Zipporah/0
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Zipporah – Overview
Biblical Texts
The Torah tells us surprisingly little about Moshe's family and his wife Zipporah. Zipporah appears only three times – in Shemot 2:16-22 when Moshe marries her, in Shemot 4:20-26 when Moshe leaves for Egypt, and in Shemot 18:2-7 when she is returned to Moshe.1 From this meager data, the commentators attempt to sketch a portrait of Zipporah.
Contrasting Portraits
Positive
- Divrei HaYamim LeMoshe Rabbeinu and Yalkut Shimoni describe how Zipporah followed in Hashem's ways and reached the level of the Matriarchs.2
- R. Avraham b. HaRambam notes that Zipporah was a descendant of Avraham,3 and that this accounts for her family's traits of charity and hospitality. The Tzeror HaMor emphasizes that Zipporah herself was unique in her modesty and good deeds.
- Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Divrei HaYamim LeMoshe Rabbeinu tell a fantastic story of how Yitro imprisoned Moshe, and left him to starve in a pit for ten years. Moshe survived only because Zipporah secretly fed him.
Negative
- R. Elazar in Talmud Bavli Masekhet Bava Batra suggests that Moshe's marriage to Zipporah, the daughter of an idolater, resulted in their having a descendant who was an idolatrous priest.4
- Shadal claims that Zipporah was a bad influence on Moshe. Shadal thus explains that the problems at the inn in Shemot 4:24-26 (see Murder Mystery at the Malon), came about because of Hashem's concerns that Zipporah (and Gershom) would dissuade Moshe from carrying out his mission.5
Religious Identity
Before meeting Moshe
- Heathen – See below for those who maintain that Zipporah did not change her practices even after marrying Moshe.
- Monotheist from a family of idolaters – R. Mubashir HaLevi. See Yitro's Religious Identity for additional sources and discussion.
- Monotheist from a family of monotheists – R. Saadia. See Yitro's Religious Identity for more.
After meeting Moshe
- Still adhered to idolatrous practices – opinion cited and rejected by Ibn Ezra,6 Ramah,7 Shadal.
- Converted to Judaism – See Midrash Tadshe and Yalkut Shimoni Yehoshua 9 that Zipporah converted,8 and see the sources above that Zipporah was already a monotheist.
Marriage to Moshe
- How could Moshe marry a heathen woman? See Moshe and Zipporah's Marriage.
- Did she return with Moshe to Egypt? See When Did Zipporah Return to Midyan and Murder Mystery at the Malon.
- Did Moshe divorce her? See אחר שלוחיה.
- Was she present for the revelation at Sinai? See Chronology of Shemot 18.
- Did her marriage to Moshe resume upon her return? See Miryam's Critique of Moshe and his Cushite Marriage.
Related Topics
An analysis of Zipporah's personality is related to the following topics: