Of them it is further said, AND THE SERPENT WAS MORE SUBTLE THAN ANY BEAST OF THE FIELD WHICH THE LORD GOD HAD MADE; i.e. they are more subtle for evil than all the Gentiles, and they are the offspring of the original serpent that beguiled Eve. The mixed multitude are the impurity which the serpent injected into Eve. From this impurity came forth Cain, who killed Abel….
From Cain was descended Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, as it is written, “And the sons of the Kenite the father-in-law of Moses” (Jud. 1, 16), and according to tradition he was called Kenite because he originated from Cain. Moses, in order to screen the reproach of his father-in-law, sought to convert the “mixed multitude” (the descendants of Cain), although God warned him, saying, “They are of an evil stock; beware of them.”
Through them Moses was banished from his proper place and was not privileged to enter the land of Israel, for through them he sinned in striking the rock when he was told to speak to it (Num. 20, 8); it was they who brought him to this. And withal God takes account of a good motive, and since Moses’ motive in converting them was good, as has been said, therefore God said to him, “I shall make thee a nation greater and mightier than he” (Ibid. 14, 12). In regard to them it is written, “Whoso hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Ex. 32, 33), for they are of the seed of Amalek, of whom it is said, “thou shalt blot out the memory of Amalek” (Deut. 25, 19): it was they who caused the two tablets of the Law to be broken,
whereupon, AND THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED, i.e. Israel became aware that they were sunk in the mire of Egypt, being without Torah, so that it could be said of them “and thou wast naked and bare”….
Next it says, AND THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES, that is to say, they sought to cover themselves with various husks from the “mixed multitude”; but their real covering is the fringes of the Tzitzith and the straps of the phylacteries, of which it is said, AND THE LORD GOD MADE FOR THE MAN AND HIS WIFE COATS OF SKIN AND COVERED THEM; this refers more properly to the phylacteries, while the fringes are designed in the words AND THEY MADE FOR THEMSELVES GIRDLES.
וְעֲלַיְיהוּ אִתְּמָר. וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיוּ עָרוּם מִכָּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה וְגו' עָרוּם לְרַע מִכָּל חֵיוָן דְּאוּמִין דְּעָלְמָא עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת. וְאִנּוּן בְּנוֹי דְּנָחָשׁ הַקַּדְמוֹנִי דְּפַתֵּי לְחַוָּה. וְעֵרֶב רַב וַדַּאי אִנּוּן הֲווּ זוּהֲמָא דְּאַטִּיל נָחָשׁ בְּחַוָּה. וּמֵהַהִיא זוּהֲמָא נָפַק קַיִן וְקָטַל לְהֶבֶל רוֹעֵה צֹאן דְּאִתְּמָר בֵּיהּ בְּשַׁגָּם הוּא בָּשָׂר בְּשַׁגָּם זֶה הֶבֶל. בְּשַׁגָּ"ם וַדַּאי אִיהוּ משֶׁ"ה וְקָטִיל לֵיהּ וְאִיהוּ הֲוָה בְּרָא בּוּכְרָא דְאָדָם.
Of them it is further said, AND THE SERPENT WAS MORE SUBTLE THAN ANY BEAST OF THE FIELD WHICH THE LORD GOD HAD MADE; i.e. they are more subtle for evil than all the Gentiles, and they are the offspring of the original serpent that beguiled Eve. The mixed multitude are the impurity which the serpent injected into Eve. From this impurity came forth Cain, who killed Abel….
וְעִם כָּל דָּא משֶׁה בְּגִין לְכַסָּאָה עַל עֶרְיָיתָא דְּאֲבוּהִי נְטַל בַּת יִתְרוֹ דְּאִתְּמָר בֵּיהּ (שופטים א׳:ט״ז) וּבְנֵי קֵינִי חוֹתֵן משֶׁה, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ אַמַּאי אִתְקְרֵי קֵינִי שֶׁנִּפְרַד מִקַּיִן. כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שופטים ד׳:י״א) וְחֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי נִפְרַד מִקַּיִן. וּלְבָתַר בָּעָא לְאַהֲדָרָא עֵרֶב רַב בִּתְיוּבְתָּא לְכַסָּאָה עֶרְיְיתָא דְּאֲבוּהִי. דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה מְצָרְפָהּ לְמַעֲשֶׂה, וְאָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִגִּזְעָא בִּישָׁא אִנּוּן, תִּסְתַּמַּר מִנַּיְיהוּ. אִלֵּין אִנּוּן חוֹבָה דְּאָדָם דְּאָמַר לֵיהּ וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ. אִלֵּין אִנּוּן חוֹבָה דְּמשֶׁה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
From Cain was descended Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, as it is written, “And the sons of the Kenite the father-in-law of Moses” (Jud. 1, 16), and according to tradition he was called Kenite because he originated from Cain. Moses, in order to screen the reproach of his father-in-law, sought to convert the “mixed multitude” (the descendants of Cain), although God warned him, saying, “They are of an evil stock; beware of them.”
וּבְגִינַיְיהוּ גָּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגָלוּתָא וְאִתְתָּרְכוּ מִתַּמָּן הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיְגָרֶשׁ אֶת הָאָדָם. וְאָדָם יִשְׂרָאֵל וַדַּאי. וּמשֶׁה בְּגִינַיְיהוּ אִתְתָּרֵךְ מֵאַתְרֵיהּ וְלָא זָכָה לְמֵיעַל בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל. דִּבְגִינַיְיהוּ עֲבַר מַאֲמַר דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְחָב בַּסֶּלַע דְּמְחָא בֵּיהּ דְּלָא אָמַר לֵיהּ אֶלָּא (במדבר כ׳:ח׳) וְדִבַּרְתֶּם אֶל הַסֶּלַע וְאִנּוּן גָּרְמוּ. וְעִם כָּל דָּא מַחֲשָׁבָה טוֹבָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְצָרְפָהּ לְמַעֲשֶׂה דְּאִיהוּ לָא קָבִּיל לוֹן וְיָהִיב בְּהוֹן אוֹת בְּרִית אֶלָּא לְכַסָּאָה עֶרְיָיתָא דְּאֲבוּהָ. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר לֵיהּ (במדבר י״ד:י״ב) וְאֶעֱשֶׂה אוֹתְךָ לְגוֹי גָדוֹל וְעָצוּם מִמֶּנּוּ. וּבְגִינַיְיהוּ אָמַר (שמות ל״ב:ל״ג) מִי אֲשֶׁר חָטָא לִי אֶמְחֶנּוּ מִסִּפְרִי, דְּאִנּוּן מִזַּרְעָא דְּעֲמָלֵק דְּאִתְּמָר בֵּיהּ (דברים כ״ה:י״ט) תִּמְחֶה אֶת זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק וְאִנּוּן גְּרַמָא לְתַבְּרָא תְּרֵין לוּחִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. וּמִיָּד.
Through them Moses was banished from his proper place and was not privileged to enter the land of Israel, for through them he sinned in striking the rock when he was told to speak to it (Num. 20, 8); it was they who brought him to this. And withal God takes account of a good motive, and since Moses’ motive in converting them was good, as has been said, therefore God said to him, “I shall make thee a nation greater and mightier than he” (Ibid. 14, 12). In regard to them it is written, “Whoso hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Ex. 32, 33), for they are of the seed of Amalek, of whom it is said, “thou shalt blot out the memory of Amalek” (Deut. 25, 19): it was they who caused the two tablets of the Law to be broken,
וַתִּפָּקַחְנָה עֵינִי שְׁנֵיהֶם וַיֵּדְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי עֵרוּמִים הֵם בְּטוּנָא דְמִצְרַיִם דְּהֲווּ בְּלָא אוֹרַיְיתָא וְאִתְּמָר בְּהוּ (יחזקאל ט״ז:ז׳) וְאַתְּ עֵרוֹם וְעֶרְיָה. וְאִיּוֹב בְּגִין דָּא אָמַר ב' זִמְנֵי (איוב א׳:כ״א) עָרוֹם יָצָאתִי מִבֶּטֶן אִמִּי וְעָרוֹם אָשׁוּב שָׁמָּה. מַה דְּהֲוָה משֶׁ"ה אִתְהַפַּךְ לְעֵרֶב רַב לְשַׁמָּ"ה וְלִשְׁנִינָה. אָשׁוּב שָׁמָּה הָכָא רְמִיז דְּעֲתִיד לְאִתְחַזְּרָא בֵּינַיְיהוּ בְּגָלוּתָא בַּתְרָאָה וְאָזִיל בֵּינַיְיהוּ לְשַׁמָּ"ה וְאִיהוּ אָמַר (איוב א׳:כ״א) ה' נָתַן וַה' לָקָח יְהִי שֵׁם ה' מְבוֹרָךְ.
whereupon, AND THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED, i.e. Israel became aware that they were sunk in the mire of Egypt, being without Torah, so that it could be said of them “and thou wast naked and bare”….
וּבְזִמְנָא דְּאִתַּבְּרוּ תְּרֵין לוּחִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. וְאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּעַל פֶּה אִתְּמָר בְּהוֹן וַיִּתְפְּרוּ עֲלֵה תְאֵנָה. אִתְכַּסּוּ בְּכַמָּה קְלִיפִּין מֵעֵרֶב רַב בְּגִין כִּי עֵרוּמִים הֵם דְּלָא יִתְגַּלֵּי עֶרְיָתַיְיהוּ. וְכִסּוּיָיא דִילְהוֹן כַּנְפֵי צִיצִית וּרְצוּעִין דִּתְפִילִין. עֲלַיְיהוּ אִתְּמָר. וַיַּעַשׂ ה' אֱלֹהִים לָאָדָם וּלְאִשְׁתּוֹ כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר וַיַּלְבִּישֵׁם. אֲבָל לְגַבֵּי צִיצִיוֹת וַיִּתְפְּרוּ עֲלֵה תְאֵנָה. וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם חֲגוֹרוֹת דָּא אִיהוּ (תהילים מ״ה:ד׳) חֲגוֹר חַרְבְּךָ עַל יָרֵךְ גִּבּוֹר. וְדָא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע דְּאִתְּמָר בֵּיהּ (תהילים קמ״ט:ו׳) רוֹמְמוֹת אֵל בִּגְרוֹנָם וְגו'. דָּא הוא וַיַּעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם חֲגוֹרוֹת:
Next it says, AND THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES, that is to say, they sought to cover themselves with various husks from the “mixed multitude”; but their real covering is the fringes of the Tzitzith and the straps of the phylacteries, of which it is said, AND THE LORD GOD MADE FOR THE MAN AND HIS WIFE COATS OF SKIN AND COVERED THEM; this refers more properly to the phylacteries, while the fringes are designed in the words AND THEY MADE FOR THEMSELVES GIRDLES.