Why Moses Struck the Egyptian Taskmaster Over Shelomith

"And Moses grew" (Exodus 2:11). But does not everyone grow — man, beast, and bird, all of them grow? Rather, Moses grew not in the way of the world. "And he went out to his brethren": that going out was the going out by which the righteous one went out. "And he went out the second day." "And he looked on their burdens": for he would see and weep over their labor, and he would put his shoulder together with each and every one in order to help them; therefore it is said "on their burdens." "And he saw an Egyptian man": and who was he? He was the father of the blasphemer, as it is said, "And he was the son of an Egyptian man" (Leviticus 24:10). "Smiting a Hebrew man": the husband of Shelomith the daughter of Dibri (Leviticus 24:11). How so? That taskmaster was set over a hundred and twenty men, and he would take them out to their labor from the time of the cock's crow. And because he was accustomed to take them out, he would go in and out of their houses. He saw that Shelomith was beautiful of form, perfect, without any blemish; he set his eyes upon her. He arose at the time of the cock's crow and took her husband out of his house, and that Egyptian went back and came in to his wife, and she supposed that he was her husband. Her husband returned and found the Egyptian going out of his house. He said to her, "Perhaps he touched you?" She said to him, "Yes, and I supposed that it was you." When the taskmaster heard that the husband had perceived him, he was striking the husband.