Vayikra Rabbah turns to Levi and the Lawgiver of Egyptian.
The Rabbis suggest that even though technically, this man wasn't a mamzer – because his father wasn't Jewish – he was considered one "in the eyes of the people." Rabbi Levi, however, takes it a step further, arguing that he was a full-fledged mamzer. Rabbi Levi, maintains that if the man who had relations with the married Jewish woman was a gentile, the offspring is still a mamzer.
How did this union between the Israelite woman and the Egyptian man come about? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) paints a vivid picture: Egyptian taskmasters overseeing Israelite foremen, who in turn oversaw groups of laborers. One day, an Egyptian taskmaster visited a foreman early in the morning. The foreman’s wife flirted with the taskmaster. The taskmaster, thinking to himself that he would be able to seduce her, hid behind a ladder. When her husband left, he sinned with her. The husband saw the taskmaster emerging from his house.
Can you imagine the scene? The betrayal, the anger, the injustice! The taskmaster, knowing he'd been seen, then began to beat the foreman, effectively demoting him to a common laborer. The Egyptian official intended to kill the former foreman.
This is the context for Moses' intervention. "He turned this way and that" (Exodus 2:12). What did Moses see? The Midrash explains that Moses saw what the taskmaster had done both in the house and in the field. He realized the man wasn't just guilty of adultery but was now seeking to murder the husband.
"He saw that there was no man" (Exodus 2:12). This phrase, too, is ripe for interpretation. Rabbi Yehuda says it means Moses saw no one willing to stand up and be zealous for God's name by killing the Egyptian. Rabbi Nechemya suggests Moses saw no one to invoke God's name to kill him. But the Rabbis offer a third, chilling explanation: Moses saw that no good would ever come from this man's lineage, "from his sons, and from the descendants of his sons until the end of all the generations."
So, what did Moses do? "He smote the Egyptian" (Exodus 2:12). Rabbi Yitzchak says he killed him with a fist, referencing (Isaiah 58:4) ("To smite wickedness with a fist"). Rabbi Levi offers a more mystical interpretation: Moses killed him "with the secret of Israel," perhaps by reciting God's name. According to another interpretation, Moses relied on the Israelites to keep what happened a secret.
The Midrash connects this story back to the blasphemer in (Leviticus 24:10), asserting that the Egyptian killed by Moses was, in fact, the father of the blasphemer.
What does this all mean? It's a interplay of power, morality, and divine intervention. It reminds us that even in the grand narratives of the Torah, there are personal stories, hidden injustices, and moments where individuals are forced to make impossible choices. It invites us to consider the consequences of our actions, the weight of our decisions, and the potential for both good and evil to ripple through generations. And perhaps most importantly, it asks us: what would we do in such a situation?
“And he was the son of an Egyptian man” – the Rabbis and Rabbi Levi: The Rabbis say: Even though there were no mamzerim at that time, he was a mamzer.18A mamzer is the child of a married Jewish woman and a Jewish man who is not her husband. In this instance the father was an Egyptian man, and therefore her son was not technically a mamzer. However, he was a mamzer in the eyes of the people. Rabbi Levi said: He was a full-fledged mamzer.19Rabbi Levi holds that the offspring is a mamzer even if the paramour was a gentile. How [did it come to pass]? The taskmasters were Egyptian, and the foremen were Israelites. A taskmaster was appointed over ten foremen, and a foreman was appointed over ten men. The result is that a taskmaster was appointed over one hundred men. One time, a taskmaster went early to a foreman; he said to him: ‘Go and gather your group.’ When he entered, his wife flirted with him.20When the Egyptian taskmaster entered the Israelite foreman’s home, the Israelite’s wife flirted with him. He said: She is mine.21The taskmaster said to himself that he would be able to seduce her. He went and concealed himself behind the ladder. When her husband left, he sinned with her. [The husband] looked behind him and saw [the taskmaster] emerging from his house. Once [the taskmaster] knew that he saw him, he went to him and was beating him that entire day. He said to him: ‘Work well, work well’;22He demoted him from being a foreman to the rank of a plain laborer. he intended to kill him. At that moment the Divine Spirit inspired Moses. That is what is written: “He turned this way and that” (Exodus 2:12). What is “this way and that”? He saw what [the taskmaster] had done to him in the house and in the field. He said of him: Is it not enough that he sinned with his wife, but he seeks to kill him? Immediately, “he saw that there was no man” (Exodus 2:12) – Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis: Rabbi Yehuda says: He saw that there was no one to stand and be zealous in the name of the Holy One blessed be He and kill him. Rabbi Neḥemya says: He saw that there was no one to stand and invoke the name of God against him and kill him. The Rabbis say: He saw that there was no hope destined to emerge from him, from his sons, and from the descendants of his sons until the end of all the generations. Immediately, “he smote the Egyptian” (Exodus 2:12). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: He killed him with a fist, just as it says: “To smite wickedness with a fist” (Isaiah 58:4). Rabbi Levi said: He killed him with the secret of Israel,23By reciting the name of God. Alternatively, he killed him and relied on the ability of the Israelites to keep a secret, as there were Israelites who witnessed the event (Etz Yosef). just as it says: “The number of the children of Israel will be like the sand of the sea” (Hosea 2:1).24When the verse states that Moses killed the Egyptian, it concludes: “And he hid him in the sand.” The midrash here asserts that this is an allusion to the Israelites, and means that Moses relied on the fact that they would keep the matter hidden. The Egyptian killed by Moses was the father of the Israelite who later blasphemed and was put to death.
