אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּא, יַעֲקֹב עָרַק מִקָּמֵי אֲחוּי, וְאִזְדְּמַן לֵיהּ בֵּירָא, כֵּיוָן דְּבִירָא חָמָא לֵיהּ, מַיָּא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדָעוּ לְמָארֵיהוֹן, וְסַלְּקִין לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְחַדּוּ בַּהֲדֵיהּ, וְתַמָּן אִזְדַּוְּוגַת לֵיהּ בַּת זוּגֵיהּ. מֹשֶׁה עָרַק מִקָּמֵי פַּרְעֹה, וְאִזְדָּמַן לֵיהּ הַהוּא בֵּירָא, וּמַיִין חָמוּ לֵיהּ, וְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדָעוּ לְמָארֵיהוֹן, וְסַלְקוּ לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְתַמָּן אִזְדַּוְּוגַת לֵיהּ בַּת זוּגֵיהּ. Said R. Eleazar: ‘Blessed are the righteous! Jacob ran away from his brother, and chanced to find a well; as soon as it saw him, the waters recognized their master and ascended to meet him, and there he found his spouse. Moses felt assured when he saw that the water came up to him that there he would meet his future wife.

מַה בֵּין מֹשֶׁה לְיַעֲקֹב, יַעֲקֹב כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (בראשית כ״ט:י׳) וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָה יַעֲקֹב אֶת רָחֵל וְגוֹ'. וַיִּגַּשׁ יַעֲקֹב וַיָּגֶל אֶת הָאֶבֶן וְגוֹ'. מֹשֶׁה מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, וַיָּבוֹאוּ הָרוֹעִים וַיְ גרַשׁוּם וַיָּקָם מֹשֶׁה וַיּוֹשִיעָן וְגוֹ'. בְּוַדַּאי יָדַע הֲוָה מֹשֶׁה, כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא מַיָּא דְּסַלְּקִין לְגַבֵּיהּ, דְּתַמָּן תִּזְדָּמַן לֵיהּ בַּת זוּגֵיהּ. וְתוּ, דְּהָא רוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא, לָא אִתְעָדֵי מִנֵּיהּ לְעָלְמִין וּבֵיהּ הֲוָה יָדַע, דְּצִפּוֹרָה תֶּהֱוֵי בַּת זוּגֵיהּ. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, וַדַּאי יַעֲקֹב אָתָא לְהָכָא, וּמַיָּא סְלִיקוּ לְגַבֵּיהּ, אִזְדָּמַן לֵיהּ בַּר נָשׁ דְּאַכְנִישׁ לֵיהּ לְבֵיתֵיהּ, וְיָהַב לֵיהּ כָּל מַה דְּאִצְטָרִיךְ. אָנָא אוּף הָכִי. Furthermore, the holy spirit never left him, and he knew by inspiration that Zipporah would be his wife. He thought: “To be sure, Jacob came to this same place and the waters came up towards him, and then a man came up and took him into his house and supplied him with all his needs: the same will happen to me”.’

אָמַר הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא, דְּיִתְרוֹ כּוֹמֶר לְכּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת הֲוָה. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא דְכּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת לֵית בָּהּ מַמָּשׁוּ. אִתְפְּרָשׁ מִפּוּלְחָנָא דִּילֵהּ. קָמוּ עַמָּא וְנִדּוּהוּ. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמוּ בְּנָתֵיהּ, הֲווֹ מְתָרְכָן לוֹן, דְּהָא בְּקַדְמִיתָא אִינּוּן הֲווֹ רַעָאן עָאנֵיהּ. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא מֹשֶׁה בְּרוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא, דְּעַל מִלָּה דְכּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת הֲווֹ עַבְדֵי, מִיָּד וַיָּקָם מֹשֶׁה וַיּוֹשִיעָן וַיַּשְׁק אֶת צֹאנָם. וְאִתְעָבִיד קִנְאָה לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּכֹלָּא. Said the man who accompanied them: ‘We have been taught that Jethro had been a heathen priest, and as soon as he saw that there was no truth in paganism he renounced it and ceased to worship the idols, and then his people excommunicated him, and when they saw his daughters they drove them away, for previously the shepherds used to pasture Jethro’s flocks. When Moses saw through the holy spirit that the shepherds acted as they did on account of their idolatrous religion, he straightway stood up and helped the daughters and watered their flocks, acting wholly from zeal for God in all things.’

(שמות ב׳:י״ט) וַתֹּאמַרְןָ אִישׁ מִצְרִי הִצִּילָנוּ. רִבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר, הָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָּיא, דְּנִצְנְצָא בְּהוּ רוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא, וְאָמְרוּ, וְלֹא יָדְעוּ מָה אָמְרוּ. לְבַר נָשׁ, דְּהֲוָה יָתִיב בְּמַדְבְּרָא, וַהֲווּ יוֹמִין דְּלָא אָכַל בִּשְׂרָא. יוֹמָא חַד אָתָא דּוֹבָא לְנַטְלָא חַד אִימְרָא, עָרַק אִימְרָא, וְדוֹבָא אֲבַתְרֵיהּ, עַד דְּמָטוּ לְגַבֵּי הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ לְמַדְבְּרָא, חָמָא אִימְרָא, וְאַתְקִיף בֵּיהּ וּשְׁחָטֵיהּ וְאָכַל בִּשְׂרָא. AND THEY SAID, AN EGYPTIAN DELIVERED US FROM THE HAND OF THE SHEPHERDS. Said R. Hiya: The companions have affirmed that (in using the word “Egyptian”) they spoke in a flash of inspiration, saying words of whose true import they themselves were not aware. They were indeed like a man dwelling in the desert who seldom tasted meat, but one day, when a bear pursuing a lamb passed his dwelling, he saved the lamb from the bear in order afterwards to slay it himself for food, so that it was the bear which was the means of supplying the man with meat. Even so it was due to the Egyptian whom Moses killed that Jethro’s daughters were saved.’

דָּבָר אַחֵר (שמות א׳:א׳) וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (שיר השירים א׳:ה׳) שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי וְנָאוָה וְגוֹ', שְׁחוֹרָה אֲנִי וְנָאוָה, דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּהִיא שְׁחוֹרָה מִן גָּלוּתָא, וְנָאוָה, דְּהִיא נָאוָה בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבְפִקּוּדִין, וּבְעוֹבָדִין דְּכַשְׁרָן. בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ ם, דְּעַל דָּא, זַכָּאִין לְיָרְתָאָה יְרוּשָׁלַם דִּלְעֵילָּא. כְּאָהֳלֵי קֵדָר, אַף עַל גַּב דְּהִיא קוֹדֶרֶת בְּגָלוּתָא, בְּעוֹבָדִין הִיא כִּירִיעוֹת שְׁלֹמֹה, כִּירִיעוֹת, דְּמַלְכָּא דִּשְׁלָמָא כֹּלָּא דִּילֵיהּ. The following is an alternative explanation of Ex. 1, 11: AND THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. R. Judah opened with the words: “I am black but comely” (S.S. 1, 5). He said that they refer to the community of Israel, who is “black” because of her captivity, and “comely” because of the Torah and good works, for which she will be worthy to inherit the Jerusalem that is above. Although she is “as the tents of Kedar”, i.e. “black” (kedar), she is “like the curtains of Solomon”, i.e. she belongs to the King of perfect peace (shalom).