...רַב הוּנָא אָמַר בְּשֵׁם בַּר קַפָּרָא בִּשְׁבִיל אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים נִגְאֲלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁלֹּא שִׁנּוּ אֶת שְׁמָם וְאֶת לְשׁוֹנָם וְלֹא אָמְרוּ לָשׁוֹן הָרָע, וְלֹא נִמְצָא בֵּינֵיהֶם אֶחָד מֵהֶן פָּרוּץ בְּעֶרְוָה. לֹא שִׁנּוּ אֶת שְׁמָן רְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן נָחֲתִין, רְאוּבֵן וְשִׁמְעוֹן סָלְקִין, לֹא הָיוּ קוֹרִין לִיהוּדָה רוּפָּא וְלֹא לִרְאוּבֵן לוּלְיָאנִי וְלֹא לְיוֹסֵף לֵיסְטֵיס וְלֹא לְבִנְיָמִין אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי...
...Rav Huna said in the name of bar Kappara: Due to four matters, Israel was redeemed from Egypt: Because they did not change their name, their language, they did not speak slander, and there was not one among them who was found to be steeped in licentiousness. They did not change their name; Reuben and Simeon descended [to Egypt], and Reuben and Simeon ascended. They did not call Judah Rupa, nor Reuben Luleyani, nor Joseph Leisteis, and nor Benjamin Alexandri...
וַיִּגְדַּ֣ל הַיֶּ֗לֶד וַתְּבִאֵ֙הוּ֙ לְבַת־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַֽיְהִי־לָ֖הּ לְבֵ֑ן וַתִּקְרָ֤א שְׁמוֹ֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַתֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֥י מִן־הַמַּ֖יִם מְשִׁיתִֽהוּ׃
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.”
רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר, מֵהָכָא: ״...וְאֵלֶּה בְּנֵי בִּתְיָה בַת פַּרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר לָקַח (לוֹ) מָרֶד״. מָרֶד זֶה כָּלֵב, וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ מֶרֶד? שֶׁמָּרַד בַּעֲצַת מְרַגְּלִים. וְכִי בִּתְיָה יָלְדָה? וַהֲלֹא יוֹכֶבֶד יָלְדָה! אֶלָּא יוֹכֶבֶד יָלְדָה וּבִתְיָה גִּידְּלָה, לְפִיכָךְ נִקְרָא עַל שְׁמָהּ.
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: “... and these are the sons of Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took” (I Chronicles 4:18). Mered is Caleb, and why was his name called Mered? Because he rebelled [marad] against the counsel of the spies.And did Bithiah give birth to Moses? But didn’t Jochebed give birth to him? Rather, Jochebed gave birth to him and Bithiah raised him. Therefore, he was called by her name as though she had given birth to him.
ויגדל הילד, והיה מהשגחת יהוה שגם אחר שגדל שכבר עברה החמלה שעורר לבה עליו בעת שמצאה אותו עזוב ומושלך בכ"ז לקחה אותו לבן, וזה היה מהשגחת יהוה שיגדל בבית מלך ושם למד כל חכמת מצרים והיה לו לב אמיץ בגבורים כי היה מבני פלטין... וכבר כתב פילון היהודי [שהיה באלכסנדריא בימי בית שני] בספר חיי משה ששם משה מורכב מן מו שהוא מים בלשון מצרי... ומן שה שהוא לשון הוצאה ההמלטה בלשון מצרי, ושם זה מעיד על מקרה זה בין בלשון מצרי בין בלשון עברי, וכן כתב היוסיפון בקדמוניות שלו ספר ב' פרק ט'...:
And it was divine providence that even after he grew up, and the pity that her heart took upon him when she found him abandoned and cast away had already passed, she nevertheless took him as a son. And it was from divine providence that he grew up in a king's home. There he learned all the wisdom of Egypt and [acquired] a courageous heart amongst the valiant, as he was from the household of the palace... And Philo (who lived in Alexendria in the days of the second Temple) already wrote in the book, The Life of Moses, that Moshe is compounded from Mo, which is water in Egyptian... and She, which is an expresion of drawing out in Egyptian... And likewise did Josephus write in his Antiquities...
Although rare is the man who actually chooses exile, the resultant detachment from a clear and obvious path is not without its benefits. Exile prompts one to greater independence in value formation and, subsequently, in decision making. He has at least two options open to him – to act according to the values of his own ancestral culture or according to the values of his new host culture. Since most people do things because “it’s simply what’s done,” once a person is confronted with the fact that two different groups with which he identifies do things differently, he must make a thoughtful choice about which approach he will adopt. And once the automatic monopoly on what to do is broken, it suggests that other choices are out there as well. A person who needs to think about his course of action will often be led to consider other possibilities that he previously did not realize existed. Simply put, once two choices are available, nearly all choices become available.
לֶךְ רֵד כִּי שִׁחֵת עַמְּךָ, הָעָם אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן אֶלָא עַמְּךָ, אָמַר משֶׁה רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָם מִנַּיִן הֵם עַמִּי, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַמְּךָ הֵם, שֶׁעַד שֶׁהָיוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם אָמַרְתִּי לְךָ (שמות ז, ד): וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶת צִבְאֹתַי אֶת עַמִּי, אָמַרְתִּי לְךָ שֶׁלֹא לְעָרֵב בָּהֶם עֵרֶב רָב, אַתָּה שֶׁהָיִיתָ עָנָו וְכָשֵׁר אָמַרְתָּ לִי לְעוֹלָם מְקַבְּלִים הַשָּׁבִים, וַאֲנִי הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה הֵם עֲתִידִין לַעֲשׂוֹת, אָמַרְתִּי לְךָ, לָאו, וְעָשִׂיתִי רְצוֹנְךָ...
“Go descend, for your people…have acted corruptly” – it is not written here, “the people,” but rather, “your people.” Moses said: ‘Master of the universe, since when are they my people?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘They are your people. When they were still in Egypt I said to you: “I will take out My hosts, My people” (Exodus 7:4). I said to you not to mix the mixed multitude with them. You, who were humble and upright, said to Me: One always accepts penitents. But I knew what they were destined to do; I had said to you, no, but I performed your will...
(50) Returning to Moshe’s universal role, it is not only the Torah of Moshe that has a universal side to it, it appears that the Jewish people itself has a universal side as well. More than any other nation, the Jews are called upon to perform a transnational function. (51) Hence, it could well be that the cultural alienation experienced most powerfully by our formative leaders is something that the Jewish people would need to experience on a national level as well. As Moshe would have to be a universal man, the Jews too would have to be a universal nation. From this perspective, it should come as no surprise that the Jewish people has known more years of exile than of statehood. (52) ...