Difference between revisions of "When Did Zipporah Return to Midyan/2"
(Original Author: Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
(Original Author: Rabbi Hillel Novetsky) |
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<h1>When Did Zipporah Return to Midyan?</h1> | <h1>When Did Zipporah Return to Midyan?</h1> | ||
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<p>The commentators offer several possibilities as to the timing of Zipporah's return to Midyan:</p> | <p>The commentators offer several possibilities as to the timing of Zipporah's return to Midyan:</p> | ||
<approaches> | <approaches> | ||
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<point><b>Split screen and who was at the inn</b> – R. Chananel maintains (like R. Saadia below) that Moshe sent Zipporah and their sons to Midyan by themselves and was not with them at the inn – see <aht page="Murder Mystery at the Malon">Murder Mystery at the Malon</aht> for the motivations and ramifications of this position. According to R. Chananel, after Moshe and Zipporah go in separate directions in 4:20, the Torah tells us about what happened to each of them on their journeys home. First, 4:21-23 records Hashem's communication with Moshe on his way back to Egypt, and then 4:24-26 describes the concurrent events at the inn which occurred to Zipporah on her way back to Midyan. In contrast, Seforno asserts that Moshe accompanied Zipporah and their sons to Midyan and was present for the incident at the inn in 4:24-26.<fn>Seforno is therefore forced to posit that the verses in 4:20-26 are not in chronological order. According to him, the story of the inn in 4:24-26 occurred before the second half of 4:20 and 4:21-23.</fn></point> | <point><b>Split screen and who was at the inn</b> – R. Chananel maintains (like R. Saadia below) that Moshe sent Zipporah and their sons to Midyan by themselves and was not with them at the inn – see <aht page="Murder Mystery at the Malon">Murder Mystery at the Malon</aht> for the motivations and ramifications of this position. According to R. Chananel, after Moshe and Zipporah go in separate directions in 4:20, the Torah tells us about what happened to each of them on their journeys home. First, 4:21-23 records Hashem's communication with Moshe on his way back to Egypt, and then 4:24-26 describes the concurrent events at the inn which occurred to Zipporah on her way back to Midyan. In contrast, Seforno asserts that Moshe accompanied Zipporah and their sons to Midyan and was present for the incident at the inn in 4:24-26.<fn>Seforno is therefore forced to posit that the verses in 4:20-26 are not in chronological order. According to him, the story of the inn in 4:24-26 occurred before the second half of 4:20 and 4:21-23.</fn></point> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
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<category name="On the Way to Egypt">On the Way to Egypt | <category name="On the Way to Egypt">On the Way to Egypt | ||
<p>This approach subdivides regarding the point during the journey at which Zipporah was sent back:</p> | <p>This approach subdivides regarding the point during the journey at which Zipporah was sent back:</p> | ||
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<point><b>Split screen and who was at the inn</b> – R. Saadia explains that Moshe sent Zipporah and their sons to Midyan by themselves and was not with them when the incident at the inn took place – see <aht page="Murder Mystery at the Malon">Murder Mystery at the Malon</aht> for the motivations and ramifications of this position. According to this, 4:21-23 records Hashem's instructions to Moshe on his way home to Egypt, while 4:24-26 describes the simultaneous events at the inn which befell Zipporah on her way home to Midyan.</point> | <point><b>Split screen and who was at the inn</b> – R. Saadia explains that Moshe sent Zipporah and their sons to Midyan by themselves and was not with them when the incident at the inn took place – see <aht page="Murder Mystery at the Malon">Murder Mystery at the Malon</aht> for the motivations and ramifications of this position. According to this, 4:21-23 records Hashem's instructions to Moshe on his way home to Egypt, while 4:24-26 describes the simultaneous events at the inn which befell Zipporah on her way home to Midyan.</point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
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<opinion name="After the Inn">After the incident at the inn | <opinion name="After the Inn">After the incident at the inn | ||
<p>Moshe sent Zipporah and their children back to Yitro's home immediately following the incident at the inn in Shemot 4.</p> | <p>Moshe sent Zipporah and their children back to Yitro's home immediately following the incident at the inn in Shemot 4.</p> | ||
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<point><b>Chronological order</b> – According to Ibn Ezra "and he returned to the land of Egypt" in 4:20 refers to Moshe alone (without Zipporah and their children) and this happened only after the story at the inn recorded a few verses later.<fn>Ibn Ezra explains that the verse in 4:20 is a general heading which is followed by verses which give the details of how exactly the events transpired. [Cf. Rashi who states that there is achronology within 4:20 itself, as Moshe took his staff before going to Egypt.] It is not clear why Ibn Ezra felt compelled to read "and he returned" as referring to Moshe alone, as one could easily explain that Moshe's family is subsumed under him [as Ibn Ezra himself explains in the similar case of Bereshit 22:19].</fn> Ibn Ezra also posits that 4:21-23 are achronological and occurred before Moshe set out for Egypt.</point> | <point><b>Chronological order</b> – According to Ibn Ezra "and he returned to the land of Egypt" in 4:20 refers to Moshe alone (without Zipporah and their children) and this happened only after the story at the inn recorded a few verses later.<fn>Ibn Ezra explains that the verse in 4:20 is a general heading which is followed by verses which give the details of how exactly the events transpired. [Cf. Rashi who states that there is achronology within 4:20 itself, as Moshe took his staff before going to Egypt.] It is not clear why Ibn Ezra felt compelled to read "and he returned" as referring to Moshe alone, as one could easily explain that Moshe's family is subsumed under him [as Ibn Ezra himself explains in the similar case of Bereshit 22:19].</fn> Ibn Ezra also posits that 4:21-23 are achronological and occurred before Moshe set out for Egypt.</point> | ||
</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
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<opinion name="After Meeting Aharon">After meeting Aharon | <opinion name="After Meeting Aharon">After meeting Aharon | ||
<p>Moshe sent Zipporah home only after Aharon met him and suggested that there was no point in bringing more people to be enslaved in Egypt.</p> | <p>Moshe sent Zipporah home only after Aharon met him and suggested that there was no point in bringing more people to be enslaved in Egypt.</p> | ||
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</opinion> | </opinion> | ||
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<category name="After Arriving in Egypt">After Arriving in Egypt | <category name="After Arriving in Egypt">After Arriving in Egypt | ||
<p>Zipporah returned with Moshe to Egypt and went back to Midyan only afterwards.</p> | <p>Zipporah returned with Moshe to Egypt and went back to Midyan only afterwards.</p> | ||
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<point><b>When was Eliezer born?</b> While Eliezer's name is first mentioned only in Shemot 18:4,<fn>Ibn Ezra (Short Commentary to 4:24) says that the lack of mention might be due simply to the fact that he had just been born before Moshe returned to Egypt and had not yet received a name.</fn> the plural form of "בָּנָיו" in Shemot 4:20 would appear to indicate that he was born before Moshe returned from Midyan to Egypt.<fn>According to many exegetes, Eliezer is the son who is circumcised at the inn – see <aht page="Murder Mystery at the Malon">Murder Mystery at the Malon</aht>.</fn> Ramban, however, argues that the plural form is not conclusive,<fn>Ramban cites a similar plural in Bemidbar 26:8 where there is only one son.</fn> and he suggests that Zipporah may have become pregnant with Eliezer either on the way to Egypt or after they arrived in Egypt.<fn>This is possible only according to those who maintain that Zipporah arrived in Egypt with Moshe. According to most commentators, Eliezer must have been conceived and likely born earlier.</fn></point> | <point><b>When was Eliezer born?</b> While Eliezer's name is first mentioned only in Shemot 18:4,<fn>Ibn Ezra (Short Commentary to 4:24) says that the lack of mention might be due simply to the fact that he had just been born before Moshe returned to Egypt and had not yet received a name.</fn> the plural form of "בָּנָיו" in Shemot 4:20 would appear to indicate that he was born before Moshe returned from Midyan to Egypt.<fn>According to many exegetes, Eliezer is the son who is circumcised at the inn – see <aht page="Murder Mystery at the Malon">Murder Mystery at the Malon</aht>.</fn> Ramban, however, argues that the plural form is not conclusive,<fn>Ramban cites a similar plural in Bemidbar 26:8 where there is only one son.</fn> and he suggests that Zipporah may have become pregnant with Eliezer either on the way to Egypt or after they arrived in Egypt.<fn>This is possible only according to those who maintain that Zipporah arrived in Egypt with Moshe. According to most commentators, Eliezer must have been conceived and likely born earlier.</fn></point> | ||
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Version as of 00:43, 26 June 2014
When Did Zipporah Return to Midyan?
Exegetical Approaches
The commentators offer several possibilities as to the timing of Zipporah's return to Midyan:
Before Moshe Left for Egypt
Moshe sent Zipporah and their children back to Yitro's home before he departed for Egypt.
On the Way to Egypt
This approach subdivides regarding the point during the journey at which Zipporah was sent back:
Before the incident at the inn
Initially, Zipporah and the children were accompanying Moshe back to Egypt, but Moshe changed his mind on the way and sent them back to Yitro before the incident at the inn (4:24-26).
After the incident at the inn
Moshe sent Zipporah and their children back to Yitro's home immediately following the incident at the inn in Shemot 4.
After meeting Aharon
Moshe sent Zipporah home only after Aharon met him and suggested that there was no point in bringing more people to be enslaved in Egypt.
After Arriving in Egypt
Zipporah returned with Moshe to Egypt and went back to Midyan only afterwards.