“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.