“The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and commanded them concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, to take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 6:13). “The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and commanded them concerning the children of Israel” – that is what is written: “In all toil there is profit, but the talk of the lips brings only lack” (Proverbs 14:23). For all matters in which a person expends effort for the sake of Torah, he is rewarded. Could it be so even in matters of futility? The verse states: “But the talk of the lips brings only lack.” You find that Joseph was deserving to be placed in prison for only ten years because he slandered his ten brothers; but because he said to the butler: “If only you remember me with you…and mention me to Pharaoh” (Genesis 40:14), two additional years were added for him, as it is stated: “It was at the end of two years” (Genesis 41:1). Likewise you find in Moses’s regard; initially, he was worthy to have the divine speech commune with him by himself, but because he said: “Please…send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13), it was stated to him: “Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite?” (Exodus 4:14). Here, too, “[Moses spoke before the Lord saying:] Behold, the children of Israel did not heed me…” (Exodus 6:12); he was worthy to have all the miracles performed through him, but because of this the divine speech communed with [both] him and Aaron, as it is stated: “The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron.”
That is what is written: “Behold, all these God will do, twice, three times to a man” (Job 33:29). Three times He waits for a person; if he repents, excellent, and if not, He brings upon him [punishment] for the first ones. Likewise, you find that when the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Go, and I will send you to Pharaoh” (Exodus 3:10), initially he said: “But they will not believe me” (Exodus 4:1), then he said: “I am not a man of words” (Exodus 4:10), then he said: “Please…send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13). These are three times. Since he did not recant, and said: “Behold, the children of Israel did not heed me” (Exodus 6:12), the divine speech communed with Aaron with him; that is what is written: “The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron.”
“And commanded them concerning the children of Israel…” – the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘My children are naysayers, they are irritable, they are burdensome. Accept it upon yourself in full knowledge that they will curse you [and] they will stone you with stones.’ “And concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, to take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” – the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Treat him with deference and accord respect to royalty, even though I must execute justice against him.’ Moses did so, as it is stated: “All these servants of yours will come down to me [and will bow down to me, saying: Leave, you and all the people who are with you]” (Exodus 11:8). He did not say it about him, but only about his servants, even though he should have said: ‘You and your king,’ as [Pharaoh] himself came, as it is stated: “Pharaoh rose at night, [he and all his servants.… He called for Moses and Aaron by night and said: Rise, go out from among my people]” (Exodus 12:30–31). The reason he did not mention him was in order to accord respect to royalty. Rabbi Yaakov says: What is “and commanded them”? The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Include the leaders among them with you,’ as you find written thereafter: “These are the heads of their fathers’ houses” (Exodus 6:14).
Another interpretation: “Concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt” – Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a king who had an orchard and he planted non-fruit-bearing trees and fruit trees in it. His servants said to him: ‘What pleasure do you get from these non-fruit-bearing trees?’ He said to them: ‘Just as I need fruit trees, so too I need the non-fruit-bearing trees, as were it not for the non-fruit-bearing trees, with what would I make bathhouses and furnaces?’ That is why it says: “Concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh” – just as the praise of the Holy One blessed be He rises to Him from the Garden of Eden from the mouths of the righteous, so too it rises from Gehenna from the mouths of the wicked, as it is stated: “They pass through a valley of tears,1This is a reference to Gehenna. they render it a place of springs” (Psalms 84:7). What is “they render it a place of springs”? They shed tears like springs until they cool Gehenna with their tears. The praise rises from there, as it is stated: “Blessings cover the early rain [moreh]” (Psalms 84:7).2The reference is to God who is the Teacher [moreh] of all creatures. What do they say? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: You have said well, You have judged well, You have purified well, You have impurified well, You have condemned well, You have taught well, and You have ruled well. The Garden of Eden is destined to shout and say: Give me the righteous, I have no interest in the wicked, as it is stated: “I hate those who regard empty folly” (Psalms 31:7). Whom do I seek? Those who trusted in Your name, as it is stated: “But I trust in the Lord” (Psalms 31:7). Gehenna is destined to shout and say: I have no interest in the righteous. Whom do I seek? The wicked: “Empty folly,” those who engage in folly. The Holy One blessed be He says: ‘Give this one the righteous and this one the wicked,’ as it is stated: “The leech has two daughters” (Proverbs 30:15).3This represents the grave and the two paths emanating from it, the Garden of Eden and Gehenna.
“These are the heads of their fathers' houses; the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Ḥanokh, and Palu, Ḥetzron, and Karmi. These are the families of Reuben” (Exodus 6:14). “These are the heads of their fathers’ houses” Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:7>. “Aaron took for himself Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav, sister of Naḥshon, as a wife; she bore him Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Itamar” (Exodus 6:23). “Aaron took for himself Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav” – from the fact that it says “daughter of Aminadav,” do I not know that she was the sister of Naḥshon? Rather, it is to teach you that anyone who marries a woman should examine her brothers. We similarly learned that most sons resemble the brothers of the mother. “Elazar, Aaron's son, took for himself from the daughters of Putiel as a wife; and she bore him Pinḥas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families” (Exodus 6:25). “Elazar, Aaron's son, took for himself from the daughters of Putiel…” – it is not stated: Daughter of Putiel, but rather, “from the daughters of Putiel,” as his wife was from two families, from the tribe of Joseph, who overcame [pitpet] his evil inclination, and from the other side she came from Yitro, who fattened [pitem] calves for idol worship. “This is Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said: Take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their hosts. It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to take the children of Israel out of Egypt. This is Moses and Aaron.” (Exodus 6:26–27). “This is Aaron and Moses” – “It was they who spoke.”4Some commentaries note that the midrash cites these verses without saying anything about them, and suggest that this text may be entirely unnecessary and a scribal error (Etz Yosef). Others suggest that the midrash means to imply that the genealogies mentioned until this point (Exodus 6:14–25) are detailed merely in order to provide context for Moses and Aaron, who served as messengers of God (Midrash HaMevo’ar).
וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן וַיְצַוֵּם אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (משלי יד, כג): בְּכָל עֶצֶב יִהְיֶה מוֹתָר וּדְבַר שְׂפָתַיִם אַךְ לְמַחְסוֹר, בְּכָל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם נוֹשֵׂא וְנוֹתֵן בָּהֶם דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה הוּא נוֹטֵל עֲלֵיהֶן שָׂכָר, יָכוֹל אַף בְּדִבְרֵי בַּטָּלָה כֵּן, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: וּדְבַר שְׂפָתַיִם אַךְ לְמַחְסוֹר, אַתָּה מוֹצֵא לֹא הָיָה יוֹסֵף רָאוּי לִנָּתֵן בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין אֶלָּא עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוֹצִיא דִבָּה עַל עֲשֶׂרֶת אֶחָיו, וְעַל יְדֵי שֶׁאָמַר לְשַׂר הַמַּשְׁקִים (בראשית מ, יד): כִּי אִם זְכַרְתַּנִי אִתְּךָ וְהִזְכַּרְתַּנִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה, נִתּוֹסַף לוֹ עוֹד שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית מא, א): וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁנָתַיִם יָמִים. וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּמשֶׁה בַּתְּחִלָּה הָיָה רָאוּי הַדִּבּוּר לְהִתְיַחֵד עָלָיו בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ, וְעַל יְדֵי שֶׁאָמַר (שמות ד, יג): שְׁלַח נָא בְּיַד תִּשְׁלָח, נֶאֱמַר לוֹ (שמות ד, יד): הֲלֹא אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ הַלֵּוִי, וְאַף כָּאן (שמות ו, יב): הֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי וגו', וְהָיָה רָאוּי לֵעָשׂוֹת כָּל הַנִּסִּים עַל יָדוֹ, וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה נִתְיַחֵד הַדִּבּוּר עָלָיו וְעַל אַהֲרֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן,
“The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and commanded them concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, to take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 6:13).
“The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and commanded them concerning the children of Israel” – that is what is written: “In all toil there is profit, but the talk of the lips brings only lack” (Proverbs 14:23). For all matters in which a person expends effort for the sake of Torah, he is rewarded. Could it be so even in matters of futility? The verse states: “But the talk of the lips brings only lack.”
You find that Joseph was deserving to be placed in prison for only ten years because he slandered his ten brothers; but because he said to the butler: “If only you remember me with you…and mention me to Pharaoh” (Genesis 40:14), two additional years were added for him, as it is stated: “It was at the end of two years” (Genesis 41:1). Likewise you find in Moses’s regard; initially, he was worthy to have the divine speech commune with him by himself, but because he said: “Please…send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13), it was stated to him: “Is there not Aaron your brother the Levite?” (Exodus 4:14). Here, too, “[Moses spoke before the Lord saying:] Behold, the children of Israel did not heed me…” (Exodus 6:12); he was worthy to have all the miracles performed through him, but because of this the divine speech communed with [both] him and Aaron, as it is stated: “The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron.”
הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (איוב לג, כט): הֶן כָּל אֵלֶּה יִפְעַל אֵל פַּעֲמַיִם שָׁלוֹשׁ עִם גָּבֶר, שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים מַמְתִּין לָאָדָם שֶׁאִם עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו הוּא מְגַלְגֵּל עָלָיו אֶת הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת. וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא כְּשֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה (שמות ג, י): לְכָה וְאֶשְׁלָחֲךָ אֶל פַּרְעֹה, אָמַר תְּחִלָּה (שמות ד, א): וְהֵן לֹא יַאֲמִינוּ לִי, וְאַחַר כָּךְ אָמַר (שמות ד, י): לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי, וְאַחַר כָּךְ אָמַר (שמות ד, יג): שְׁלַח נָא בְּיַד תִּשְׁלָח, הֲרֵי שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁלֹא חָזַר בִּדְבָרָיו וְאָמַר (שמות ו, יב): הֵן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁמְעוּ אֵלַי, נִתְיַחֵד הַדִּבּוּר עַל אַהֲרֹן עִמּוֹ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן.
That is what is written: “Behold, all these God will do, twice, three times to a man” (Job 33:29). Three times He waits for a person; if he repents, excellent, and if not, He brings upon him [punishment] for the first ones. Likewise, you find that when the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Go, and I will send you to Pharaoh” (Exodus 3:10), initially he said: “But they will not believe me” (Exodus 4:1), then he said: “I am not a man of words” (Exodus 4:10), then he said: “Please…send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13). These are three times. Since he did not recant, and said: “Behold, the children of Israel did not heed me” (Exodus 6:12), the divine speech communed with Aaron with him; that is what is written: “The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron.”
וַיְצַוֵּם אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וגו'. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בָּנַי סַרְבָנִים הֵן, רַגְזָנִין הֵן, טַרְחָנִין הֵן, עַל מְנָת כֵּן תִּהְיוּ מְקַבְּלִים עֲלֵיכֶם שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מְקַלְּלִין אֶתְכֶם, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מְסַקְּלִים אֶתְכֶם בַּאֲבָנִים. וְאֶל פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לְהוֹצִיא אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, אָמַר לָהֶן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הֱיוּ נוֹהֲגִין בּוֹ כָּבוֹד וְחִלְקוּ כָּבוֹד לַמַּלְכוּת, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֲנִי צָרִיךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת בּוֹ אֶת הַדִּין. וְכֵן עָשָׂה משֶׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יא, ח): וְיָרְדוּ כָל עֲבָדֶיךָ אֵלֶּה אֵלַי, לֹא אָמַר עָלָיו אֶלָּא עַל עֲבָדָיו, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ לוֹמַר אַתֶּם וּמַלְכְּכֶם הוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יב, ל): וַיָּקָם פַּרְעֹה לַיְלָה, וּלְכָךְ לֹא פִרְסֵם אוֹתוֹ כְּדֵי לַחְלוֹק כָּבוֹד לַמַּלְכוּת. רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר מַהוּ וַיְצַוֵּם, אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שַׁתְּפוּ הָרָאשִׁים שֶׁבֵּינֵיהֶן עִמָּכֶם, שֶׁכָּךְ אַתָּה מוֹצֵא כָּתוּב אַחֲרָיו: אֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי בֵּית אֲבוֹתָם.
“And commanded them concerning the children of Israel…” – the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘My children are naysayers, they are irritable, they are burdensome. Accept it upon yourself in full knowledge that they will curse you [and] they will stone you with stones.’
“And concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, to take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” – the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Treat him with deference and accord respect to royalty, even though I must execute justice against him.’ Moses did so, as it is stated: “All these servants of yours will come down to me [and will bow down to me, saying: Leave, you and all the people who are with you]” (Exodus 11:8). He did not say it about him, but only about his servants, even though he should have said: ‘You and your king,’ as [Pharaoh] himself came, as it is stated: “Pharaoh rose at night, [he and all his servants.… He called for Moses and Aaron by night and said: Rise, go out from among my people]” (Exodus 12:30–31). The reason he did not mention him was in order to accord respect to royalty. Rabbi Yaakov says: What is “and commanded them”? The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Include the leaders among them with you,’ as you find written thereafter: “These are the heads of their fathers’ houses” (Exodus 6:14).
דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֶל פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ פַּרְדֵּס וְנָטַע בּוֹ אִילָנֵי סְרַק וְאִילָנֵי מַאֲכָל, אָמְרוּ לוֹ עֲבָדָיו מַה הֲנָאָה יֵשׁ לְךָ בְּאִילָנֵי סְרַק הַלָּלוּ, אָמַר לָהֶם כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֲנִי צָרִיךְ לְאִילָנֵי מַאֲכָל כָּךְ אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לְאִילָנֵי סְרַק, שֶׁאִלּוּלֵי אִילָנֵי סְרַק מֵהֵיכָן הָיִיתִי עוֹשֶׂה לִי מֶרְחֲצָאוֹת וְכִבְשׁוֹנוֹת. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶל פַּרְעֹה, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁקִּלּוּסוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹלֶה לוֹ מִגַּן עֵדֶן מִפִּי הַצַּדִּיקִים, כָּךְ עוֹלֶה מִגֵּיהִנֹּם מִפִּי הָרְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים פד, ז): עֹבְרֵי בְּעֵמֶק הַבָּכָא מַעְיָן יְשִׁיתוּהוּ, מַהוּ מַעְיָן יְשִׁיתוּהוּ, שֶׁמּוֹרִידִין דְּמָעוֹת כְּמַעֲיָינוֹת עַד שֶׁמְצַנְּנִין אֶת גֵּיהִנֹּם בְּדִמְעוֹתֵיהֶן, וּמִשָּׁם הַקִּלּוּס עוֹלֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים פד, ז): גַּם בְּרָכוֹת יַעֲטֶה מוֹרֶה, מָה הֵם אוֹמְרִים, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, יָפֶה אָמַרְתָּ, יָפֶה דַּנְתָּ, יָפֶה טִהַרְתָּ, יָפֶה טִמֵּאתָ, יָפֶה חִיַּבְתָּ, יָפֶה לִמַּדְתָּ, יָפֶה הוֹרֵיתָ. וַעֲתִידָה גַּן עֵדֶן לִהְיוֹת צוֹעֶקֶת וְאוֹמֶרֶת תֵּן לִי צַדִּיקִים אֵין לִי עֵסֶק בִּרְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים לא, ז): שָׂנֵאתִי הַשֹּׁמְרִים הַבְלֵי שָׁוְא. וּלְמִי אֲנִי מְבַקֶּשֶׁת, לְאוֹתָן שֶׁהָיוּ בְּטוּחִים עַל שְׁמֶךָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים לא, ז): וַאֲנִי אֶל ה' בָּטָחְתִּי. וַעֲתִידָה גֵּיהִנֹּם לִהְיוֹת צוֹעֶקֶת וְאוֹמֶרֶת אֵין לִי עֵסֶק בַּצַּדִּיקִים, וּלְמִי אֲנִי מְבַקֶּשֶׁת לָרְשָׁעִים לְהַבְלֵי שָׁוְא לְאוֹתָן פּוֹעֲלֵי הַשָּׁוְא, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר תְּנוּ לָזֶה צַדִּיקִים וְלָזֶה רְשָׁעִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי ל, טו): לַעֲלוּקָה שְׁתֵּי בָנוֹת.
Another interpretation: “Concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt” – Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a king who had an orchard and he planted non-fruit-bearing trees and fruit trees in it. His servants said to him: ‘What pleasure do you get from these non-fruit-bearing trees?’ He said to them: ‘Just as I need fruit trees, so too I need the non-fruit-bearing trees, as were it not for the non-fruit-bearing trees, with what would I make bathhouses and furnaces?’ That is why it says: “Concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh” – just as the praise of the Holy One blessed be He rises to Him from the Garden of Eden from the mouths of the righteous, so too it rises from Gehenna from the mouths of the wicked, as it is stated: “They pass through a valley of tears,1This is a reference to Gehenna. they render it a place of springs” (Psalms 84:7). What is “they render it a place of springs”? They shed tears like springs until they cool Gehenna with their tears. The praise rises from there, as it is stated: “Blessings cover the early rain [moreh]” (Psalms 84:7).2The reference is to God who is the Teacher [moreh] of all creatures. What do they say? Rabbi Yoḥanan said: You have said well, You have judged well, You have purified well, You have impurified well, You have condemned well, You have taught well, and You have ruled well.
The Garden of Eden is destined to shout and say: Give me the righteous, I have no interest in the wicked, as it is stated: “I hate those who regard empty folly” (Psalms 31:7). Whom do I seek? Those who trusted in Your name, as it is stated: “But I trust in the Lord” (Psalms 31:7).
Gehenna is destined to shout and say: I have no interest in the righteous. Whom do I seek? The wicked: “Empty folly,” those who engage in folly. The Holy One blessed be He says: ‘Give this one the righteous and this one the wicked,’ as it is stated: “The leech has two daughters” (Proverbs 30:15).3This represents the grave and the two paths emanating from it, the Garden of Eden and Gehenna.
אֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי בֵית אֲבֹתָם [וכל המדרש כמו שמפרש בשיר השירים רבה]. וַיִּקַּח אַהֲרֹן אֶת אֱלִישֶׁבַע בַּת עֲמִינָדָב, מִמַּשְׁמַע שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּת עֲמִינָדָב אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהִיא אֲחוֹת נַחְשׁוֹן, אֶלָּא לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכָּל הַנּוֹשֵׂא אִשָּׁה צָרִיךְ שֶׁיִּבְדֹּק בְּאַחֶיהָ, וּתְנֵינַן כֵּן רֹב בָּנִים דּוֹמִין לַאֲחֵי הָאֵם. וְאֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן לָקַח לוֹ מִבְּנוֹת פּוּטִיאֵל וגו', בַּת פּוּטִיאֵל לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא מִבְּנוֹת פּוּטִיאֵל, שֶׁהָיְתָה אִשְׁתּוֹ מִשְׁתֵּי מִשְׁפָּחוֹת, מִשֵּׁבֶט יוֹסֵף שֶׁפִּטְפֵּט בְּיִצְרוֹ, וּבָא מִצַּד אַחֵר מִיִּתְרוֹ שֶׁפִּטֵּם עֲגָלִים לַעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים. הוּא אַהֲרֹן וּמשֶׁה. הֵם הַמְדַבְּרִים.
“These are the heads of their fathers' houses; the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Ḥanokh, and Palu, Ḥetzron, and Karmi. These are the families of Reuben” (Exodus 6:14).Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:7>.
“These are the heads of their fathers’ houses”
“Aaron took for himself Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav, sister of Naḥshon, as a wife; she bore him Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Itamar” (Exodus 6:23).
“Aaron took for himself Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav” – from the fact that it says “daughter of Aminadav,” do I not know that she was the sister of Naḥshon? Rather, it is to teach you that anyone who marries a woman should examine her brothers. We similarly learned that most sons resemble the brothers of the mother.
“Elazar, Aaron's son, took for himself from the daughters of Putiel as a wife; and she bore him Pinḥas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families” (Exodus 6:25).
“Elazar, Aaron's son, took for himself from the daughters of Putiel…” – it is not stated: Daughter of Putiel, but rather, “from the daughters of Putiel,” as his wife was from two families, from the tribe of Joseph, who overcame [pitpet] his evil inclination, and from the other side she came from Yitro, who fattened [pitem] calves for idol worship.
“This is Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said: Take the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their hosts. It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to take the children of Israel out of Egypt. This is Moses and Aaron.” (Exodus 6:26–27).
“This is Aaron and Moses” – “It was they who spoke.”4Some commentaries note that the midrash cites these verses without saying anything about them, and suggest that this text may be entirely unnecessary and a scribal error (Etz Yosef). Others suggest that the midrash means to imply that the genealogies mentioned until this point (Exodus 6:14–25) are detailed merely in order to provide context for Moses and Aaron, who served as messengers of God (Midrash HaMevo’ar).