To his right sits Queen Alfar'anit, and to his left, his daughter Bithiah. But it's not just family; Balaam, yes that Balaam, son of Beor, the one known for his… unique prophetic abilities, is there too, along with his sons and all the bigwigs of the Egyptian realm. And right there on Bithiah’s lap? A tiny, three-year-old Moses.
Now, according to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, something utterly unexpected happens. Little Moses, in a moment of pure toddler impulse, reaches out, grabs the crown right off Pharaoh's head, and plops it on his own!
Can you imagine the silence that must have fallen? The collective gasp? It's the kind of thing that stops time.
The king and his princes, they’re not just surprised; they're terrified. Each one, we’re told, is struck dumb with astonishment. Pharaoh, recovering his composure, turns to his court, his voice probably tight with barely suppressed panic. "What say you, O ye princes, on this matter?" he asks. "What is to be done to this Hebrew boy on account of this act?"
It's a loaded question, right? This isn't just about a kid playing dress-up. It's about prophecy, about destiny, about the simmering fear that the Hebrews, this growing population in their midst, might one day rise up. This simple act becomes an omen, a sign, a potential threat to the entire kingdom. What they decide in that moment could change everything.