The Unseen: A Midrash of Tziporah

An original midrash on Tziporah, Moses' wife

(א) וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ כֹהֵ֤ן מִדְיָן֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה אֱלֹהִ-ים֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַמּ֑וֹ כִּֽי־הוֹצִ֧יא יהוה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ (ב) וַיִּקַּ֗ח יִתְרוֹ֙ חֹתֵ֣ן מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶת־צִפֹּרָ֖ה אֵ֣שֶׁת מֹשֶׁ֑ה אַחַ֖ר שִׁלּוּחֶֽיהָ׃ (ג) וְאֵ֖ת שְׁנֵ֣י בָנֶ֑יהָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר שֵׁ֤ם הָֽאֶחָד֙ גֵּֽרְשֹׁ֔ם כִּ֣י אָמַ֔ר גֵּ֣ר הָיִ֔יתִי בְּאֶ֖רֶץ נׇכְרִיָּֽה׃ (ד) וְשֵׁ֥ם הָאֶחָ֖ד אֱלִיעֶ֑זֶר כִּֽי־אֱלֹהֵ֤י אָבִי֙ בְּעֶזְרִ֔י וַיַּצִּלֵ֖נִי מֵחֶ֥רֶב פַּרְעֹֽה׃ (ה) וַיָּבֹ֞א יִתְר֨וֹ חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֛ה וּבָנָ֥יו וְאִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה אֶל־הַמִּדְבָּ֗ר אֲשֶׁר־ה֛וּא חֹנֶ֥ה שָׁ֖ם הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֲנִ֛י חֹתֶנְךָ֥ יִתְר֖וֹ בָּ֣א אֵלֶ֑יךָ וְאִ֨שְׁתְּךָ֔ וּשְׁנֵ֥י בָנֶ֖יהָ עִמָּֽהּ׃ (ז) וַיֵּצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֜ה לִקְרַ֣את חֹֽתְנ֗וֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙ וַיִּשַּׁק־ל֔וֹ וַיִּשְׁאֲל֥וּ אִישׁ־לְרֵעֵ֖הוּ לְשָׁל֑וֹם וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ הָאֹֽהֱלָה׃ (ח) וַיְסַפֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ לְחֹ֣תְנ֔וֹ אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה ה` לְפַרְעֹ֣ה וּלְמִצְרַ֔יִם עַ֖ל אוֹדֹ֣ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֵ֤ת כׇּל־הַתְּלָאָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מְצָאָ֣תַם בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וַיַּצִּלֵ֖ם ה`׃ (ט) וַיִּ֣חַדְּ יִתְר֔וֹ עַ֚ל כׇּל־הַטּוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה יהוה לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִצִּיל֖וֹ מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (י) וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֮ יִתְרוֹ֒ בָּר֣וּךְ יהוה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִיַּ֥ד מִצְרַ֖יִם וּמִיַּ֣ד פַּרְעֹ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִצִּיל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת יַד־מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (יא) עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל ה` מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑-ים כִּ֣י בַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר זָד֖וּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ (יב) וַיִּקַּ֞ח יִתְר֨וֹ חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֛ה עֹלָ֥ה וּזְבָחִ֖ים לֵֽאלֹהִ֑-ים וַיָּבֹ֨א אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְכֹ֣ל ׀ זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֶאֱכׇל־לֶ֛חֶם עִם־חֹתֵ֥ן מֹשֶׁ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֱלֹהִֽ-ים׃

Exodus 18:1-12

(1) Yitro priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel—God’s people: how the ETERNAL had brought Israel out from Egypt. (2)So Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Tzipporah, Moses’ wife, after she had been sent home, (3) and her two sons—of whom one was named Gershom, that is to say, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land”; (4) and the other was named Eliezer, meaning, “The God of my father was my help, delivering me from the sword of Pharaoh.” (5)Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought Moses’ sons and wife to him in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. (6) He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Yitro, am coming to you, with your wife and her two sons.” (7)Moses went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed low and kissed him; each asked after the other’s welfare, and they went into the tent. (8)Moses then recounted to his father-in-law everything that GOD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had befallen them on the way, and how GOD had delivered them. (9)And Yitro rejoiced over all the kindness that GOD had shown Israel in delivering them from the Egyptians. (10) “Blessed be GOD,” Yitro said, “who delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. (11) Now I know that GOD is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people].” (12) And Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God with Moses’ father-in-law.

Author's Note: I am not impressed. Cultural/historical NUFFINK. This is marriage we are talking about. Not. Impressed. Let's try this again....

Now Moses' father in law, Yitro, and his sons and his wife came to Moses, to the desert where he was encamped by the mountain of God. And he said to Moses, "I, Yitro, your father in law, am coming to you, and your wife and your two sons with her. " So Moses went out to greet his wife and family. To his father in law he prostrated himself, and he kissed his two sons, and also Moses embraced his wife and kissed her, thereupon he fell upon her neck and wept. So they greeted each other, and they entered the tent. Moses told his wife and sons all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians on account of Israel, all the hardships that had befallen them on the way, and [that] the Lord had saved them. They were happy about all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, that He had rescued them from the hands of the Egyptians.
Tzipporah said, "Blessed is the Lord, Who has rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, Who has rescued the people from beneath the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater
than all the deities, for with the thing that they plotted, [He brought] upon them."
Then Moses' father in law, the priest of Midian, sacrificed burnt offering[s] and [peace] offerings to God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to dine with Moses' father in law before God. But Moses retired to his tent that night.

But he didn't, did he?

***

I am the silent bird, flitting through the night on silver wings. Throughout the camp, the flickering torches cast shadows of the men as they stride from place to place, waiting on the great men as they dine in state. They do not see me. I hear the clatter of jars and the sound of women's voices raised in song. In the sparks from the fire, I see a man at the tent door returning
from his day's work, and a woman welcoming him in with joyful cries. They do not see me either.

I am invisible.

At the holy tent, no one has laid a place for me. No one calls for me to bring the wine, or to dress my sons to appear before the great ones. I wait on no one. Amidst the thousand noises of the night, my tent is dark and silent.

I know the peace of the grave.

There is trouble about, strife and fierce words. Staves strike and shatter, one against the other. Strong rocks crack, gushing torrents unsuspected, unchecked by the flashes of flame. There is weeping in tents, or feasting and laughing, or sickness and wailing and death. My husband sits with shoulders bowed with knowledge, crushed by words and cares. Through it all, I drift silently, my grey wings one small shadow in the night.

It is not so bad to be invisible.

I hear the voice of my sister in law. She is angry that I am invisible. She speaks harshly against my husband, hard words dropping like stones from high places. "We too are prophets of the Lord, and yet our beds are not cold! Our wives and husbands do not sigh with neglect, nor are our sons grown in ignorance and disrepute! Who is Moses, to cause such grief to the wife of
his youth? Why did he take her from her father's house to sit in loneliness?" I wish she would not speak so harshly, her righteous tones ringing in my ears, her cries stirring trouble and grief and shame. Now the Lord is angry too, angry that she presumes to speak for me, that she talks in the street of others' beds. My sister in law means well, but she too cannot see me.

A trumpet calls. I hear the sound of rushing footsteps. The assembly is in motion, hems and shoulders swirling like grains in a sandstorm. My sons are among them, cold faces like the dark side of the moon, their hands in motion as they heft and hoist. They know no glory, these men I have borne to fetch and carry holiness they cannot see. They are moving on with their
lives, their faces forward, their footfalls heavy. In the midst of all this turmoil, they too cannot see me, and as the assembly moves off, I can no longer see them.

In the wind of their passing, I feel as light as a feather. I have no cares, no worries. My back is unbowed, my wings are straight and strong. I do not grieve, for I have no one to grieve for.

Humanity flows around me like streams, like the voices of many waters. Martial tongues speak of promise, of motion and change, of the future. The future does not worry me. In their midst I pass unseen, deaf on my silent wings to the clamor around me. They cannot hurt me, the sightless multitudes. Nor do I envy them. How can the invisible envy the blind?

I am the invisible bird, the mote in the sunbeam. I drift in the breeze, unwept-for and unweeping. The wind bears me up, and I am gone.

Shira Eliaser

Topics

Tzipora

Part of Collections

Midrash and Modern