וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד וְהִנֵּה נַעַר בֹּכֶה. 'וְהִנֵּה יֶלֶד בֹּכֶה', לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא נַעַר. מְלַמֵּד, שֶׁהָיָה יֶלֶד וְקוֹלוֹ כְּנַעַר. וְנַעַר, גָּדוֹל הוּא, שֶׁכֵּן הוּא אוֹמֵר: וְהַנַּעַר שְׁמוּאֵל מְשָׁרֵת אֶת ה' (ש״א ג, א). And she opened it, and saw it, even the child; and behold, a boy that wept (Exod. 2:6). The verse does not say “And behold, a child that wept” but rather a boy. This informs us that though he was a mere infant his voice sounded like that of a boy. In fact, it resembled that of a youth, as in the verse: And the youth Samuel ministered unto the Lord (I Sam 3:1).
וְהָיְתָה בַּת פַּרְעֹה מְנַשַּׁקְתּוֹ וּמְחַבַּקְתּוֹ וּמְחַבַּבְתּוֹ, וְלֹא הָיְתָה מוֹצִיאָתוֹ מִפַּלְטֵרִין שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ. וּלְפִי שֶׁהָיָה יָפֶה מְאֹד וְהַכֹּל מִתְאַוִּין לִרְאוֹתוֹ, מִי שֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֵהוּ, לֹא הָיָה מַעֲבִיר מֵעָלָיו. וְהָיָה פַּרְעֹה מְחַבְּקוֹ וּמְנַשְּׁקוֹ, וְהוּא נוֹטֵל כִּתְרוֹ מֵעַל רֹאשׁוֹ וּמַשְׁלִיכוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָתִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ. וְכֵן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר לְחִירָם, וָאוֹצִא אֵשׁ מִתּוֹכְךָ הִיא אֲכָלַתְךָ (יחזקאל כח, יח). וּבַת פַּרְעֹה מְגַדֶּלֶת מִי שֶׁעָתִיד לִפָּרַע מֵאָבִיהָ וּמֵאַרְצוֹ. Pharaoh’s daughter would kiss him, embrace him, and fondle him, but she would not permit him to leave the royal palace. Because he was extremely handsome, everyone wanted to look upon him, and those who saw him were unable to depart from him. Pharaoh would also hug and kiss him, and the boy would ofttimes take the crown from his head and cast it to the ground, as he was later destined to do. That is why the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Hiram: Therefore, have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee, it hath devoured thee (Ezek. 28:18). And so it was that Pharaoh’s daughter reared the one who would ultimately exact retribution from her father and his land.
וְאַף הַמָּשִׁיחַ שֶׁעָתִיד לִפָּרַע מֵעוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, שָׁם עִמָּהֶם גָּדֵל בַּמְּדִינָה, דִּכְתִיב: שָׁם יִרְעֶה עֵגֶל וְשָׁם יִרְבָּץ וְכִלָּה סְעִפֶיהָ (ישעיה כז, י). וְהָיָה מֹשֶׁה בְּפַלְטֵרִין שֶׁל פַּרְעֹה עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה. וְאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בְּמִדְיָן, וְאַרְבָּעִים בַּמִּדְבָּר. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים: עֶשְׂרִים בְּבֵית פַּרְעֹה, וְשִׁשִּׁים בְּמִדְיָן, וְאַרְבָּעִים בַּמִּדְבָּר. Similarly the Messiah, who is destined to exact retribution from the idolaters, will be reared among them in their city, as it is written: There shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down and consume the branches thereof (Isa. 27:10). Some say that Moses dwelt in Pharaoh’s palace for twenty years. Others insist that he lived there forty years, forty years in Midian, and forty years in the desert. Still others contend that he spent twenty years in Pharaoh’s palace, sixty years in Midian, and forty years in the desert.
וּמִנַּיִן אַתָּה לָמֵד שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה בְּבֵית פַּרְעֹה אֶלָּא עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה. שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁנִּצּוּ אוֹתָן שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים, אָמַר לוֹ אֶחָד מֵהֶם: מִי שָׂמְךָ לְאִישׁ, וַעֲדַיִן אֵין אַתָּה אִישׁ. מְלַמֵּד, שֶׁהָיָה פָּחוֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים. When do you learn that he lived in Pharaoh’s palace less than twenty years? We know it from the fact that at the time the two Hebrew men were fighting each other, they shouted at him: Who made thee a man? (Exod. 2:14), implying “you are not yet a man.” This indicates that he must have been less than twenty years of age.10Full manhood was achieved at twenty, the age of entering military service.