(10) When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses, explaining, “I drew him out of the water.”
This is where we ended our lesson last week. This is what we know so far:
- A Pharaoh arose who did not remember Joseph
- Pharaoh and the Egyptians feared the Israelites and forced them into slavery
- Shifra and Puah refused the Pharaoh's order to kill the Hebrew boys
- Moses' mother decides to keep her beautiful baby boy hidden until he is 3 months old. She puts him in a basket in the reeds of the Nile River. His sister watches over him.
- Pharaoh's daughter finds the basket and decides to keep the baby. She gives the child to his mother to raise until he is weaned, at about 2-3 years old
(יא) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֗ם וַיִּגְדַּ֤ל מֹשֶׁה֙
(11) Some time after that, when Moses had grown up,
What do we know about Moses' childhood?
What do you think it was like?
Below are some ideas from the Rabbi -
- The daughter of Pharaoh would kiss and hug and adore him Moses as if he were her own son, and she would not take him out of the king’s palace.
- Because Moses was so beautiful, everyone yearned to see him. One that would see him would not leave his presence.
Well-Known Midrash
- Pharaoh would kiss Moses and hug him, and Moses would remove Pharaoh’s crown and place it on his own head. The magicians of Egypt said, “We are wary of this, that he is taking your crown and placing it on his head. Maybe he will take the kingship from you.” Some said to kill him, and some said to burn him.
And Jethro was sitting among them and said to them, “This child has no intent to take the throne. Rather, test him by bringing in a bowl a piece of gold and a coal. If he outstretches his hand towards the gold, he desires to take the throne, and you should kill him. And if he outstretches his hand towards the coal, he does not have intent to take the throne, and he does not deserve the death penalty.” They immediately brought the bowl before Moses, and he outstretched his hand to take the gold, and the angel Gabriel came and pushed his hand, and he grabbed the coal. He then brought his hand along with the coal into his mouth and burned his tongue, and from this was made (Exodus 4:10) “slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
How do you feel about the ideas of the Rabbis? Plausible?
An idea from Steven Spielberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIqEsnNUYh4
What question did the rabbis have?
What did Moses do?
Why?
What was he thinking:?
What do you think?
(יג) וַיֵּצֵא֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשֵּׁנִ֔י וְהִנֵּ֛ה שְׁנֵֽי־אֲנָשִׁ֥ים עִבְרִ֖ים נִצִּ֑ים וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לָֽרָשָׁ֔ע לָ֥מָּה תַכֶּ֖ה רֵעֶֽךָ׃ (יד) וַ֠יֹּ֠אמֶר מִ֣י שָֽׂמְךָ֞ לְאִ֨ישׁ שַׂ֤ר וְשֹׁפֵט֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ הַלְהׇרְגֵ֙נִי֙ אַתָּ֣ה אֹמֵ֔ר כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הָרַ֖גְתָּ אֶת־הַמִּצְרִ֑י וַיִּירָ֤א מֹשֶׁה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר אָכֵ֖ן נוֹדַ֥ע הַדָּבָֽר׃ (טו) וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע פַּרְעֹה֙ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה וַיְבַקֵּ֖שׁ לַהֲרֹ֣ג אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיִּבְרַ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה׃
(13) When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, “Why do you strike your fellow?” (14) He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known! (15) When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh.
What did Moses do?
Why?
What was he thinking:?
What do you think?
As we saw before, the Rabbis had questions about Moses' growing up since there is nothing in the Torah.
Create our own Midrash of Moses growing up in the palace:
What are some of your questions about him growing up:
1.
2.
3.
- Who? Moses with ___________________________.
- What? What is happening
- When? How old is Moses?
- Where?
- Problem/Situation?
Recap:
- What do we know so far about the story?
- What do we learn from this lesson about Moses?
- What do we learn from this lesson about Pharaoh?