The LORD sent scorching heat and sun and burning upon the land of Egypt, and the flesh of man blazed upon him as the sun blazes in the season of Tammuz, and it distressed them greatly; and the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe because of the heat and the scorching wind. "And she sent her amah and took it" (Exodus 2:5): Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemyah differ. One said, her arm; and one said, her maidservant. The one who said "her arm" holds so because the word amah is written. And the one who said "her maidservant," because it does not write "her arm." Now, according to the one who said "her maidservant" - but did you not say that Gabriel came and dashed them to the ground, leaving her only one, since it is not the way of the world for a king's daughter to stand alone? And according to the one who said "her arm," let it write "her arm" plainly. This comes to teach us that it was stretched out and elongated, as the master said, And so you find with the arm of Pharaoh's daughter. And so you find with the teeth of the wicked, as it is said, "You have broken [shibarta] the teeth of the wicked" (Psalms 3:8): do not read it shibarta [you broke] but shirbavta [you stretched out]. "And she opened it and saw him, the child" (Exodus 2:6): it should have said "and she saw," but rather she saw the Divine Presence with him. "And behold, a weeping boy [na'ar]": it calls him na'ar [youth] and it calls him yeled [child]. It was taught: he was a child, but his voice was like a youth's, the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Nechemyah said to him: If so, you have made Moses blemished; rather, this teaches that his mother made him a youth's canopy within the ark.
The Arm That Stretched to Reach the Infant Moses
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 166:7
וַיְשַׁלַּח ה' שָׁרָב וְשֶׁמֶשׁ וְחֹם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַיִבְעַר בְּשַׂר הָאָדָם עָלָיו כַּאֲשֶׁר יִבְעַר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּתְקוּפַת תַּמּוּז, וַיִּצֶר לָהֶם מְאֹד, וַתֵּרֶד בַּת פַּרְעֹה לִרְחֹץ מִפְּנֵי הַחֹם וְהַשָּׁרָב. וַתִּשְׁלַח אֶת אֲמָתָהּ וַתִּקָּחֶהָ, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נֶחֶמְיָה, חָד אָמַר יָדָהּ, וְחָד אָמַר שִׁפְחָתָהּ. מַאן דְאָמַר יָדָהּ, דִּכְתִיב אֲמָתָהּ. וּמַאן דְּאָמַר שִׁפְחָתָהּ, מִדְּלֹא כְּתִיב יָדָהּ. וּלְמַאן דְּאָמַר שִׁפְחָתָה, הָא אָמַרְתָּ בָּא גַּבְרִיאֵל וְחֲבָטָן בַּקַּרְקַע, דְשַׁיֵיר לָהּ חָדָא, דְּלָאו אֹרַח אַרְעָא לְמֵיקַם בַּת מַלְכָּא לְחוּדָא. וּלְמָאן דְאָמַר יָדָהּ לִיכְתּוֹב יָדָהּ, הָא קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן דְּאִשְׁתַּרְבֵּב אִישְׁתְּרַבוּבֵי, כִּדְאָמַר מַר וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּאַמָּתָהּ שֶׁל בַּת פַּרְעֹה. וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּשִׁנֵּי רְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "שִׁנֵּי רְשָׁעִים שִׁבַּרְתָּ", אַל תִּקְרָא שִׁבַּרְתָּ אֶלָּא שִׁרְבַּבְתָּ. (שמות ב ו) וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד, 'וַתֵּרֶא' מִבָּעֵי' לֵיהּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁרָאֲתָה עִמּוֹ שְׁכִינָה. וְהִנֵּה נַעַר בֹּכֶה, קָרִי לֵיהּ נַעַר וְקָרִי לֵיהּ יֶלֶד, תָּנָא, הוּא יֶלֶד וְקוֹלוֹ כְּנַעַר, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יְהוּדָה. אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי נֶחֶמְיָה, אִם כֵּן עֲשִׂיתוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה בַּעַל מוּם, אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁעָשְׂתָה לוֹ אִמּוֹ חֻפַּת נְעָרִים בַּתֵּבָה.