Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

"And He said, I am the God of your father" (Exodus 3:6): He revealed Himself to him in the voice of his father Amram, so that he would not be afraid. At that moment Moses rejoiced and said, "My father Amram!" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "You said that I am your father, but I am only the God of your father." At that moment Moses hid his face. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "You showed Me honor; by your life, I will show you honor," as it is said (Exodus 34:30), "And Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses" and his face shone. You feared, for he was afraid to look; therefore "they were afraid to approach him." As a reward for fearing to look, "he beholds the likeness of the Lord" (Numbers 12:8). It is written (Exodus 33:20), "And He said, You cannot see My face." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: "When I wished it, you did not wish; and now that you wish it, I do not wish." But Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani disagrees, saying in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: as a reward for three things he merited three things. As a reward for "and Moses hid his face," he merited the radiance of his face. As a reward for "because he was afraid" and so on, and so forth.

"And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me" (Exodus 3:9): this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, was watching the Egyptians, how they were enslaving Israel, as it is said, "behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me." As it were, I am with them. A fifth descent: He descended to the bush, as it is said, "and I have come down to deliver him from the hand of Egypt." He left the whole mountain and dwelt within the bush, and the bush was all distress and trouble, all thorns and thistles. Why did He dwell upon it? Because He saw Israel in great trouble, as it is said, "In all their affliction He was afflicted" (Isaiah 63:9). Moses saw the fire within the bush, and the fire did not consume the bush, and the bush did not extinguish the flames of the fire; and the bush does not grow on the ground unless there is water beneath it. Moses saw and wondered and went to look at the marvel. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Stand, for there I am destined to give the Torah to Israel." He said to him, "And I will send you to Pharaoh." Moses said, "Master of the universe, I have no strength, for I am impaired in my speech. And moreover, you are sending me into the hand of my enemies who seek my life." He said (Exodus 4:19), "Do not fear, for all the men are dead." Were they actually dead? Rather, they had come down from their property. From here you learn that anyone who comes down from his property is as if dead. He said to Him, "Master of the worlds, please send by the hand of the man You are destined to send in the time to come." He said to him, "I did not say I would send you to Israel, but to Pharaoh; and that man of whom you speak, I will send him in the time to come to Israel," (Malachi 3:23) "Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet." He said before Him, "Give me a sign." He said to him, "Cast your staff to the ground." And why did the Holy One, blessed be He, show Moses a serpent? Because just as a serpent kills and bites human beings, so Pharaoh and his people were biting and killing the children of Israel; and it turns back and becomes like dry wood, so Pharaoh and his people were like dry wood. And why did He show him an unclean thing? Because just as the leper is unclean and defiles Israel, then turns and becomes pure, so Israel would be purified from the defilement of Egypt. And why did He show him the fire from within the bush? Because the fire is Israel, who are likened to fire, as it is said (Obadiah 1:18), "And the house of Jacob shall be fire"; "the bush" is the nations of the world, who are likened to thorns; and the nations do not extinguish the flame of Israel, which is the words of Torah, nor does the fire of Israel consume the nations. In the time to come the fire of Israel will consume all the nations, as it is said, "And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut down" (Isaiah 33:12). He said before Him, "Master of the worlds, make known to me Your great and holy Name, that I may call upon Your Name and You will answer me." And He made known to him, "I will be what I will be" [Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh] (Exodus 3:14). And the heavenly beings saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, had transmitted the Explicit Name, and they said, "Blessed are You, Lord, who graciously grants knowledge." "I will be what I will be": the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Go, say to Israel, I was with them in this enslavement, and I will be with them in the enslavement under the kingdoms." He said before Him, "Master of the worlds, sufficient for the trouble is its own hour." He said to him, "Go, say to them, Ehyeh has sent me to you." And still Moses refused. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "You deserve to be ruled with a rod." "And He said, What is that in your hand? And he said, A staff" (Exodus 4:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "If it was not in your mind to go, you should have said at the outset, I am not going; but instead you waited until I handed over to you My secrets and the Explicit Name." "And it shall be, if they do not believe the voice of the first sign" (Exodus 4:8): what does "the voice" teach? Said Resh Lakish, the staff itself was speaking before Israel: "I was with Moses in Midian and I was turned into a serpent, and afterward I became a staff again." And it too raised its voice: "I was pure and I was defiled and I returned and was purified." And so in Egypt, to make known the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He.

"And this staff you shall take in your hand" (Exodus 4:17): the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Moses, if you do not wish to perform My errand, this rod will perform My errand; but I wish to grant you merit, and I will place many miracles in your hand: the manna, the well, the Sabbath, the clouds of glory, and the Torah." Rabbi Avina raised a contradiction: it is written, "This is My Name forever" (Exodus 3:15), and it is written, "and this is My remembrance for all generations." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "Not as I am written am I read. I am written with Yod-Heh [the Tetragrammaton], and I am read with Alef-Dalet [Adonai, the Lord]." Rava intended to expound it in a public lecture; a certain elder said to him, "It is written 'forever' [le-olam, spelled defectively to read le-allem, to conceal]." (Zechariah 14:9) "On that day the Lord shall be One and His Name One." Is He then not One now? Said Rav Acha bar Chanina: the world to come is not like this world. In this world, over good tidings one says "Blessed is the Good and the Doer of good," and over bad tidings one says "Blessed is the true Judge"; but in the world to come it is all "the Good and the Doer of good."

Said Rabbah bar bar Channah in the name of Rav Yochanan: the four-letter Name, the sages transmit it to their students once a week, and some say once in a sabbatical cycle, as it is written, "This is My Name forever" [le-olam, read as le-allem, to conceal] (Exodus 3:15). "And now go, and I will send you" (Exodus 3:10): said Rabbi Elazar, "For you Israel were watching, for you Israel were hoping; there is greatness for you in this matter." Rabbi Yochanan said, "To you this matter is entrusted." "And Moses said to the Lord, Please, my Lord" (Exodus 4:10): "I beg you, transfer this from me. If my brother Aaron is greater than I, then send me [with him]." "I am not a man of words" (Exodus 4:10). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Who put a mouth in man?" (Exodus 4:11). "And I will be with your mouth and teach you" (Exodus 4:12): "I will make you a new creation, like a woman who conceives and gives birth."

Another interpretation: "I will shoot My words into your mouth like an arrow," for "and I will teach you" [ve-horeitikha] means nothing other than the language of "he shall surely be shot through" [yaroh yiyareh] (Exodus 19:13). And once the Holy One, blessed be He, assured him that He was with him, he accepted upon himself to go, as it is said, "And Moses went and returned to Jether his father-in-law" (Exodus 4:18).

"Go and gather the elders of Israel" (Exodus 3:16): not in one place and not in two places does the Omnipresent share honor with the elders; in every place you find that the Holy One, blessed be He, shares honor with the elders. Similarly (Numbers 11:16), "Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel"; (Exodus 4:29) "And Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the children of Israel"; "And to Moses He said, Come up to the Lord," and (Exodus 24:14) "and to the elders He said, Wait for us here"; (Leviticus 9:1) "And it came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons" and so on. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: from where do we learn that in the time to come honor is shared with the elders? As it is said (Isaiah 24:23), "And the moon shall be ashamed and the sun abashed" and so on. It does not say "before His kings" or "before His prophets," but rather "before His elders shall be glory." Is this not a matter of all the more so [kal va-chomer]? If the One who spoke and the world came into being is destined to share honor with the elders, how much more so should flesh and blood share honor with the elders. And so you find that the Omnipresent grieves over a single elder as over all Israel, as it is said, "I was angry with My people, I profaned My inheritance." One might think they should be profaned over everything; therefore Scripture says, "upon the elder you laid your yoke very heavily" (Isaiah 47:6).

(Exodus 3:8-22) "And each woman shall ask of her neighbor" (Exodus 3:22). Rabbi Eleazar HaKappar says: Israel held four commandments in their hand for which the whole world is not worthy. They were not suspected regarding forbidden sexual relations, as it is said, "And the son of an Israelite woman went out" (Leviticus 24:10) - to make known the praise of Israel, that there was only this one case alone, and Scripture publicized it. And it is explained in the tradition (Song of Songs 4:12), "A locked garden, a locked spring." "A locked garden" - these are the males. "A locked spring" - these are the females. Rabbi Nathan says: "A locked garden" - these are the married women; "a locked spring, a sealed fountain" - these are the betrothed women.

Another interpretation: "A locked garden, a locked spring" - referring to two acts of intimacy. And they were not suspected of slander, as it is said, "And each woman shall ask of her neighbor" (Exodus 3:22) - the borrowed goods were already in their hands for twelve months, and you do not find a single one of them who informed against his fellow. And they did not change their names: just as Scripture traces their lineage at their descent, Reuben and Simeon, so it traces their lineage at their ascent, as it is said, "and they declared their lineage according to their families" (Numbers 1:18). And there was no harlotry among them, as it is said, "the tribes of the LORD, a testimony for Israel, for there the tribes went up, the tribes of the LORD" (Psalms 122:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: My Name testifies concerning Israel that they were not defiled in Egypt through harlotry. And they did not change their language, "Who made you a man, a ruler and a judge" (Exodus 2:14), "two Hebrew men were quarreling" (Exodus 2:13) - from here that they were speaking Hebrew, as it is said, "for it is my mouth that speaks to you" (Genesis 45:12).

"The God of the Hebrews has met with us" (Exodus 5:3). (As it is said) "And the fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13).

(Exodus 4:1-9) "But they will not believe me" (Exodus 4:1). Resh Lakish said: One who suspects worthy people is stricken in his body. From where do we know this? From Moses. As it is written, "But they will not believe me," yet it was revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He, that they would believe. He said to him: They are believers, children of believers, but you - in the end you will not believe. Believers, as it is written (further on, verse 31), "and the people believed." Children of believers, as it is written (Genesis 15:6), "and he believed in the LORD." And you - in the end you will not believe, as it is written, "because you did not believe in Me" (Numbers 20:12). And from where that he was stricken? As it is written, "Put now your hand into your bosom" (Exodus 4:6). Rava said: A good measure comes more swiftly than a measure of punishment. Regarding the measure of punishment it is written, "and he brought it out, and behold, his hand was leprous"; whereas regarding the good measure it is written, "and he brought it out from his bosom, and behold, it had returned like his flesh" - it was from his bosom that it returned like his flesh. "And Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs" (Exodus 7:12). Rabbi Eleazar said: A miracle within a miracle. He said to him: You speak slander against My children. Just as the serpent that spoke slander - I struck it with leprosy - so too you, "put now your hand into your bosom." "And it shall be, if they will not believe, and you shall take from the water" (Exodus 4:9) - He hinted to him: from where will you take what is yours? From the water, as it is said (Numbers 20:10), "Shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?" "And he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent" (Exodus 4:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Just as the serpent twists, so Pharaoh is destined to twist against you. This is (Isaiah 46:10) "declaring the end from the beginning." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: These two signs, the serpent and the leper - one is Mine and one is yours. "And the people spoke against God and against Moses... and the LORD sent the serpents among the people" (Numbers 21:5-6) - and whoever speaks against you personally is stricken with leprosy, "and behold, Miriam was leprous as snow" (Numbers 12:10).

Before Moses merited the Torah, it is written of him, "I am not a man of words" (Exodus 4:10). Once he merited the Torah, his tongue was healed and he began to speak, as it is said, "These are the words that Moses spoke" (Deuteronomy 1:1). And so too in the time to come (Ezekiel 47:12), "and its leaf for healing" - whoever is mute, he sips and his tongue is healed and made fluent at once in words of Torah, as it is said (there), "and by the stream on its bank, on this side and on that, shall grow"; and "on this side and on that" means nothing but Torah, as it is said, "on this side and on that they were written" (Exodus 32:15). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: See the language of the Torah, that it heals the tongue, as it is said (Proverbs 15:4), "a healing tongue is a tree of life."

Another interpretation: To what may the matter be compared? To one who was selling purple cloth and was crying out, saying, "Here is purple!" The king peered out and heard his voice, called him, and said to him, "What are you selling?" He said, "Nothing at all." He said to him, "I heard your voice saying, Here is purple, and you say nothing at all?" He said to him, "My lord, it is purple, but next to you it is nothing." So too Moses: next to the Holy One, blessed be He, who created the mouth and speech, he said, "I am not a man of words"; but next to Israel, "These are the words." All seven days the Holy One, blessed be He, was speaking with Moses from within the bush, as it is said, "neither yesterday nor the day before, nor since You spoke" (Exodus 4:10). And it was the season of Passover, and at that same time the following year, on the fifteenth of Nisan, Israel went out from Egypt. On the fifteenth of Nisan Isaac was born. On the fifteenth of Nisan Sarah was given the good tidings. On the fifteenth of Nisan it was spoken with Abraham our father at the Covenant Between the Pieces, as it is said (Exodus 12:41), "and it came to pass at the end" - one end for them all. On the fourteenth they slaughtered their Passover offerings, and it was the fourth day of the week. On that night the firstborn were struck. The next day they journeyed from Rameses, and on the fourth day, "and it was told to the king of Egypt" (Exodus 14:5). On the fifth and sixth they pursued. At dawn they sang the Song, and it was the fourth day of the week, and it was the last festival day of Passover.

(Exodus 4:13-14) "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send" (Exodus 4:13). You might think that Moses was holding back so as not to go - he did nothing but honor Aaron. Moses said: Before I arose, my brother Aaron was prophesying to them for eighty years; this is what is written, "and I made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt" (Ezekiel 20:9). And from where that Aaron was prophesying to them? As it is said (1 Samuel 2:27-28), "And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus says the LORD: Did I not reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh, and choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest?" He said: All these years Aaron was prophesying to them; now I am coming into my brother's domain and he will be distressed. For this reason Moses did not wish to go. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Aaron your brother is not distressed by this matter; rather he will rejoice. Know this, that he is going out to meet you, as it is said, "behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you he will rejoice in his heart" - not with his mouth but in his heart; in his heart more than in his mouth. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: The heart that rejoiced in the greatness of his brother shall wear the Urim and Tummim, as it is said, "and you shall put into the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Tummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart" (Exodus 28:30). When the Holy One, blessed be He, said this to him, he accepted upon himself to go. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed to Aaron and said to him: Go out to meet Moses your brother so that he will know you rejoice in this matter; therefore it is said, "to meet Moses toward the wilderness" (Exodus 4:27). Had Aaron known (it is written in remez 142).

"And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses" (Exodus 4:14). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha says: Every kindling of anger stated in the Torah leaves a mark, except this one, in which no mark is stated. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: This too leaves a mark, as it is said, "Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite?" - and is he not a priest? This is what it says: I had said you would be a priest and he a Levite; now he is a priest and you are a Levite. And the Sages say: Moses served as priest only during the seven days of consecration alone. And some say: it ceased only from the seed of Moses, as it is said (Psalms 99:6), "Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who call on His name." What is the force of "and it says"? Should you say that this verse is written about later generations, therefore "it says": "Moses and Aaron among His priests." And does every kindling of anger in the Torah leave a mark? But is it not written, "and he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger" (Exodus 11:8), and he said nothing to him? Resh Lakish said: He slapped him and went out. But is it not written (Exodus 7:15), "and you shall stand to meet him at the bank of the river"? And Resh Lakish said: He is a king, so show him a pleasant face; and Rabbi Yochanan said: He is wicked, so be brazen toward him - reverse them.

(Exodus 4:15) If it is said, "I will be with your mouth," why is it said, "and I will instruct you"? And if it is said, "and I will instruct you," why is it said, "I will be with your mouth"? Rather, "I will be with your mouth" refers to the opening of the mouth and the answer of the tongue. "And I will instruct you" refers to the treasuries of wisdom that the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Moses concerning all the treasuries of Torah, wisdom, and knowledge, and the treasuries of life; and He showed him what is destined to be in the World to Come. And when he saw, behind the curtain of the Holy One, blessed be He, company upon company of the Sanhedrin who would sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone and expound the Torah in forty-nine aspects, and He showed him Rabbi Akiva expounding the crowns of the letters, he said, "I have no business in the mission of the Omnipresent," as it is said, "And he said, please, my Lord, send by the hand of whomever You will send" (Exodus 4:13). What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He dispatched the Prince of Wisdom, who seized Moses and led him to a certain place, and showed him, behind the curtain of the Holy One, blessed be He, myriads upon myriads of the Sanhedrin sitting and expounding and declaring, "It is a law given to Moses at Sinai." Immediately Moses' mind was set at ease.

"And take this staff in your hand" (Exodus 4:17). The staff that was created at twilight was handed to Adam in the Garden of Eden, and Adam handed it to Enoch, and Enoch handed it to Shem, and Shem handed it to Abraham, and Abraham handed it to Isaac, and Isaac handed it to Jacob, and Jacob brought it down to Egypt, and Egypt to Joseph. When Joseph died, all his household goods were scattered and were placed in the palace of Pharaoh. Now Jethro was one of the magicians of Egypt, and he saw the staff and desired it in his heart, and he took it and brought it and planted it in the midst of his garden, and no one could draw near to it, until Moses came to the land of Midian and entered the garden of his house and saw the staff and read the letters that were upon it and stretched out his hand and took it. Jethro saw this and said, "This is the man who is destined to redeem Israel from Egypt." Therefore he gave him Zipporah his daughter as a wife, as it is said, "And Moses consented" (Exodus 2:21). And Moses shepherded and led the flock of Jethro with that staff forty years, and no beast of the field bereaved them, and they were exceedingly fruitful and multiplied; and of them Scripture says, "like a flock of holy ones" (Ezekiel 36:38). "And he led the flock" until he came to Mount Horeb, and there the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed to him out of the bush. Rav Yehuda bar Ami said: the staff weighed forty se'ah, and it was of sapphire, and the ten plagues were engraved upon it, and by the mnemonic [acronym] DeTzaKh, ADaSh, BeAChaB. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "This staff will bring the plagues upon him."

(Exodus 4:18-19) "And the LORD said to Moses in Midian." It is taught: one who has vowed not to derive benefit from his fellow may be released from the vow only in his presence. From where are these matters derived? Rav Nachman said: as it is written, "And the LORD said to Moses in Midian" — He said to him, "In Midian you vowed; go and annul your vow," as it is written, "And Moses consented [vayyo'el] to dwell" (Exodus 2:21), and alah means nothing other than an oath, as it is written, "and he brought him under an oath [be'alah]" (Ezekiel 17:13), and it is written, "and he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God." Rabbi Eliezer says: one may open [a way to annul a vow] by an unforeseen development, but the Sages forbid it. How so? If one said, "I shall derive no benefit from so-and-so," and then that man became a scribe, or was marrying off his son, and the vower said, "Had I known that he would become a scribe, or that he would soon marry off his son, I would not have vowed." What is the reason? Rav Chisda said: because Scripture states, "for all the men are dead" (Exodus 4:19) — but this death was an unforeseen development; from here we learn that one may open with an unforeseen development. And the Rabbis, what is their reason? They hold that those men had not actually died, for the Master said: wherever it is said "contending" or "standing," it refers to none other than Dathan and Abiram; rather, they had come down from their wealth. "And Moses went and returned to Jether his father-in-law" — it need only have said, "and he returned to Egypt," so why did he return to Jethro? To annul his vow. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He bound a cloud there, and, as it were, He annulled the vow of Moses.

Another interpretation: he went to take leave of him. "And he said to him, Go to peace [lekh le-shalom]" (Exodus 4:18). Everyone of whom it is written "to peace [le-shalom]" goes and returns, and everyone of whom it is written "in peace [be-shalom]" goes and does not return. Of Abner it is written, "And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace [be-shalom]" (2 Samuel 3:21) — he went and did not return. But Jethro, who said to Moses, "Go to peace [lekh le-shalom]," he went and returned.

(Exodus 4:20) "And Moses took his wife and his sons." At that hour it was said to Aaron (below, verse 27), "Go to meet Moses in the wilderness." He went out to meet him and was embracing him and hugging him and kissing him. Moses said to him, "My brother, where have you been all these years?" He said to him, "In Midian." "What are these children and women with you?" He said to him, "My wife and my sons." He said to him, "Where are you taking them?" He said to him, "To Egypt." He said to him, "Over the first ones we are distressed, and now you bring the last ones too?" At that hour he said to her, "Go to your father's house," and therefore it is said, "after he had sent her away" (Exodus 18:2). ["And he set them on the donkey" (is written in remez 98). (Exodus 4:24-25) "And it came to pass on the way, at the lodging-place" etc., "and sought to kill him" (is written in remez 81). "And Zipporah took a flint" (in remez 81).] (Exodus 4:26) "Then she said, A bridegroom of blood [because of the circumcision]." All of Moses' business was only with "then [az]." How so? The saving of his life was only with "then [az]," as it is said, "So He let him alone; then she said." His reproach was only with "then [az]," as it is said, "and from the time [me-az] I came to Pharaoh." His song was only with "then [az]," as it is said, "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang" (Exodus 15:1). The setting apart of cities was only with "then [az]," as it is said, "Then Moses set apart three cities" (Deuteronomy 4:41).

"And the LORD said to Aaron, Go to meet Moses in the wilderness." This is what Scripture says, "God thunders marvelously with His voice" (Job 37:5). When did the Holy One, blessed be He, work marvels with His voice? At the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to send Moses on the mission to redeem Israel, and he was in Midian, He said to him (above, verse 19), "Return to Egypt." The utterance split into two voices and became a double countenance, and Moses heard, "In Midian, go, return to Egypt," and Aaron heard, "In Egypt, go to meet Moses in the wilderness." And what was in the middle they did not hear. Thus, "God thunders marvelously with His voice." This is what Scripture says (Song of Songs 8:1), "Oh that you were as a brother to me." Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He, "Oh that You were as Moses and Aaron," as it is said (Psalms 133:1), "How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together," for they loved one another and cherished one another. For when Moses took the kingship and Aaron the priesthood, they did not envy one another, but each rejoiced in the greatness of the other. "Should I find you outside, I would kiss you" — "And he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him." This is what Scripture says (Psalms 85:11), "Kindness and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed." "Righteousness" — this is Moses, as it is said, "He did the righteousness of the LORD." "Peace" — this is Aaron, as it is said (Malachi 2:6), "in peace and uprightness he walked with Me." "Kindness" — this is Aaron, as it is said (Deuteronomy 33:8), "and of Levi he said, Your Tummim and Your Urim be with Your pious one." "Truth" — this is Moses, as it is said, "in all My house he is faithful." Every kiss of frivolity (is in remez 124).

(Exodus 5:1-2) "And Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the children of Israel." They said to them, "Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He, 'I have surely remembered you'" (Exodus 3:16). This was a sign for Israel: every redeemer who comes with this expression is a true redeemer. For so Joseph said to them, "God will surely remember you" (Exodus 13:19). Once they mentioned to them, "I have surely remembered," immediately "the people believed." Moses and Aaron said to them, "Come with us and let us go to Pharaoh." Immediately the elders of Israel accepted upon themselves and went with them. As they were going along, they slipped away by stealth, one by one and two by two, so that by the time they reached the palace of Pharaoh not one of them was found with them, as it is said, "And afterward Moses and Aaron came" (Exodus 5:1). And where were the elders? Rather, they had slipped off. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "Do you think I will not repay you? By your lives, when Moses and Aaron go up to receive the Torah, you will go up with them, and I will turn you back," as it is said, "And to the elders he said, Wait for us here" (Exodus 24:14).

Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: it was a coronation day [yom genusya], and all the kings were coming and crowning him, for he was a world-ruler, and Moses and Aaron were standing at the entrance of the palace. They entered to Pharaoh and said to him, "Two old men are standing at the entrance of your palace." He said to them, "Do they have crowns in their hands?" They said to him, "No." He said to them, "Let them enter last." They entered to Pharaoh. He said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to him, "The God of the Hebrews has sent me to you" (Exodus 7:16) — "Send out My people that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness." He said to them, "Who is the LORD that I should heed His voice" (Exodus 5:2), and He did not even know how to send me a crown of His own, but came to me only with words? "Who is the LORD that I should heed His voice?" Rabbi Levi said: at that hour he brought out the register [diftera] of deities and read out, "the god of Edom, Moab, and Sidon," and said to them, "Behold, I have read and I do not find what you speak of." Rabbi Levi said: to what is the matter comparable? To a priest who had a slave. The priest went out from the province, and his slave went to seek him among the graves. He began to cry out, "My master! My master!" They said to him, "Who is your master?" He said to them, "So-and-so the priest." They said to him, "Fool of the world, do you seek a priest in a cemetery?" So Pharaoh said to Moses, "Who is the LORD? I have brought out the register of deities and sought Him within it and did not find Him." He said to him, "Fool of the world, the deities in your hand are dead, but our God is living and enduring," as it is said (Jeremiah 10:10), "But the LORD God is truth; He is the living God and the everlasting King."

Rabbi Yochanan said: When Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel came and wished to enter, they saw around Pharaoh's palace such great multitudes that they trembled. Rabbi Meir said: The palace had four hundred gates, one hundred to each side, and at each one sat sixty thousand mighty men. Therefore the angel Gabriel came and brought them in. When Pharaoh saw them, he said, "What is the nature of these?" At once he summoned the gatekeepers: some he killed, some he flogged, some he removed and set others in their place. The next day they entered again before Pharaoh. He called the guards and said to them, "How do these men get in?" They said to him, "We do not know. They are sorcerers, for they do not enter by way of the gates." Immediately he told Aaron to cast down his staff, and it became a serpent. "Who is the LORD that I should heed His voice?" (Exodus 5:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You said "Who [mi]"? By your life, by the sea [mi spelled backward is yam, sea] you will be struck; at the sea you will know who I am. You said, "I do not know the LORD." By your life, tomorrow you will say, "The LORD is the righteous one" (Exodus 9:27). You said, "I will also not let Israel go." By your life, tomorrow you will take each one by the hand to send him out, as it is said, "And it came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go" (Exodus 13:17).

Another interpretation: With the very tongue with which he sinned, with that same tongue he repented. He had said, "Who is the LORD?"; later, "Who is like You, glorious in holiness?" (Exodus 15:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, rescued Pharaoh from among the dead and stood him up to recount the might of His power, as it is said, "But for this very purpose I have raised you up" (Exodus 9:16). He went and reigned over Nineveh; and when the Holy One, blessed be He, sent Jonah to Nineveh to prophesy its overthrow, Pharaoh heard, rose from his throne, tore his garments, and put on sackcloth and ashes. But after forty days they returned to their evil deeds and were swallowed like the dead in the lowest depths, as it is said, "From the city the dying groan" (Job 24:12). "I do not know the LORD." To what may Pharaoh be compared? To a king who went off to a country across the sea and entrusted all he had with his servant. After some days the king returned and said, "Give me what I deposited with you." The servant said, "I am not your servant; you deposited nothing with me." What did the king do? He seized him by the hair. Then the servant said, "I am your servant, and all that you deposited with me I will repay you." So too, at first the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "And now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh" (Exodus 3:10). Moses said, "Let My people go." Pharaoh said, "I do not know the LORD." But once He brought ten plagues upon him, he said, "The LORD is the righteous one" (Exodus 9:27). The plagues against the Egyptians lasted twelve months. "And the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble" (Exodus 5:12): when is the season for stubble? In the month of Iyyar, yet they went out in Nisan. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: He began to grind his teeth against them and said, "You are lazy" (Exodus 5:17).

Rabbi Yehudah the Levite said: The tribe of Levi was free from forced labor in Egypt. Pharaoh said to them, "Because you are idle, you come and say, 'Let us go and sacrifice.'" Hence: "Why, Moses and Aaron, do you distract the people from their work? Go to your burdens" (Exodus 5:4). "Let the labor be heavier upon the men, and let them work at it and not heed lying words" (Exodus 5:9): for they had scrolls with which they would delight themselves from Sabbath to Sabbath, declaring that the Holy One, blessed be He, is our redeemer. Pharaoh said, "Let them not heed lying words": let them not lean on them, nor delight in them, nor have rest, as it is said, "And Pharaoh commanded that same day the taskmasters" (Exodus 5:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Tomorrow I will bring plagues upon them. When Israel went out to bring stubble to make into straw, the Egyptian would beat any Israelite he saw within his field; therefore "the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt" (Exodus 5:12). "And now go and work, and straw shall not be given to you" (Exodus 5:18): Israel were gathering the stubble in the wilderness and treading the clay, and the stubble pierced their heels, and the blood mingled in the clay. Rachel, the granddaughter of Methuselah, was pregnant and about to give birth, and she trod the clay together with her husband, and the child came out of her womb and was mixed into the brick mold. The angel Michael descended and brought it up before the Throne of Glory, and on that very night He struck all the firstborn of Egypt, as it is said, "And it came to pass at midnight" (Exodus 12:29).

"And they met Moses and Aaron standing" (Exodus 5:20) -- these are Dathan and Abiram, of whom it is written, "they came out and stood" (Numbers 16:27). "And they said to them, May the LORD look upon you and judge" (Exodus 5:21). Rabbi Yehudah the Levite said: Israel said to him, To what are we like? To a single lamb that the wolf came and snatched from the flock, and the shepherd went after it. What did the wolf do? He sought to keep the lamb; between the shepherd and the wolf, the lamb came into danger. So Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Between Pharaoh and You we are dying, as it is said, "And Moses said, why have You dealt ill?" (Exodus 5:22). And this is what Scripture says, "Did we not say to you in Egypt, Leave us alone that we may serve Egypt?" (Exodus 14:12). "Now you shall see" (Exodus 6:1) -- this is written in the portion Va'era, in the verse, "For with a strong hand he shall send them out, and with a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land."

And afterward Moses and Aaron came; and when they reached the gate of the king's house, behold, two young lions were bound there with chains of iron, and no one could go out or come in past them except whomever the king alone would command. The handlers would come and remove the lions by their whisperings and bring the person in. But Moses hurried and waved the staff over the lions and set them loose. They came into the king's house, and the lions came with them in great joy, as a dog rejoices toward its master when he comes from the field. When Pharaoh saw this, he was astonished and greatly alarmed at the men, for their appearance was like the appearance of the sons of God. The king said to them, "What do you want?" They said to him, "The LORD, God of the Hebrews, has sent us to you, saying: Send out My people that they may serve Me." He was very afraid of them and said to them, "Go today and come tomorrow," and they did as the king said. After they left, Pharaoh sent and called for Balaam the soothsayer, and Jannes and Jambres his sons the sorcerers, and all the magicians of Egypt. They came to the king, and the king told them what the men had said to him. The magicians said to him, "How did these men come to you past the lions?" [He said to them, "They waved the staff over them"] and freed them, and they came to me; moreover the lions became like dogs and rejoiced toward them. Balaam answered the king, "These are nothing but sorcerers like ourselves. Now send for them and let them come, and we will test them." And the king did so.

Ulla said: Moses sought kingship, and it was not given to him, as it is written, "And He said, Do not draw near here [halom]" (Exodus 3:5); and "here" [halom] means nothing other than kingship, as it is written, "Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far [halom]?" (2 Samuel 7:18). Rabbah objected: Rabbi Ishmael says, his brother-in-law reigned. Rabbah said: We speak of him and his offspring. And wherever "halom" is written, it refers to forever -- but is it not written of Saul, "Has the man come here [halom] yet?" (1 Samuel 10:22)? As for him, yes; his offspring, no. If you wish, say: there was Ish-bosheth. And if you wish, say: Saul is different, for the kingship did not endure even in his own person, in accordance with what Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rav Chanina: When greatness is decreed for a person, it is decreed for him and for his offspring until the end of all generations, as it is said, "He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; with kings on the throne He seats them forever, and they are exalted" (Job 36:7). But if he becomes arrogant, the Holy One, blessed be He, lowers him, as it is said, "And if they are bound in fetters, caught in cords of affliction" (Job 36:8).

Parashat Va'era. "And God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the LORD" (Exodus 6:2). This is what Scripture says: "Hear, My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against you; God, your God, am I" (Psalms 50:7). Rav Pinchas the Priest son of Chama said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, Because I called you God, as it is said, "See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:1), I am your God; and therefore it is said, "And God spoke to Moses." This is what Scripture says: "For oppression makes a wise man foolish" (Ecclesiastes 7:7) -- when a wise man busies himself with affairs, they confuse him away from wisdom; "and a gift destroys the heart" -- away from the Torah, which is called a gift, as it is said, "and from Mattanah [gift] to Nahaliel" (Numbers 21:19). Even Moses: as it is said, "And Moses returned to the LORD and said, Lord, why have You dealt ill with this people, and from the time I came to Pharaoh" (Exodus 5:22-23). And the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see" what I do to Pharaoh and to Egypt you will see, but you will not see, and so on. At that moment the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to sit in judgment over him. From where? As it is said, "And God spoke to Moses," and "God" means nothing other than a judge, as it is said, "You shall not curse the judges [Elohim]" (Exodus 22:27). Then advocacy entered and pleaded merit on his behalf, as it is said, "And He said, I am the LORD"; and "the LORD" means nothing other than mercy, as it is said, "The LORD, the LORD, God merciful and gracious" (Exodus 34:6).

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yose said: Once I entered Alexandria of Egypt. A certain old man met me and said, "Come and I will show you what my forefathers did to your forefathers: some they drowned in the sea, some they killed by the sword, some they crushed in the building." And for this matter Moses our teacher was punished, as it is said, "And from the time I came to Pharaoh" (Exodus 5:23). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Alas for those who are lost and not found! Many times I revealed Myself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, and they did not question My ways, nor did they say to Me, What is Your name? I said to Abraham, "Arise, walk through the land in its length and breadth, for to you I will give it" (Genesis 13:17); yet he sought a place to bury Sarah and did not find one until he purchased it for four hundred shekels, and he did not question My ways. I said to Isaac, "Sojourn in this land" and so on; yet he sought water to drink and they did not let him until he made a quarrel, as it is said, "And the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled" (Genesis 26:20), and he did not question My ways. I said to Jacob, "The land on which you lie, to you I will give it"; yet he sought a place to pitch his tent and did not find one until he purchased it for a hundred kesitah, and he did not question My ways. And they did not say to Me, What is Your name; yet you said to Me at the very start, What is Your name, and now you have said to Me, "And You have not delivered at all" (Exodus 5:23). "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh" -- but you will not see in the war of the thirty-one kings.

Another interpretation: "And I appeared to Abraham" and so forth, "but by My name the LORD I did not make Myself known to them" (Exodus 6:3). I did not explain to them whether it is the Explicit Name, but to you I have disclosed it, since you are going to redeem Israel, so that you may succeed. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world I disclosed My name to individuals, but in the world to come I will make My name known to all Israel, as it is said, "Therefore My people shall know My name" (Isaiah 52:6).

"But by My name the LORD I did not make Myself known to them" (Exodus 6:3). The wicked precede their name. "Nabal was his name" (after his deed is told); "Sheba son of Bichri was his name" (2 Samuel 20:21). But the righteous, their name precedes them, as it is said, "and his name was Elkanah" (1 Samuel 1:1), "and his name was Boaz" (Ruth 2:1), "and his name was Mordecai" (Esther 2:5). They resemble their Creator, of whom Scripture says, "but by My name the LORD I did not make Myself known to them." They raised an objection: But is it not written, "and his name was Laban" (Genesis 24:29)? A paradox. Rabbi Berekhiah says: He was whitened in wickedness [the name Laban means white]. Rabbi Simai says: From where do we derive the resurrection of the dead from the Torah? As it is said, "And I also established My covenant with them to give to them the land of Canaan" (Exodus 6:4). It does not say "to you" but "to them" [the patriarchs, who had died], from here is the resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah.

(Exodus 6:6-8) "And I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt." At Rosh Hashanah the labor of our ancestors in Egypt ceased. It is derived by a verbal analogy, "burden" and "burden": it is written here, "And I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt," and it is written elsewhere, "I removed his shoulder from the burden" (Psalms 81:7). And Joseph went out from prison at Rosh Hashanah, for it is written, "Blow the shofar at the new moon" (Psalms 81:4), and after it is written, "He appointed it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt," and it is written, "I removed his shoulder from the burden" (Psalms 81:7). Rabbi Simai says: "And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will bring you in." Scripture compares their going out of Egypt to their coming into the land: just as their coming into the land was two out of six hundred thousand [only Joshua and Caleb of that generation entered], so their going out of Egypt was two out of six hundred thousand [only that fraction left, the rest having died in the plague of darkness]. Rava said: And so too in the days of the Messiah, as it is said, "And she shall answer there as in the days of her youth, as on the day she came up from the land of Egypt" (Hosea 2:17). "And I will deliver you from their bondage" (this is written at remez 147). "And I will give it to you as a heritage." Our rabbis taught: Zelophehad was a firstborn and took a double portion. But does not the firstborn not take in property merely expected [as he does in property already held]? Rava said: The land of Israel is regarded as already held. They raised an objection: Rabbi Hidka said, Shimon the Shikmoni was my fellow-student among the disciples of Rabbi Akiva, and thus he used to say: Moses our teacher knew that the daughters of Zelophehad were heirs, but he did not know whether they take a firstborn's portion or not. The chapter of inheritances was fit to have been written through Moses, but the daughters of Zelophehad gained merit and it was written in their name. And Moses knew that the gatherer of wood was liable to death, as it is said, "those who profane it shall surely be put to death" (Exodus 31:14), but he did not know by which death. The chapter of the wood-gatherer was fit to have been written through Moses, but the wood-gatherer became liable and it was written through him, to teach you that merit is brought about through the meritorious and guilt through the guilty. And if it should enter your mind that the land was already held by them, why was there doubt? It was held. What was the doubt? The verse itself was in doubt for him, for it is written "And I will give it to you as a heritage [morashah]": is it an inheritance for them from their fathers, or do they bequeath it without themselves inheriting? They resolved both for him: it is an inheritance for them from their fathers, and they also bequeath without inheriting. Similarly you say, "You shall bring them in and plant them" (Exodus 15:17); it does not say "You shall bring us in" but "You shall bring them in," teaching that they prophesy without knowing what they prophesy.

"Who brings you out [hamotzi] from the land of Egypt." Our rabbis taught: "hamotzi bread from the earth." But Rabbi Nehemiah said: "motzi bread." Rava said: As for "motzi," all agree it means an expression that has already brought out, for it is written, "God who brings them out [motziam] of Egypt" (Numbers 23:22). Where they differ is in "hamotzi": the rabbis hold that "hamotzi" too means that which has already brought out, for it is written, "who brings out [hamotzi] water for you" (Deuteronomy 8:15). Rabbi Nehemiah holds that it is written "hamotzi you from under" and so forth, and He had not yet brought them out [so hamotzi can mean about to bring out]. And the rabbis? Thus He said to Moses: After I bring you out, I will do a thing for you so that you will know that it was I who brought you out, as it is written, "And you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of Egypt" (Exodus 6:7).

(Exodus 6:12-13) "And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me." Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: In four places Moses made requests before the Omnipresent, and He answered him on his questions. As it is said, "And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying": there is no need for Scripture to say "saying," except that he said to Him, Answer me whether You are redeeming them or not, until the Omnipresent answered him, "And the LORD said to Moses, Now you shall see." Similarly, "And Moses cried out to the LORD, saying" (Numbers 12:13): there is no need for Scripture to say "saying," except that he said to Him, Answer me whether You will heal her or not, until the Omnipresent answered him, "If her father had but spit in her face" (Numbers 12:14). Similarly, "And Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, Let the LORD appoint" (Numbers 27:15-16): there is no need to say "saying," except that he said to Him, Answer me whether You will appoint leaders over them or not, until He answered him, "Take to yourself Joshua son of Nun." Similarly, "And I pleaded with the LORD at that time" (Deuteronomy 3:23): there is no need to say "saying," except that he said to Him, Answer me whether I will enter the land or not, until He answered him, "Enough for you," and so forth, "Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there" (Deuteronomy 1:38). "Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me": this is an argument from the lesser to the greater [kal vachomer], how then shall Pharaoh listen to me? (Written under entry 151.)

"And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge concerning the children of Israel." This is what Scripture says: "Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that You should say to me, Carry them in your bosom?" (Numbers 11:12). Where had He spoken? At the time He said to him, "Go, lead the people" (Exodus 32:34). But this is still making the taught depend on what was not taught [the proof is no clearer than the thing proved]. Scripture therefore says, "And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge concerning the children of Israel." He said to them: Know that My children are obstinate, they are troublesome; on this condition you must accept them upon yourselves, that they will curse you and stone you with stones.

Another interpretation: "And He charged them." He charged them to separate from idolatry. Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira says: Behold it says, "And they did not listen to Moses because of shortness of spirit" (Exodus 6:9). Now, is there a man who is told good news and does not rejoice? A male child has been born to you, your master is setting you free, and he does not rejoice? If so, what does Scripture mean by "and they did not listen to Moses"? Rather, it was hard in their eyes to separate from idolatry. And so it says, "And I said to them, Cast away, every man, the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; but they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me. Yet I acted for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned" (Ezekiel 20:7-9). And so it says, "Draw out and take for yourselves" (Exodus 12:21): draw your hands away from idolatry and cling to the commandments. "And He charged them concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt": He charged them to show honor to the kingdom. And so, "And all these your servants shall come down to me" (Exodus 11:8); there is no need to say "these," except that it was Pharaoh himself who would in the end come down, but Moses showed honor to the kingdom. So too we find with Joseph, who showed honor to the kingdom, as it is said, "Without me, God will answer for the welfare of Pharaoh" (Genesis 41:16). So too we find with Jacob, who showed honor to the kingdom, "And Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed" (Genesis 48:2). So too we find with Elijah, who showed honor to the kingdom, as it is said, "And the hand of the LORD was upon Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab" (1 Kings 18:46). So too we find with Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who showed honor to the kingdom, as it is said, "Then Nebuchadnezzar drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace." So too we find with Daniel, who showed honor to the kingdom, as it is said, "And when he came to the den, he cried out to Daniel with a grieved voice" (Daniel 6:21); what does Daniel say? "Then Daniel spoke with the king, O king, live forever" (Daniel 6:22). Rabbi Akiva says: Every chapter that is adjacent to its neighbor learns from it, as it is said, "And Israel dwelt in Shittim" (Numbers 25:1). Rabbi says: Chapters are placed next to one another yet are as far from one another as east is from west. Similarly you say, "Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me," yet the Omnipresent had said to him, "And they will listen to your voice" (Exodus 3:18). Similarly you say, "And the daughter of a priest, when she profanes herself by harlotry" (Leviticus 21:9), and "the priest who is highest among his brethren" (Leviticus 21:10); and what has this matter to do with that, is he too to be burned? A parable: to what is the matter like? To an officer who completed his years of service and did not fulfill his office but fled and went off. The king sent and brought him and sentenced him to have his head cut off. Before he went out to be executed, the king said: Fill a measure with gold dinars and carry it before him, and say, Had you done as your fathers did, you would have received a measure of gold dinars; now you have lost your life and lost your money. So with the daughter of a priest who committed harlotry: the High Priest goes out before her and says to her, Had you acted as your mother acted, you would have merited that a High Priest like me should come forth from you; now you have destroyed yourself and destroyed your honor. Similarly you say, "For you are not My people" (Hosea 1:9), and it says, "And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea" (Hosea 2:1); and what has this to do with that? A parable: to a king who became angry with his wife and sent for his scribe to come and write her a bill of divorce; but before the scribe came, the king was reconciled to his wife. The king said: Is it possible that this scribe should go out from here empty-handed? Rather he said to him, Come, for I am doubling her marriage settlement. Similarly you say, "Samaria shall bear her guilt, for she has rebelled against her God" (Hosea 14:1), and it says, "Return, O Israel, to the LORD" and so forth; and what has this to do with that? A parable: to a province that rebelled against the king. He sent a commander to destroy it. That commander was experienced and level-headed. He said to them, Take for yourselves days to return to the king; and if not, behold I will do to you as I did to such-and-such a province and its neighbors, and to such-and-such a prefecture and its neighbors. Therefore it says, "Samaria shall bear her guilt; return, O Israel."

(Exodus 6:23-25) (verse 20) "And Amram took Yocheved his aunt" (written at remez 95). "And Aaron took Elisheva daughter of Amminadab." Rabbi Elazar said: A man should always attach himself to good people, for behold Moses, who married the daughter of Jethro, and there came forth from him Jonathan [who served idolatry]; Aaron, who married the sister of Nahshon, and there came forth from him Phinehas. But did Phinehas not come from Jethro? Is it not written, "And Eleazar son of Aaron took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel" (Exodus 6:25), meaning one who came from Jethro, who fattened calves for idolatry? No, he came from Joseph, who battled with his evil inclination. But did the tribes not despise him, saying, Have you seen this son of Puti, whose mother's father fattened calves for idolatry, and he has killed a prince of a tribe in Israel? Rather, if his father's father was from Joseph, his mother's mother was from Jethro; and if his father's father was from Jethro, his mother's mother was from Joseph. This is also precise, for it is written "Putiel" and not "Putiel" [the spelling alludes to both, peace through Joseph and the fattening through Jethro]. Rava said: One who marries a woman must examine her brothers, as it is said, "And Aaron took Elisheva daughter of Amminadab." From the implication of what is said, "daughter of Amminadab," do I not know that she is the sister of Nahshon? Then what does Scripture mean to teach by saying "sister of Nahshon"? From here we learn that one who marries a woman must examine her brothers. It was taught: Most sons resemble the brothers of the mother. (verse 26) "This is Aaron and Moses" (see entry 62).

(Exodus 6:28) "And it came to pass on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt." Since it is said, "And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt," I might have understood that the divine speech came to Moses and to Aaron alike. But when it says, "And it came to pass on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt," this teaches that the speech came to Moses and not to Aaron. If so, what does Scripture intend by saying "to Moses and to Aaron"? Only to teach that just as Moses was fit to receive the divine words, so too was Aaron fit to receive the divine utterances. And why did He not speak with him directly? For the honor of Moses. You therefore find that Aaron is excluded from all the divine utterances in the Torah, except for three places, since there it was not possible to exclude him.

Another interpretation. Why is it said, "to Moses and to Aaron"? Since it says, "And the LORD said to Moses: See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:1), I would know only that Moses was a judge over Pharaoh. From where do I learn that Aaron too was a judge? Scripture teaches by saying "to Moses and to Aaron," comparing Aaron to Moses: just as Moses was a judge over Pharaoh, so too was Aaron a judge over Pharaoh; just as Moses spoke his words and was not afraid, so too Aaron spoke his words and was not afraid. One might think that whoever is mentioned first in the verse comes first in deed. Scripture therefore teaches, "This is Aaron and Moses," to teach you that the two of them were weighed as equal, one like the other (this is written in remez 4).