A Deserved Punishment
砖诪讜转 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 讗
讗诪专讜 专讝”诇 谞讜讙砖讬诐 讛讬讜 诪谉 讛诪爪专讬讬诐 讜砖讜讟专讬诐 诪讬砖专讗诇, 谞讜讙砖 诪诪讜谞讛 注诇 注砖专讛 砖讜讟专讬诐, 砖讜讟专 诪诪讜谞讛 注诇 注砖专讛 诪讬砖专讗诇, 讜讛讬讜 讛谞讜讙砖讬诐 讛讜诇讻讬诐 诇讘转讬 讛砖讜讟专讬诐 讘讛砖讻诪讛 诇讛讜爪讬讗谉 诇诪诇讗讻转谉 诇拽专讬讗转 讛讙讘专, 驻注诐 讗讞转 讛诇讱 谞讜讙砖 诪爪专讬 讗爪诇 砖讜讟专 讬砖专讗诇 讜谞转谉 注讬谞讬讜 讘讗砖转讜 砖讛讬转讛 讬驻转 转讜讗专 讘诇讬 诪讜诐, 注诪讚 诇砖注转 拽专讬讗转 讛讙讘专 讜讛讜爪讬讗讜 诪讘讬转讜 讜讞讝专 讛诪爪专讬 讜讘讗 注诇 讗砖转讜 讜讛讬转讛 住讘讜专讛 砖讛讜讗 讘注诇讛 讜谞转注讘专讛 诪诪谞讜, 讞讝专 讘注诇讛 讜诪爪讗 讛诪爪专讬 讬讜爪讗 诪讘讬转讜 砖讗诇 讗讜转讛 砖诪讗 谞讙注 讘讱 讗诪专讛 诇讜 讛谉 讜住讘讜专讛 讗谞讬 砖讗转讛 讛讜讗, 讻讬讜谉 砖讬讚注 讛谞讜讙砖 砖讛专讙讬砖 讘讜 讛讞讝讬专讜 诇注讘讜讚转 讛驻专讱 讜讛讬讛 诪讻讛 讗讜转讜 讜诪讘拽砖 诇讛专讙讜, 讜讛讬讛 诪砖讛 专讜讗讛 讗讜转讜 讜诪讘讬讟 讘讜 讜专讗讛 讘专讜讞 讛拽讜讚砖 诪讛 砖注砖讛 讘讘讬转 讜专讗讛 诪讛 砖注转讬讚 诇注砖讜转 诇讜 讘砖讚讛, 讗诪专 讜讚讗讬 讝讛 讞讬讬讘 诪讬转讛, 讻诪讜 砖讻转讜讘 (讜讬拽专讗 讻讚) 讜诪讻讛 讗讚诐 讬讜诪转, 讜诇讗 注讜讚 讗诇讗 砖讘讗 注诇 讗砖转讜 砖诇 讚转谉 注诇 讻讱 讞讬讬讘 讛专讬讙讛, 砖谞讗’ (砖诐 /讜讬拽专讗/ 讻) 诪讜转 讬讜诪转 讛谞讜讗祝 讜讛谞讜讗驻转, 讜讛讬讬谞讜 讚讻转讬讘 讜讬驻谉 讻讛 讜讻讛 讜讙讜’, 专讗讛 诪讛 注砖讛 诇讜 讘讘讬转 讜诪讛 注砖讛 诇讜 讘砖讚讛.
Exodus Rabbah 1:28
He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand (Exod. 2:12). The Rabbis said: The taskmasters were Egyptians but the officers were Israelites, 1 taskmaster being appointed over 10 officers and 1 officer over 10 Israelites. The taskmasters used to go to the officers’ houses early in the morning to drag them out to work at cockcrow. Once an Egyptian taskmaster went to a Jewish officer and set eyes upon his wife who was beautiful without blemish. He waited for cockcrow, when he dragged the officer out of his house and then returned to lie down with the woman who thought that it was her husband, with the result that she became pregnant from him. When her husband returned, he discovered the Egyptian emerging from his house. He then asked her: “Did he touch you?” She replied, “Yes, for I thought it was you.” When the taskmaster realized that he was caught, he made him go back to his hard labour, smiting him and trying to slay him. When Moses saw this, he knew by means of the Holy Spirit what had happened in the house and what the Egyptian was about to do in the field, so he said: “This man certainly deserves his death, as it is written: And he that smites any man mortally shall surely be put to death (Lev. 24:17). Moreover, since he cohabited with the wife of Datan he deserves slaying, as it is said: Both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death (Lev. 20:10).” Hence does it say And he turned this way and that, namely, he saw what he did to him in the house and what he intended doing to him in the field.
The only thing juicier than a murder mystery is a murder mystery involving illicit sex. The midrashic imagination has woven a wonderful narrative to excuse Moses of the murder he commits in Exodus 2:12. It is a wonderful story from rabbinic literature that is worth sharing in and of itself. The Egyptian taskmaster is not just cruel to the Israelite slaves he oversees; he has also raped a beautiful Israelite wife and now intends to kill the cuckolded Israelite husband. The midrash supplies a double defense for Moses鈥攈e was simply carrying out the law, in fact two laws, for the man he killed deserved death twice over for his horrific crimes, both committed and intended.
Because the story is so good, I’ll use the space here to pose questions that I hope will serve as the basis of discussion or private rumination.
- How does the midrash enhance Moses’s status as a prophet? In what ways does his knowledge of future events (that the Egyptian taskmaster will try to kill the Israelite in the field) help or hurt the broader narrative of Moses’s story?
- What is the role of the wife here? How do the rabbis treat her victimization? What other responses to the question “Did he touch you?” might we imagine her giving, and how would they affect the story?
- Does the midrash help the difficulty of the text (the kasha) for you? That is, assuming that the rabbis telling this midrash envisioned it as a way to excuse Moses’s behavior in smiting the Egyptian: did the rationalization work for you? Is Moses exonerated in your mind?
