מֵרָח֕וֹק יְהוָ֖ה נִרְאָ֣ה לִ֑י וְאַהֲבַ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ אֲהַבְתִּ֔יךְ עַל־כֵּ֖ן מְשַׁכְתִּ֥יךְ חָֽסֶד׃
“Mula pa noong unang panahon ay nagpakita sa akin ang Walang-Hanggan.” “Inibig kita ng pag-ibig na walang katapusan; kaya't inilapit kita sa Akin nang may kagandahang-loob.”
Shemot Rabbah
“The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile while her maidens were walking on the bank of the Nile. She saw the basket among the reeds and she sent her maidservant [amatah] and she took it” (Exodus 2:5).
“To bathe in the Nile” (Exodus 2:5) – to wash off the idolatry of her father’s home. “While her maidens were walking [holekhot],” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The term halikha here is nothing other than an expression of death, and likewise it says: “Behold, I am going [holekh] to die” (Genesis 25:32). They said to her: ‘Our mistress, the way of the world is that a king issues a decree and the entire world does not fulfill it, but his children and the members of his household fulfill it; and you are violating the command of your father.’ Immediately, [the angel] Gabriel came and slammed them onto the ground [and killed them].
“She sent her maidservant [amatah] and she took it.” Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, one says her arm, and one says her maidservant. The reason for the one who says “her arm” is that amatah is written.49Had the verse been referring to her maidservant, it should have said na’aratah, maiden, which is the expression employed earlier in the verse. The reason for the one who says “her maidservant” is that yadah50The more common term for “her arm.” is not written. According to the opinion of the one who says her maidservant, when Gabriel came and slammed them onto the ground, he spared one of them, as it is not the way of a princess to remain alone.
They raise an objection: According to the one who says “her hand,” let it write “yadah.” This is not difficult, as this is the reason that amatah is written, because her arm was stretched.51Her arm stretched, so it was the length of several cubits (amot). We learned: Likewise you find: “You have broken [shibarta] the teeth of the wicked” (Psalms 3:8); do not read it as shibarta, but rather as shirbavta, that you enlarged and extended.
The Rabbis say: Pharaoh’s daughter was a leper; that is why she went to bathe. When she touched the basket she was cured. That is why she had compassion for Moses and loved him exceedingly.
“To bathe in the Nile” (Exodus 2:5) – to wash off the idolatry of her father’s home. “While her maidens were walking [holekhot],” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The term halikha here is nothing other than an expression of death, and likewise it says: “Behold, I am going [holekh] to die” (Genesis 25:32). They said to her: ‘Our mistress, the way of the world is that a king issues a decree and the entire world does not fulfill it, but his children and the members of his household fulfill it; and you are violating the command of your father.’ Immediately, [the angel] Gabriel came and slammed them onto the ground [and killed them].
“She sent her maidservant [amatah] and she took it.” Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, one says her arm, and one says her maidservant. The reason for the one who says “her arm” is that amatah is written.49Had the verse been referring to her maidservant, it should have said na’aratah, maiden, which is the expression employed earlier in the verse. The reason for the one who says “her maidservant” is that yadah50The more common term for “her arm.” is not written. According to the opinion of the one who says her maidservant, when Gabriel came and slammed them onto the ground, he spared one of them, as it is not the way of a princess to remain alone.
They raise an objection: According to the one who says “her hand,” let it write “yadah.” This is not difficult, as this is the reason that amatah is written, because her arm was stretched.51Her arm stretched, so it was the length of several cubits (amot). We learned: Likewise you find: “You have broken [shibarta] the teeth of the wicked” (Psalms 3:8); do not read it as shibarta, but rather as shirbavta, that you enlarged and extended.
The Rabbis say: Pharaoh’s daughter was a leper; that is why she went to bathe. When she touched the basket she was cured. That is why she had compassion for Moses and loved him exceedingly.
Shemot Rabbah
Alternatively, “he saw their burdens,” – he saw that they had no respite. He went and said to Pharaoh: ‘One who has a slave, if he does not rest one day a week, he will die. These are your slaves. If you do not allow them to rest one day a week they will die.’ He said to him: ‘Go and do with them whatever you say.’ Moses went and instituted the day of Shabbat for rest.
“He saw an Egyptian man.” What did he see? Rav Huna said in the name of bar Kapara: Because of four matters, Israel was redeemed from Egypt: One, because they did not change their names.62The continuation of this list is found in Vayikra Rabba 32:5: They did not change their names or language, they did not speak slander, and none of them informed the Egyptians that they were not intending to return the vessels they borrowed before leaving Egypt.
From where is it derived that they were not suspected of licentiousness? The fact is that there was one woman63Only one woman engaged in licentiousness. and the verse publicized her, as it is stated: “[The son of an Israelite woman and he was the son of an Egyptian man]…and the name of his mother was Shelomit bat Divri….” (Leviticus 24: 10–11).
Our Sages, of blessed memory, say: The taskmasters were Egyptian and the foremen were Israelite; one taskmaster was appointed over ten foremen, and one foreman was appointed over ten Israelites. The taskmasters would go to the homes of the foremen early in the morning to get them out to work with the crowing of the rooster. Once, an Egyptian taskmaster went to an Israelite foreman and directed his glance to his wife, who was beautiful and flawless. He arrived there at the time of the crowing of the rooster and got him out of the house. The Egyptian returned and consorted with his wife, as she thought it was her husband, and she was impregnated. Her husband returned and saw the Egyptian emerging from his home. He asked her: ‘Did he touch you?’ She said: ‘Yes, and I thought he was you.’
Once the taskmaster realized that [the Israelite] had sensed what he had done, he returned him to hard labor, and was beating him, seeking to kill him. Moses was looking at him and watching him, and he saw by means of the Divine Spirit what he had done at his home and saw what he was going to do to him in the field. He said: ‘This one is certainly liable for execution, as it is written: “One who strikes a person shall be put to death” (Leviticus 24:21). Moreover, he consorted with Datan’s wife and for that he is liable for execution, as it is stated: “The adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death”’ (Leviticus 20:10). That is what is written: “He turned this way and that [and saw that there was no man; he smote the Egyptian and concealed him in the sand]” (Exodus 2:12) – he saw what he had done to him in the house and what he had done to him in the field.
“He saw an Egyptian man.” What did he see? Rav Huna said in the name of bar Kapara: Because of four matters, Israel was redeemed from Egypt: One, because they did not change their names.62The continuation of this list is found in Vayikra Rabba 32:5: They did not change their names or language, they did not speak slander, and none of them informed the Egyptians that they were not intending to return the vessels they borrowed before leaving Egypt.
From where is it derived that they were not suspected of licentiousness? The fact is that there was one woman63Only one woman engaged in licentiousness. and the verse publicized her, as it is stated: “[The son of an Israelite woman and he was the son of an Egyptian man]…and the name of his mother was Shelomit bat Divri….” (Leviticus 24: 10–11).
Our Sages, of blessed memory, say: The taskmasters were Egyptian and the foremen were Israelite; one taskmaster was appointed over ten foremen, and one foreman was appointed over ten Israelites. The taskmasters would go to the homes of the foremen early in the morning to get them out to work with the crowing of the rooster. Once, an Egyptian taskmaster went to an Israelite foreman and directed his glance to his wife, who was beautiful and flawless. He arrived there at the time of the crowing of the rooster and got him out of the house. The Egyptian returned and consorted with his wife, as she thought it was her husband, and she was impregnated. Her husband returned and saw the Egyptian emerging from his home. He asked her: ‘Did he touch you?’ She said: ‘Yes, and I thought he was you.’
Once the taskmaster realized that [the Israelite] had sensed what he had done, he returned him to hard labor, and was beating him, seeking to kill him. Moses was looking at him and watching him, and he saw by means of the Divine Spirit what he had done at his home and saw what he was going to do to him in the field. He said: ‘This one is certainly liable for execution, as it is written: “One who strikes a person shall be put to death” (Leviticus 24:21). Moreover, he consorted with Datan’s wife and for that he is liable for execution, as it is stated: “The adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death”’ (Leviticus 20:10). That is what is written: “He turned this way and that [and saw that there was no man; he smote the Egyptian and concealed him in the sand]” (Exodus 2:12) – he saw what he had done to him in the house and what he had done to him in the field.
Pesikta Rabbati
... Teach us oh, teacher: once the Ninth of Av has ended, is everything permitted? R’ Chiyah the Great taught like this: once the Ninth of Av has ended, one is permitted to do anything. Why? Because it is like the case of a person whose dead is laid out before him, who is forbidden to eat meat or drink wine. Once the dead is buried, the mourner is permitted to do so. So to on the Ninth of Av one is a mourner – once the day has ended one is permitted to do anything. Even though we are permitted, we must always have a sigh in our hearts until the Holy One returns to her. The Holy One said to them: by your lives! I burnt her, as it says “From above He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) I will build her, as it says “Yet again will I rebuild you, then you shall be built, O virgin of Israel…” (Jeremiah 31:3) Zion said to Him: Behold, I have been sitting thus for many years! I have counted the days from old and I have not been redeemed, therefore I have despaired. She said that my master has abandoned me. And from where do we learn that Zion said this? From that which is written regarding it “And Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.’” (Isaiah 49:14) ... Another explanation. “And Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me…” (Isaiah 49:14) What is written before this? “Sing, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, and mountains burst out in song, for the Lord has consoled His people, and He shall have mercy on His poor.” (Isaiah 49:13) Once Zion saw that the prophet recalled His people and His poor, but did not mention Zion or Jerusalem she said ‘the Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.’ Immediately the Holy One replied and said to her: just as it is impossible for a woman to forget her sucking child, so to I am not able to forget you, “Shall a woman forget her sucking child, from having mercy on the child of her womb?” (Isaiah 49:15) She said to Him: Master of the world! How is that possible? There is no end to the evils I have done! I caused Your Holy Temple to be destroyed and I killed the prophets. R’ Berachia the Kohen said in the name of Rebbe: the Holy One said to her, I will forget your evil but I will not forget your good. “…These too shall forget, but I will not forget you.” (ibid.) I have forgotten “"These are your gods, O Israel…” (Exodus32:4) but “I am the Lord, your God…” (Exodus 20:2) I will not forget.