“They answered: An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock” (Exodus 2:19).

This description of Moses as “an Egyptian” drew the attention of the sages and of biblical commentators. The midrash Exodus Rabba provides a simple explanation: “Was Moses an Egyptian? Rather, he was dressed like an Egyptian, but he was a Hebrew.” In other words, Jethro’s daughters mistakenly identified him as an Egyptian due to his Egyptian clothing. But the midrash does not suffice with that explanation, and continues:

Alternatively: “An Egyptian” – It is like the case of a man who is bitten by reptile and runs to put his foot in water, sees a child in the water and puts out his hand to save him. The child said to him: “Were it not for you, I would have died.” He replied: “It was not I who saved you but the reptile that bit me and from which I fled to the water. It saved you.” So the Jethro’s daughters said to Moses: “Thank you for saving us from the shepherds.” He replied: “It was the Egyptian I killed who saved you.” Therefore they said to their father “an Egyptian”, for what brought him to us? The Egyptian he killed. (Exodus Rabba (Shinan) 1 s.v. 1:32 va-tomarna)

This midrash does not identify Moses as the Egyptian, but rather sees the use of the description “an Egyptian” as a vehicle for delivering a moral or theological message. As opposed to this approach, another midrash views Moses as the object of the description:

R. Levi said: He [Moses] said before Him: “Master of the Universe, Joseph’s bones entered the land and I do not enter the land.” The Holy One replied: “He who acknowledged his land is buried in his land, and he who did not acknowledge his land is not buried in his land.” How do we know that Joseph acknowledged his land? His mistress says: See, he has brought us a Hebrew man” (Genesis 39:14), and he did not deny it but said: “I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews” (40:15). And how do we know that he was buried in his land? For it says: “The bones of Joseph which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt were buried at Shechem” (Joshua 24:32). “You, who did not acknowledge your land will not be buried in your land.” Why? Jethro’s daughters said: “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” and he heard and remained silent. Therefore he was not buried in his land. (Deuteronomy Rabba 2:8)

In this midrash, the mistake is not seen as a mistake of identity but rather as a mistake of “identification”. Jethro’s daughters were not mistaken but misled.

1. In his commentary to the verse, Abravanel (1437-1508) explains: “They called him an Egyptian because he spoke in the language of Egypt.” Isn’t this explanation, or the explanation that he wore Egyptian garb sufficient to explain why Moses was taken for an Egyptian?

2. R. Zadok HaKohen of Lublin (1823-1900) asked: “Why does the Torah record their mistaken statement that he was an Egyptian?” It is clear to R. Zadok that Moses did not tell Jethro’s daughters that he killed an Egyptian. He therefore suggests that the purpose of the first midrash is “to reconcile how it can be written in the Torah that ‘an Egyptian rescued us’.” In other words, it would appear that the Torah mistakenly identifies Moses, and therefore an explanation is required in order to reconcile that description with the reality. What is R. Zadok’s fundamental assumption about all the nature of all that is written in the Torah? What does he assume to be the function and purpose of midrash?

3. In reading the parasha we find that Jethro’s response to his daughters’ report is: “Where is he then? Why did you leave the man? Ask him in to break bread.” Clearly, Moses was not present when he was described as an Egyptian. How, then, can the midrash accuse him of remaining silent and say “You, who did not acknowledge your land will not be buried in your land”? Is the purpose of the midrash to explicate a difficult text? Is the explanation given by the midrash consistent with the reason stated in the Torah for Moses not entering the land of Canaan? If not, then what is the purpose of the midrash?

4. Why does the first midrash compare Moses to a person who saves a child from drowning? Is it trying to teach us something about Moses’ origins and about the nature of his rescue from the Nile?