CHAPTER XL MOSES AT THE BURNING BUSH [55A. ii.] THE fifth descent [ See supra, p. 97, for the fourth descent. These “descents” are connecting links in the narrative. This accounts for the apparent disorder in the chapters which now follow, for we have the “Revelation” in the thorn-bush and at Sinai before the narrative of the birth of Moses. On the “descent” see Pal. Targum, Ex. 3:8.] was when He came down to the thorn-bush, as it is said, "And I am come down || to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians" (Ex. 3:8). He abandoned the entire mountain, [ i.e. Sinai.] and descended into the thorn-bush, and He abode therein. And the thorn-bush was (an emblem of) grief and distress, [ See Tanchuma, Shemoth, § xiv.; Jalḳuṭ, Pss. § 843, and Ex. Rab. ii. 5.] and it was [ Luria reads: “The thorn bush was (full of) sorrow and distress because it was all thorns and thistles.”] full of thorns and thistles. Why did He abide in the midst of the thorn-bush which was (an emblem of) grief and distress? Because He saw Israel in great grief and He also dwelt with them, [ The Venice edition reads: “And He dwelt also with them in the midst of grief.”] thus fulfilling that which is said, "In all [ See Rabbinic Philosophy and Ethics, pp. 144 f., note 1 on p. 145.] their affliction He was afflicted" (Isa. 63:9). [ Cf. T.B. Ta‘anith, 16a.]
Rabbi Levi said: That rod [ See supra, p. 14, and cf. p. 124, and the Book of the Bee, pp. 24, 50.] which was created in the twilight [ On the first Sabbath eve in the Creation week, see references given in the previous note.] was delivered to the first man [ See the Book of Jashar lxxvii. 39 ff. The Jalḳuṭ, Ex. §§ 168, 173, quotes this book as “the Book of the Chronicles of Moses,” according to which Adam took the rod from Eden when he was driven forth, at the time when the rod had been made; he tilled the ground therewith. See also R.É.J. lxxviii. p. 150.] out of the garden of Eden. Adam delivered it to Enoch, and Enoch delivered it to Noah, [ Should this be: “Enoch handed it to Methuselah, and Methuselah handed it to Noah”? See supra, p. 53.] and Noah [handed it on] [ The first editions have the words in brackets; the MS. omits same.] to Shem. Shem passed it on to Abraham, Abraham [transmitted it] [ The first editions have the words in brackets; the MS. omits same.] to Isaac, and Isaac [gave it over] [ The first editions have the words in brackets; the MS. omits same.] to Jacob, [ Jalḳuṭ, Ex. § 168, and the Book of Jashar lxxvii. 46 agree that Jacob received it when he fled to Paddan-Aram. He declares: “For with my staff I passed over this Jordan” (Gen. 32:10). See Gen. Rab. 76:5, and Agadath Bereshith on this verse. The rod divided the Jordan for Jacob and the Reed Sea for Moses and Israel; see Jalḳuṭ, Num. § 763. The rod passed on to David and his successors, and will belong to the Messiah.] and Jacob brought it down into Egypt and passed it on to his son Joseph, [ See the Book of Jashar, loc. cit.; and cf. Ezek. 37:19: “the stick of Joseph.”] and when Joseph died and they pillaged his household goods, it was placed in the palace of Pharaoh. And Jethro [ “Reuel” is the reading in Jeraḥmeel xlvi. 4 and 12; Jalḳuṭ, Ex. § 173, reads “Jethro.” “Pharaoh” of the printed texts is a mistake; for although he was a magician (cf. Ex. Rab. ix. 6 ff.) he would not take the rod which “he desired in his heart” and plant it in Jethro’s garden.] was one of the magicians of Egypt, and he saw the rod and the letters which were upon it, and he desired in his heart (to have it), and he took it and brought it, and planted it [ For full details as to the various legends about the rod, see Grünbaum, op. cit. pp. 161 ff. Jalḳuṭ, loc. cit., omits the words “and he saw the rod” which occur in P.R.E.] in the midst of the garden of his house. [ The first editions read: “in the house of Jethro.”] No one was able to approach it [ According to the Book of Jashar lxxvii. 49, 51, and the Jalḳuṭ, loc. cit., Jethro resolved to give his daughter to the man who was able to remove the rod.] any more.
When Moses came to his house he went into the garden of Jethro's house, and saw the rod and read the letters [ See Ex. Rab. viii. 3; see also infra, p. 329, n. 8, and Pal. Targum, Ex. 3:21. Cf. the Book of Jashar, loc. cit., which appears to have used P.R.E. in the account of the “rod” (ch. lxxvii. 39–51). The letters on the rod were the Ineffable Name of God or the initials of the ten plagues.] which were upon it, and he put forth his hand and took it. Jethro watched || Moses, and said: This one in the future will redeem Israel from Egypt. Therefore he gave him Zipporah his daughter to wife, as it is said, "And Moses was content to dwell with the man; [ In the MS. and the first editions the quotation ends here.] and he gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter" (Ex. 2:21).
Moses was keeping the sheep of Jethro for forty years, [ See Siphrê, Deut. § 357; and Midrash Tannaim, ed. Hoffmann, p. 226.] and the beasts of the field did not consume them, but they increased and multiplied exceedingly, [ See Cant. Rab. 3:5.] and concerning them the Scripture saith, "As the flock of holy things" (Ezek. 36:38). [ Applied to Jethro’s flock because Moses led them to graze near the Mount of God. The first editions add the next two words of the quotation.]
And he led the flock until he came to Horeb, as it is said, "And he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, [ In the MS. and the first editions the quotation ends here.] and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb" (Ex. 3:1). There the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed unto him from the midst of the thorn-bush. Moses saw the bush burning with fire, and the fire did not consume the bush, and the bush did not extinguish the flames of fire. [ See Pal. Targum, Ex. 3:2.] Now the bush does not grow in the earth unless it has water beneath it. Moses saw and was wondering very much in his heart, and he said: What kind of glory [ Or “mystery” of God; see Lev. Rab. 11:5. The sentence is in Aramaic and is unusual in our book. The translation might be: “whose glory,” etc.] is there in its midst? He said: I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the thorn-bush is not burnt. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Moses ! Stand where thou art standing, for there in the future will I give the Torah to Israel, as it is said, "And he said, Draw not nigh hither; [ In the MS. the quotation ends here.] put off thy shoes from off thy feet, [ In the first editions the quotation ends here.] for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (ibid. 5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Go. [ This sentence occurs in our MS. only. The reference should probably be Ex. 3:16.] Hence (the sages) said: Anyone who enters the Temple [ See Mishnah Berakhoth 9:1; T.B. Berakhoth, 62b; T.B. Soḥah, 40a. The Book of Jashar, loc. cit., omits the reference to the removal of the shoes. See Pal. Targum, in loc. The first editions read: “Any one who stands in a holy place.”] must remove || his shoe, for thus spake the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet" (ibid.).
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Come and I will send thee unto Pharaoh" (ibid. 10). He answered before Him: Sovereign of all worlds ! Have I not spoken thus to Thee three or four times, that I have no power, for I have a defective tongue, as it is said, "And Moses said unto the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent" (ibid. iv. 10). Not only this, but moreover Thou dost send me into the power of my enemy who seeks my hurt. [ The first editions read: “enemies, and of them who seek my hurt. Was it not for this reason that I fled from them?”] For this reason I fled from him, as it is said, "But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh" (ibid. ii. 15). He answered him: Do not fear him, [ The first editions read: “them.”] for all the men who sought thy life are already dead.
Were they dead? Were they not alive? Only they had diminished [ Lit. “They had descended from their wealth”; see T.B. Nedarim, 64b and 65a.] their wealth. Hence thou mayest learn that all who lose their wealth are as though they were dead, therefore it is said, "For all the men are dead who sought thy life" (ibid. iv. 19). (God) said to him: "Come and I will send thee unto Pharaoh" (ibid. iii. 10). He replied to Him: Sovereign of all worlds! "Send by the hand of him whom thou wilt send" (ibid. iv. 13)—that is to say, by the hand of that man whom Thou wilt send in the future. [ Elijah; or, perhaps, the reference is to Phineas the son of Aaron, who is identified by our author with Elijah; see infra, p. 371, and Pal. Targum, in loc.: “By the hand of Phineas.” On Elijah see T.B. ‘Erubin, 43b.] He said to him: I have not said, "Come and I will send thee to Israel," but "Come and I will send thee unto Pharaoh" (ibid. iii. 10). And as for that man of whom thou sayest that I should send him to Israel in the future that is to come, so it is said, || "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet [ In the MS. the quotation ends here and then follows the next verse, of which the first three words in the Hebrew are quoted. The first editions do not have the second quotation, but continue the first verse.] before the great and terrible day of the Lord come" (Mal. iv. 5). "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (ibid. 6).
(Moses) spake before Him: Sovereign of all worlds ! Give me a wonder or a sign. [ See Ex. Rab. iii. 12, and Siphrê, Deut. § 83. Moses wished to have a sign in heaven and a wonder on earth.] He said to him: Cast thy staff to the ground. He cast his staff to the ground, and it became a fiery serpent. Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, show unto Moses (a sign) with a fiery serpent, [ The first editions read: “like a fiery serpent by (means of) the rod and (why) did He not show him something else?”] and why did He not show it to him with something else? But just as the serpent bites and kills the sons of man, likewise Pharaoh and his people bit and slew the Israelites. Afterwards it became again like a dry stick. Thus He spake: Likewise Pharaoh and his people shall become like this dry stick, [ The preceding part of this sentence occurs in the MS. only.] as it is said, "And the Lord said unto Moses: Put forth thine hand, [ In the MS. the quotation ends here, in the first editions it is continued.] and take it by the tail" (Ex. 4:4). He spake before Him: Sovereign of all worlds ! Give me a wonder. He said to him: "Put now thine hand into thy bosom" (ibid. 6). And he put his hand into his bosom, and he brought it out leprous like snow. Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, show unto Moses (a sign) by means of an unclean thing, and (why) did He not show it by means of a clean thing? But just as the leper is unclean and causes uncleanliness, likewise Pharaoh and his people were unclean, and they caused Israel to be unclean. [ See infra, p. 382.] Afterwards (Moses) became clean again, [ Luria adds: “as it is said: ‘And He said, Restore thy hand.’” Cf. Ex. Rab. iii. 13. The MS. repeats the quotation (Ex. 4:6).] and He spake to him: Likewise shall Israel become clean from the uncleanliness of the Egyptians, as it is said, "And he said, Put now thine hand into thy bosom" (ibid.).
Why did He show unto Moses the fire in the midst of the thorn-bush? || But the fire refers to Israel, who are compared to fire, [ Because the Shekhinah abides among them, and because they possess the Torah, the “Law of fire.” Cf. Mekhilta de R. Simeon, p. 1 ff.] as it is said, "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire" (Obad. 18). The thorn-bush refers to the nations of the world, [ The Amsterdam and Prague editions read: “the idolaters”; later editions read “the wicked.”] who are compared to thorns and thistles. He said to him: Likewise shall Israel be in the midst of the nations. The fire of Israel shall not consume the nations, who are compared to thorns and thistles; but the nations of the world shall extinguish the flames of Israel—(these flames) are the words of the Torah. But in the future that is to come the fire of Israel will consume all the nations, who are compared to thorns and thistles, [ See the rest of the verse quoted from Isaiah.] as it is said, "And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime" (Isa. 33:12).
Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds! Make known to me Thy great and holy Name, that I may call on Thee by Thy Name, [ Cf. supra, pp. 129, 264. See Shocher Ṭob on Ps. 92:1, p. 198b. and 8. p. 200b; cf. Isa. 52:6. The first editions add: “And He made it known to him.”] and Thou wilt answer me, as it is said, "And God said unto Moses, I am that I am" (Ex. 3:14). "And God further said [ The MS. ends the quotation here. The first editions continue the next two words in the Hebrew text. The verse continues: “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”] (to Moses)" (ibid. 15).
The angels saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, had transmitted the secret of the Ineffable Name [ See Othijoth de R. ‘Aḳiba, letters א ,ה ,ז; B.H.M. iii. pp. 12 ff.; and cf. Grünbaum, Z.D.M.G. xl. p. 245. The rod with the Ineffable Name was transmitted by Moses to his successor Joshua, who conquered the Canaanites by its aid.] to Moses, and they rejoined: Blessed art thou, O Lord, who graciously bestoweth knowledge. [ This is the fourth benediction of the Shemoneh ‘Esreh; see Singer, p. 46. Our Midrash attempts to associate Moses with its origin, see supra, p. 267.]