The book of Exodus tells us that Moses fled Pharaoh after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:15). But Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Exodus, gives us a much juicier, more detailed version of that story. It's a story filled with treachery, divine intervention, and even… an angel double?
According to Shemot Rabbah, the trouble started because Datan and Aviram, two Israelites known for causing problems later on during the Exodus, ratted out Moses to Pharaoh. Can you imagine? These guys, who would later challenge Moses's leadership in the desert, are the very ones who set Pharaoh on his tail.
"Pharaoh heard this matter and sought to kill Moses." But here's where the story takes a turn towards the truly unbelievable. Pharaoh, determined to make an example of Moses, brought out a legendary sword – an "incomparable sword," Shemot Rabbah calls it. He struck Moses's neck not once, but ten times! And what happened? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Moses's neck, according to the text, became “like an ivory tower,” impervious to the blade. The verse “Your neck is like an ivory tower” (Song of Songs 7:5) is cited as proof.
Pretty wild, right?
But Rabbi Yannai raises a good point. He asks, "Is it possible for flesh and blood to flee from the monarchy?" In other words, how could Moses, just a man, possibly escape the wrath of the most powerful ruler on Earth?
The answer, according to Rabbi Yannai, is pure divine intervention. At the very moment they were about to behead Moses, an angel descended from heaven. This wasn't just any angel; this angel appeared in the exact image of Moses! The guards, confused, seized the angel, giving the real Moses the opportunity he needed to escape. Talk about a close call.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi offers another perspective, focusing on what was happening inside Pharaoh's court. He says that all the legal advisors sitting before Pharaoh were struck dumb, deaf, and blind. Pharaoh was shouting, "Where is Moses?" to mutes who couldn't speak, to the deaf who couldn't hear, and to the blind who couldn't see.
This miraculous confusion leads to a powerful moment of reassurance. God says to Moses, "Who gives a mouth to man?" (Exodus 4:11). This isn't just a rhetorical question. God is reminding Moses that He was the one who gave Pharaoh the mouth to order Moses's execution, but also the one who made his advisors mute, deaf, and blind so they couldn't carry it out. God asks, "Is it not I, the Lord?" God was with Moses then, and as the verse concludes, He stands with him today.
What does this all mean? Well, besides being a thrilling story, it underscores a central theme: God's constant, often unseen, presence in our lives. Even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, even when powerful forces are arrayed against us, we are not alone. The story in Shemot Rabbah reminds us that divine intervention can come in surprising ways – sometimes as a literal angel, sometimes as a sudden, inexplicable confusion in the ranks of our enemies. And it reminds us that even when we feel most vulnerable, God is there, working behind the scenes, ensuring that we can fulfill our destiny.