וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה יְרָחִים, ג' יְרָחִים מַאי קָא מַיְירֵי. אָמַר ר' יְהוּדָה, רֶמֶז הוּא דְּקָא רָמַז, דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדָע מֹשֶׁה בְּזִהֲרָא עִלָּאָה, עַד ג' יְרָחִים. דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות י״ט:א׳) בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְׁלִישִׁי, דְּהָא כְּדֵין אִתְיְהִיבַת תּוֹרָה עַל יְדוֹי, וּשְׁכִינְתָּא אִתְגַּלְיָא, וְשַׁרְיָא עֲלוֹי לְעֵינֵיהוֹן דְּכֹלָּא, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות י״ט:ג׳) וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל הָאֱלהִים וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו יְיָ'. (שמות ב׳:ג׳) וְלא יָכְלָה עוֹד הַצְּפִינוֹ, דְּעַד הַהוּא שַׁעְתָא, לָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע מִלּוּלֵיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּכְתִיב מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנוּ בְּקוֹל. AND SHE HID HIM THREE MONTHS. What does this signify? R. Judah says: ‘This is a hint that Moses was not destined to perceive the Supernal Light until three months (after the Exodus) had passed, as it says “in the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai” (Ex. XIX, I). Only then was the Torah transmitted through him, and the Shekinah revealed, resting on him before the eyes of all, as it says, “and Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called him out of the mountain” (Ibid. 5, 3).’ AND WHEN SHE COULD NO LONGER HIDE HIM. During all that time his communing with the Holy One, blessed be He, was not manifest; but afterwards, “Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice” (Ex. 19, 16).

וַתִּקַּח לוֹ תֵּבַת גּוֹמֶא, רֶמֶז עַל הָאָרוֹן, דְּלוּחוֹת קַיָּימָא עָאלִין בְּגַוֵּיהּ, תֵּיבַת גּוֹמֶא, אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית אִיהוּ. וַתַּחְמְרָה בַחֵמָר וּבַזָּפֶת (דההיא תיבה דאיהו) דְּהָא הָאָרוֹן הֲוָה מְחוּפֶּה מִלְּגָו וּמִלְּבַר. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, דָּא הִיא אוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּהֶחמִירָה קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּמִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה וּבְמִצְוֹת לא תַּעֲשֶׂה. SHE TOOK FOR HIM AN ARK OF BULRUSHES: thereby prefiguring the Ark that contains the “Tables of the Covenant: AND DAUBED IT WITH SLIME AND WITH PITCH, prefiguring again the Ark which was overlaid within and without. R. Judah said that this was symbolic of the Torah in which the Holy One, blessed be He, laid down stringent rules¹A play on the word homer, which means both ‘slime’ and (as a legal term) ‘stringency’. in the form of precepts, positive and negative.

וַתָּשֶׂם בָּהּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד, אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (הושע י״א:א׳) כִּי נַעַר יִשְׂרָאֵל וָאֹהֲבֵהוּ. וַתָּשֶׂם בַּסּוּף דְּלָא הֲווֹ פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא חוּמְרָא לְמֶעְבַּד, (ויקרא רפ"ו ע"א) עַד סוֹף, דְּעָאלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַרְעָא, לְסוֹף אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין. עַל שְׂפַת הַיְאוֹר: עַל מֵימְרָא דְּאִינּוּן דְּמוֹרִים אוֹרַיְיתָא וְחוּקָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. (נ"א רבי חזקיה אמרז הכי אוליפנא) AND SHE PUT THE CHILD THEREIN. This prefigures Israel, of whom it is written: “When Israel was a child then I loved him (Hos. 11, 1): AND LAID IT IN THE FLAGS (souph), alluding to the precepts of the Torah, which did not come into force until they entered the Land at the end (soph) of forty years. BY THE BRINK (sphath=lip) of the river, alluding to the instruction issuing from the lips of the teachers of law and statute.

דָּבָר אַחֵר וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות ט״ו:ג׳) יְיָ' אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה. מִבֵּית לֵוִי, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲתָר דְּחָכְמָה עִלָּאָה, וְהַהוּא נָהָר, מִתְחַבְּרָן כַּחֲדָא, וְלָא מִתְפָּרְשִׁין לְעָלְמִין. מִבֵּית לֵוִי דְּאַשְׁרֵי לִוְיָתָן (נ"א כל חידו) לְחִידוּ בְּעָלְמָא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (תהילים ק״ד:כ״ו) לִוְיָתָן זֶה יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק בּוֹ. וַיִּקַּח אֶת בַּת לֵוִי, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֲתָר דִּנְהִירוּ דְּסִיהֲרָא נָהִיר. The following is an alternative explanation of these verses:AND TOOK TO WIFE A DAUGHTER OF LEVI. This signifies the place which is filled with the brightness of moonlight (Malkuth).¹The last three lines of the Hebrew text on this page are not translated.²The first two lines of the Hebrew text on this page are not translated.