Take this one from (Exodus 2:6), describing Pharaoh’s daughter discovering the infant Moses adrift in the Nile: "She opened it and saw the child [yeled], and behold, a boy [na’ar] crying. She had compassion for him and she said: This is from the children of the Hebrews."
Simple enough. But the Rabbis of Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), dive deep. It’s not just what happened, but how it happened, and why.
First, the verse says "she saw him, the child" – not just "she saw the child." Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina offers a breathtaking interpretation: she saw the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, with him. This isn't just about rescuing a baby; it's about encountering the very essence of God.
Then there’s the curious use of both na’ar (lad) and yeled (child) to describe Moses. Was he a baby or a boy? Rabbi Yehuda suggests he sounded like a na’ar, even as a yeled. But Rabbi Nehemya rejects this, arguing that it would imply a blemish, a defect in Moses. Instead, the Midrash offers a beautiful image: his mother had placed a chuppah, a canopy for grooms, in the basket with him. A symbol of hope, of future blessing, even in the face of certain death.
And why was he crying so intensely? The text suggests he cried out, fearing he wouldn't see his sister again, the one watching over him. Or perhaps, the Midrash offers, he acted like a na’ar, displaying a maturity beyond his years. Another interpretation says Gabriel, the angel, struck Moses to make him cry, ensuring Pharaoh’s daughter would feel compassion. What a thought – even divine intervention played a role in eliciting her mercy.
How did she know he was a Hebrew child? Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina says it was because he was circumcised. A simple, yet powerful, marker of identity.
And then, a fascinating legal and theological point. Pharaoh had decreed all Hebrew baby boys be thrown into the Nile. But Pharaoh’s daughter declares, "This is from the children of the Hebrews," implying that this child would be saved, and the decree was, in a sense, over. The Midrash brings in Rabbi Elazar, citing (Isaiah 8:19), to explain how Pharaoh's astrologers predicted the redeemer of Israel would be condemned by water. But they were wrong about when and how that condemnation would play out. As soon as Moses entered the water, they mistakenly believed their decree had worked and rescinded it. They didn't realize he would later be "stricken over the waters of dispute," as (Numbers 20:13) tells us, referring to a later incident involving Moses.
Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa even specifies the date Moses was cast into the Nile: the twenty-first of Nisan. The angels protested before God: "Shall he who is destined to recite a song at the sea on this date be stricken by water on this day?" Rav Aḥa bar Ḥanina offers an alternate date, the sixth of Sivan, and the angels ask, "Shall he who is destined to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai on this day be stricken on this day?" A seemingly contradictory opinion places his birth on the seventh of Adar. The text reconciles these views by suggesting that it was a leap year, and the overlapping months still account for the three months he was hidden.
What does it all mean? This single verse, seemingly simple, explodes with layers of meaning. It shows us the power of interpretation, the Rabbis' dedication to uncovering hidden truths, and the constant interplay between divine will, human action, and the unfolding of destiny. It makes you wonder, what other secrets are hiding in plain sight, waiting for us to uncover them?
“She opened it and saw the child [yeled], and behold, a boy [na’ar] crying. She had compassion for him and she said: This is from the children of the Hebrews” (Exodus 2:6). “She opened it and saw,” – it does not say “she saw,” but rather, “she saw him.”52It could have said: “She saw the child” but a more literal translation is “she saw him, the child.” Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: She saw the Divine Presence with him. “And behold, a boy [na’ar] crying.” It calls him na’ar [literally, lad] and it calls him yeled [literally, child]. It is taught: He was a child but his voice was like that of a lad, this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda. Rabbi Neḥemya said to him: If so, you have rendered Moses, of blessed memory, blemished. Rather, it teaches that his mother made him a canopy for grooms53This is a cloak which is wrapped around a groom. It is decorated with a crown-like ornamentation at the top. in the basket. “Crying,” – he was crying and saying: Perhaps I will not have the privilege of seeing my sister who is waiting for me. Alternatively, “behold, a boy [na’ar] crying,” – he was a child but he conducted himself like a lad [na’ar]. Gabriel came and struck Moses so that he would cry and she would be filled with compassion for him. “She had compassion for him.” When she saw him crying, she had compassion for him. “She said: This is from the children of the Hebrews.” How did she ascertain this about him? Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: She saw that he was circumcised. “This [is from the children of the Hebrews],” – what is “this”? This one has fallen into the Nile, but no other will fall into the Nile, as once they cast Moses into the Nile, the decree was abrogated, like that which Rabbi Elazar said: What is it that is written? “And if they will say to you: Consult the mediums and the necromancers who chirp [hametzaftzefim] and mutter [hamagim]” (Isaiah 8:19). They prognosticate [tzofim] but they do not know what they prognosticate, and they pontificate [hogim] but they do not know what they pontificate. They saw that the redeemer of Israel will be condemned by means of water. They rose and decreed: “Every son who is born [you shall cast him into the Nile]” (Exodus 1:22). Once Moses was cast into the water, they said: ‘Their redeemer has already been cast in the water.’ Immediately, they abrogated the decree. But they did not know that he would be stricken over the waters of dispute, like that which Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: What is it that is written: “These54This is an indication that these waters were familiar from some previous occurrence. are the waters of dispute” (Numbers 20:13). Pharaoh’s astrologers saw these [waters] and were mistaken. Similarly, “six hundred thousand men on foot [ragli]” (Numbers 11:21); Moses said to Israel: Because of me55The word ragli can be interpreted as because of me (see Genesis 30:30). The midrash claims that Moses is saying that because he was placed in the river, the decree to throw the boys in the river was abrogated. all of you were saved. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: That day was the twenty-first of Nisan. The ministering angels said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, shall he who is destined to recite a song at the sea on this date be stricken by water on this day?’ Rav Aḥa bar Ḥanina said: That day was the sixth of Sivan. The ministering angels said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Shall he who is destined to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai on this day be stricken on this day?’ They raised an objection: On the seventh of Adar Moses was born. According to the opinion of the one who says on the sixth of Sivan he was cast into the Nile, it works out well, as from the seventh of Adar until the sixth of Sivan are the three months that he was hidden. However, according to the one who says it was on the twenty-first of Nisan, it does not work out well. But it is not a difficulty, as that year was a leap year; most of the first month, most of the last month, and the entire middle month are considered three months.56Moses was born on the seventh day of the first Adar. Therefore, from his birth until the twenty-first of Nisan there were twenty-three days of the first Adar, the entire second Adar, and twenty-one days in Nisan.
