וּמֹשֶׁה הָיָה רֹעֶה. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: כָּל אִמְרַת אֱלוֹהַּ צְרוּפָה מָגֵן הוּא לַחֹסִים בּוֹ (משלי ל, ה). אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נוֹתֵן גְּדֻלָּה לָאָדָם עַד שֶׁבּוֹדְקוֹ בְּדָבָר קָטָן וְאַחַר כָּךְ הוּא מַעֲלֵהוּ לִגְדֻלָּה. שְׁנֵי גְּדוֹלֵי עוֹלָם נִבְדְּקוּ וְנִמְצְאוּ נֶאֱמָנִים וֶהֱבִיאָן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִגְדֻלָּה. בָּדַק לְדָוִד בַּצֹּאן. מֶה עָשָׂה דָּוִד? הוֹלִיכָן לַמִּדְבָּר לְהַרְחִיקָן מִן הַגָּזֵל. שֶׁכֵּן אֱלִיאָב אָחִיו אוֹמֵר לוֹ: עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן הָהֵנָּה בַּמִּדְבָּר (ש״א יז, כח). אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, נִמְצֵאתָ נֶאֱמָן עַל הַצֹּאן, אֲנִי אֶמְסֹר לְךָ אֶת צֹאנִי שֶׁתִּרְעֶה אוֹתָם, דִּכְתִיב: וַיֹּאמֶר ה' לְךָ אַתָּה תִרְעֶה אֶת עַמִּי אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ'. (דה״א יא, ב). הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: מֵאַחַר עָלוֹת הֱבִיאוֹ לִרְעוֹת בְּיַעֲקֹב עַמּוֹ וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵל נַחֲלָתוֹ (תהלים עח, עא). Now Moses was keeping the flock (Exod. 3:1). Scripture states elsewhere: Every word of God is tried; He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him (Prov. 30:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, does not confer greatness upon a man until He tests him in lesser things. Only then does He elevate him to greatness. Two great men in the world were tested and found to be faithful before He raised them to positions of greatness. He tested David by means of a sheep. What did David do? He led the sheep into the desert to keep them from feeding from the field of others, and that is why his brother Eliab said to him: With whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? (I Sam. 17:28). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Thou hast been found trustworthy with regard to sheep, and so now I shall entrust My flock to you that you may shepherd them, as it is written: Thou shalt shepherd My people Israel (I Chron. 11:2). And Scripture likewise says: From following the ewes that give suck He brought him to be shepherd over Jacob, His people, and Israel, His inheritance (Ps. 78:71).
וְאַף מֹשֶׁה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת צֹאן יִתְרוֹ וַיִּנְהַג אֶת הַצֹּאן אַחַר הַמִּדְבָּר, לְהַרְחִיקָן מִן הַגָּזֵל. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, נִמְצֵאתָ נֶאֱמָן עַל הַצֹּאן, אֲנִי אֶמְסֹר לְךָ צֹאנִי שֶׁתִּנְהַג, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: נָחִיתָ כַצֹּאן עַמֶּךָ בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן (תהלים עז, כא). Similarly, when Moses tended the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, he led it to the farthest end of the wilderness in order to keep the sheep from stealing. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You have been found trustworthy with regard to sheep; now I shall entrust My flock to you that you may shepherd it, as it is said: Thou didst lead Thy people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron (Ps. 77:21).
בֹּא וּרְאֵה, שֶׁפִּרְסֵם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה עַד שֶׁהוּא בֶּן שְׁלֹשָה חֳדָשִׁים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה יְרָחִים. וְלֹא יָכְלָה עוֹד הַצְפִּינוֹ, נְתָנַתּוּ בַּתֵּבָה, הִשְׁלִיכַתּוּ לַיְאוֹר. וּכְתִיב: וַתֵּרֶד בַּת פַּרְעֹה לִרְחֹץ. אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: שֶׁיָּרְדָה לִרְחֹץ מִגִּלּוּלֵי בֵּית אָבִיהָ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: שֶׁנִּצְטָרְעָה. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁפָּשְׁטָה יָדָהּ לְאוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק, נִתְרַפֵּאת. Observe that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not divulge the existence of Moses until he was three months old, as it is said: She hid him three months, and when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes (Exod. 2:3). She then placed the child within the ark and set it in the Nile. Then it is written: The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe (ibid., v. 5). Our sages of blessed memory said: She went there to cleanse herself of the idolatry practiced in her father’s palace. Others maintain that she had been suffering from leprosy, but when she stretched out her hand toward the righteous one, she was cured.
וַתִּשְׁלַח אֶת אֲמָתָהּ, שֶׁנִּמְשְׁכָה יָדָהּ וְנִתְמַתְּחָה. נְטַלַתּוּ וֶהֱבִיאַתּוּ אֵצֶל הַמִּצְרִיּוֹת לְהָנִיק אוֹתוֹ, וּפָסַל אֶת דַּדֵּיהֶן. וַהֲרֵי מֻתָּר הָיָה לְהָנִיק, שֶׁכָּךְ שָׁנִינוּ, בַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא תָּנִיק בְּנָהּ שֶׁל נָכְרִית, אֲבָל נָכְרִית מְנִיקָה בְּנָהּ שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ. מַהוּ בִּרְשׁוּתָהּ? אוֹכֶלֶת מִתַּחַת יָדֶיהָ וּמְנִיקָתוֹ. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: עָתִיד פֶּה שֶׁל צַדִּיק זֶה לְדַבֵּר עִמִּי. לְמָחָר יִהְיוּ הַמִּצְרִיּוֹת אוֹמְרוֹת, זֶה שֶׁהוּא מְדַבֵּר עִם הַשְּׁכִינָה, אֲנִי הֵנַקְתִּיו. לְפִיכָךְ פָּסַל אֶת דַּדֵּיהֶן. And sent her handmaid to fetch it (Ps. 2:5). Her hand was extended and stretched forth. Then she took the child and brought him to the Egyptian women to be nursed, but he refused their breasts. Surely it is permissible to be nursed by them. We have been taught that an Israelite may not suckle the child of an idolater, but that an idolater may suckle the child of an Israelite if she does so with her permission. What is meant by “with her permission”? It means that if she eats the food of Israelites she may nurse him. The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: In the future, this child will speak with Me, and the Egyptian women will then say: “I nursed the one who now speaks with the Shekhinah.” Therefore, he refused their breasts.