The Midrash of “And He Saved”

Moses told Israel, “[ . . . ] When I grew to be three years old, Pharaoh’s daughter dressed me in colorful clothes and presented me to her father. When he saw that I was attractive, he took me in his lap; I took the crown off his head and put it on my own. Sitting before him were all the magicians and sages of Egypt, and they said, ‘We are afraid that this child who took the crown off your head and set it on his own might be the same one who is destined to extract this kingdom from your grasp.’

“Some of them said to kill me with a sword and others said to burn me—until one of them, whose name is Jethro, responded, ‘This child has no discernment. But if you wish, I will suggest something: Let them set in front of this boy a gold dinar and a burning ember. If he reaches out to take the dinar, you will know that he has discernment, and you will execute judgment upon him. But if he reaches out to take the ember, you will know that he is merely a child acting foolishly, and you will let him be.’ When Pharaoh and his servants heard this, it seemed appropriate in his view and that is what they did. They placed the dinar and the ember in a single firepan, and I wanted to take the dinar, but Gabriel came and pushed my hand to the ember. I took it and put it in my mouth, which is why I am of uncircumcised lips. [ . . . ]

“When I entered the house, I ate and drank, and I spoke to Jethro about giving his daughter Zipporah to me as a wife.

“He answered me, ‘If you can bring me the staff that stands in my garden, I will give her to you.’ I went and searched the garden, found it, and brought it in my hand. Jethro was immediately suspicious and said, ‘This man is surely the prophet that all the sages of Israel divine will emerge among Israel, by whose hand Egypt and all the Egyptians within it will be destroyed.’ Jethro was then angry with me; he grabbed me and put me in a pit that was in his home.

“At that moment, Zipporah said, ‘How can I save this righteous man from an unnatural death?’ She said to her father, ‘My father, if you please, listen to my advice: You are a man without a wife, but with seven daughters. If you please, let my six sisters stay at home and I will go with the flock or, if not, my six sisters can go with the flock, and I will take care of the house.’

“Her father answered, ‘You have spoken well. Your sisters will go with the flock and you stay at home and tend my house and all my things.’ Zipporah completely sustained me with all the delicacies of her father Jethro, until seven full years had passed in the pit.

“After seven years, she said to her father, ‘Father, I remember once you took a man that brought you the staff and cast him in the pit. You have committed a grave sin in this matter. If you wish, open the pit and see; [if] he is dead, take him out of there and discard his corpse so that his body will not stink up your house. If he is alive, you will know that he is completely righteous.’

“He replied, ‘My daughter, you have spoken well. Do you remember his name?’

“‘I remember that his name is Moses ben Amram.’ Immediately, Jethro went and opened the pit; he called me, ‘Moses!’ and I answered, ‘Here I am!’ He took me out of there, kissed me on the head and said, ‘Blessed is the Omnipresent who guarded you for seven years in the pit. I bear witness that he is the One who gives death and life, and I bear witness that you are completely righteous. By your hand Egypt will be destroyed, and by your hand the Blessed Holy One will bring Israel out of Egypt. By your hand, He will drown the Egyptians in the sea, Pharaoh and all his army.’

“He gave me a great deal of money and he gave me his daughter Zipporah as a wife. He established this condition with [me]: ‘Of all those you father in my house, let us divide equally; half will be Jewish and half will be Egyptian.’

“After a while, Zipporah became pregnant, and Gershom was born in my portion; I had him circumcised and had his mother nurse him for two years. In the third year, Eliezer was born. I said, ‘What do I do now? He will not let me circumcise him.’ I immediately took my wife and two sons to return to the land of Egypt.

“Then Satan came in the form of a snake and assaulted me; he swallowed me from my head down to my circumcision—he could never touch the covenantal circumcision. Zipporah thought, ‘I know that this is happening solely because of the sin that we did not circumcise our son Eliezer.’ Zipporah then took a stone and cut off her son’s foreskin. She took some of the blood and threw it on my ‘leg.’

“Just then, a heavenly voice emerged and said to the snake, ‘Vomit him out,’ and he did. This is what the text conveys, And when he let him alone, she said, ‘A bridegroom of bloods on account of the circumcisions’ (Exodus 4:26). Behold, my wife saved me twice from death.”