The verse says, "The Lord said to Moses in Midyan: Go, return to Egypt; as all the men who sought your life are dead" (Exodus 4:19). Simple enough, right? But the Rabbis of the Midrash, those incredible interpreters of the sacred texts, they dive deeper. This particular passage comes from Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus.
Rabbi Yoḥanan makes a fascinating point: "The Torah teaches you proper behavior." He suggests that if you make an oath to someone, you should only annul it in their presence. Why? So they don't think you're being dishonest! It's about maintaining trust and transparency.
And here's where it gets really interesting. The Midrash connects this idea to Moses' oath to Yitro, his father-in-law. Moses had gone to Midyan, and according to Rabbi Yoḥanan, he needed to be in Midyan to be released from his obligations. Hence the verse, "The Lord said to Moses in Midyan." The Holy One, blessed be He, was saying, in a way, "In Midyan you took the oath; go and annul your oath in Midyan!"
Now, some commentaries, like the Etz Yosef, suggest a slightly different reading of the verse. They propose that God was actually telling Moses at the burning bush to go to Midyan first, and then return to Egypt. It adds a layer of complexity, doesn't it?
But there's another wrinkle in the story. The verse also says, "…as all the men…are dead." Now, hold on a second. Are they really dead? The Midrash points out that Datan and Aviram, two troublemakers from earlier in the story, show up later with Korah in his rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16:1). So, clearly, they weren't physically dead.
So, what does "are dead" mean? The Midrash gives us a powerful interpretation: "They became impoverished." And it goes on to list four types of people who are considered as though they are dead: A blind person, a leper, an impoverished person, and one without children (Avoda Zara 5a).
Think about that for a moment. It's not just physical death that matters. There are states of being, conditions of life, that can be considered a kind of death. Impoverishment, in this context, isn't just about money; it's about a lack of potential, a lack of opportunity, a loss of status. It's about being unable to fully participate in life.
The Midrash here is not just about interpreting a verse. It's about teaching us something profound about life, about obligation, about redemption, and about what it truly means to be alive. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? What oaths have we made, consciously or unconsciously? And what does it mean to be truly alive, to be free from the constraints that hold us back?