Tzipora.
Rabbi Neḥemya said: He accepted upon himself to stay the night with him, as vayoel is nothing other than an expression of staying the night, as it is stated: “Please agree [hoel] and stay the night” (Judges 19:6). Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said that he accepted upon himself to herd his flocks, as vayoel is nothing other than an expression of beginning. When he married his daughter, he began and accepted upon himself to herd his flocks.
“She bore a son and he named him Gershom because he said: I was a stranger [ger] in a foreign land” (Exodus 2:22).
“She bore a son and he named him Gershom.” It is the way of the righteous to name their sons after an event. In Joseph’s regard what does it say? “He named the firstborn Manasseh…and the second he named Ephraim”72Manasseh, “because God has made me forget [nashani] all my toil and all my father’s household.” Ephraim, “because God has made me fruitful [hifrani] in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:51–52), in order to recall the miracles that the Holy One blessed be He performed on his behalf. Moses, too, named his son Gershom after the miracle that the Lord performed on his behalf; that he was a stranger in a foreign land, and the Holy One blessed be He brought him success there.
Sifrei Devarim
(Devarim 1:5) "Across the Jordan, in the land of Moav, Moses ho'il (began) to explain": "hoalah" is "beginning," as in (Judges 19:6) "Begin ("hoel") now and stay overnight so that you will be refreshed," and (I Chronicles 17:27) "and now you have begun ("hoalta") to bless the house of your servant to be before You forever." And the sages say: "hoalah" is "swearing," as in (Shemoth 2:21) "And Moses swore ("vayoel") to remain with the man," and (I Samuel 14:24) "And Saul beswore ("vayoel") the people, saying 'Cursed be the man who will eat bread until the evening when I will be avenged of my enemies.'"
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Exod. 2:21:) THEN MOSES CONSENTED TO DWELL WITH THE MAN. R. Judah asks: What is the meaning of THEN <MOSES> CONSENTED (wayyo'el)? That he swore to him.55Tanh., Exod. 1:12; Exod. R. 1:33. <This usage is in accord with> what is stated (in I Sam. 14:24): FOR SAUL MADE THE PEOPLE SWEAR (wayyo'el). He agreed to live with him. Thus CONSENTED (wayyo'el, rt.: Y'L) is actually a word of lodging, <in accord with> what is stated (in Jud. 19:6): SO NOW PLEASE CONSENT (rt.: Y'L) TO STAY THE NIGHT. (Exod. 2:21, cont.:) AND HE GAVE MOSES HIS DAUGHTER ZIPPORAH. When he took his daughter, he appointed him to tend his flock, as stated (in Exod. 3:1): NOW MOSES WAS TENDING (rt.: R'H) <THE FLOCK OF HIS FATHER-IN-LAW JETHRO >. What is the meaning of HE WAS TENDING <THE FLOCK>? R. Johanan said: In the case of everyone about whom it is stated: HE WAS, what HE WAS at his beginning, HE WAS at his end.56Gen. R. 30:8; Esth. R. 6:3; cf. Tanh., Exod. 1:13; Exod. R. 2:4. He was worthy at his beginning and worthy at his end. The Rabbis say: Everyone57The translation reads KL for KY in agreement with Tanh., Exod. 1:13. In this literature KY is rarely used without the prefix W apart from biblical quotations. See M. H. Segal, A Grammar of Mishnaic Hebrew (Oxford: Clarendon, 1956), section 302, n. 1. about whom it is stated: HE WAS nourished and sustained. They said to him: But look (at Gen. 3:1): NOW THE SERPENT WAS THE MORE SUBTLE. He said to them: He also was being prepared (by the word WAS) for divine punishment (in Gen. 3:14–15). They said to him: But here it is written (in Gen. 4:2): CAIN WAS A TILLER OF THE GROUND. He said to them: He also was being prepared for exile. They said to him: And here it is written (in Jer. 38:28): AND IT WAS WHEN JERUSALEM WAS CAPTURED. He said to them: It was a good omen58Gk.: semeion. for it; because, if Jerusalem had not been captured, Israel59The text here reads “the enemies of Israel,” but this expression is here a euphemism for Israel, as in Suk. 29a. So Jastrow, s.v., sone. would have been consumed. R. Levi has said: Everyone about whom it is stated: HE WAS, has seen a new age.60According to Gen. R. 30:8, there were five such people: Noah, Joseph, Moses, Job, and Mordecai. Ergo (in Exod. 3:1): NOW MOSES WAS TENDING <THE FLOCK >.