AND JETHRO TOOK ZIPPORAH AND HER TWO SONS. Why are they called “her two sons” and not “sons of Moses”? R. Hiya said because she had brought them up. R. Eleazar, however, explained it differently, saying that because Moses had united himself with a supernal sphere of holiness (the Shekinah), it would have been irreverent to call them “his sons”, although they were in fact his sons, and later, when he had separated himself for the time being from the Shekinah, and went out to meet his father-in-law, we read: “And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons” (v. 5).
Said R. Simeon: ‘Eleazar, Eleazar! I see that the beginning of thy interpretation is quite right, but not the end. Certainly, because of the honour of the Shekinah, who was united with him at the time, it is written, “her sons”, but when it says afterwards “his sons” it refers not to Moses but to Jethro, who begat sons after Moses had come to him, like Laban, who had no sons before Jacob came and dwelt in his house.
For Moses’ sake, and through his merit, did Jethro beget sons, whom he then brought with him to Moses, so that they might all enter together under the wings of the Shekinah. Therefore it says also in the following verse (6): “I, thy father-in-law, Jethro, am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.” And that Jethro did have sons is definitely stated: “And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law…” (Judges 1, 16), and he left his sons to be with Moses.’
וְאֵת שְׁנֵי בָּנֶיהָ, אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא, וְכִי בָּנְיהָ וְלֹא בָּנָיו שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה. אֶלָּא, בְּגִין דְּאִיהִי אִשְׁתַּדְּלַת אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ, בְּלָא בַּעְלָהּ, קָרָא לוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא בָּנֶיהָ, וְלֹא בָּנָיו. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסִי, אַף עַל גַּב דִּבְנוֹי דְּמֹשֶׁה הֲווֹ. מִלָּה דִּקְשׁוֹט בָּנֶיהָ וַדַּאי. ר' אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, הָא מֹשֶׁה הֲוָה מִזְדַּוֵּוג בַּאֲתָר אַחֲרָא קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה, וְלָאו יְקָרָא דִּילֵיהּ לְמִקְרֵי לוֹן בָּנָיו. הַשְׁתָּא אַף עַל גַּב דִּבְנוֹי הֲווֹ, בְּגִין יְקָרָא דְּהַהוּא אֲתָר דְּאִזְדָּוַּוג בֵּיהּ, קָרָא לוֹן בָּנֶיהָ הָכָא, לְבָתַר קָרָא לוֹן בָּנָיו מַאי טַעְמָא, בְּגִין דְּהַהוּא שַׁעֲתָא דְּמָטוּ, הֲוָה מֹשֶׁה מְמַלֵּל בִּשְׁכִינְתָּא. לְבָתַר דְּאִתְפְּרַשׁ וְנָפַק לְגַבֵּי חָמוּי, כְּדֵין כְּתִיב (שמות י״ח:ה׳) וַיָּבֹא יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וְגוֹ'.
AND JETHRO TOOK ZIPPORAH AND HER TWO SONS. Why are they called “her two sons” and not “sons of Moses”? R. Hiya said because she had brought them up. R. Eleazar, however, explained it differently, saying that because Moses had united himself with a supernal sphere of holiness (the Shekinah), it would have been irreverent to call them “his sons”, although they were in fact his sons, and later, when he had separated himself for the time being from the Shekinah, and went out to meet his father-in-law, we read: “And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons” (v. 5).
אָמַר ר' שִׁמְעוֹן, אֶלְעָזָר אֶלְעָזָר, אָנָא חֲמֵינָא בְּפַרְשְׁתָּא דָּא, דְּאַתְּ שָׁארֵי מִלָּה כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת, וְסִיּוּמָא לָאו הָכִי. וַדַּאי בְּגִין יְקָרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא, אִזְדַּוְּוגוּתָא עִלָּאָה דְּאִזְדָּוַּוג בֵּיהּ בְּמֹשֶׁה, כְּתִיב בָּנְיהָ. וְאִי תֵּימָא, וְהָא כְּתִיב וַיָּבֹא יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ אֶל מֹשֶׁה. כֹּלָּא אִיהוּ כְּלָלָא חֲדָא. וּבָנָיו, בָּנָיו דְּיִתְרוֹ, דְּהָא לְבָתַר דְּאָתָא מֹשֶׁה לְגַבֵּיהּ, הֲווֹ לֵיהּ בְּנִין.
Said R. Simeon: ‘Eleazar, Eleazar! I see that the beginning of thy interpretation is quite right, but not the end. Certainly, because of the honour of the Shekinah, who was united with him at the time, it is written, “her sons”, but when it says afterwards “his sons” it refers not to Moses but to Jethro, who begat sons after Moses had come to him, like Laban, who had no sons before Jacob came and dwelt in his house.
וְהָכִי הֲוָה בְּיַעֲקֹב, דְּכֵיוָן דְּאָתָא לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּלָבָן, וְשַׁוֵּי דִּיוֹרֵיהּ בֵּיהּ, הֲווֹ לֵיהּ בְּנִין. אוּף הָכָא מֹשֶׁה, כֵּיוָן דְּשַׁוֵּי דִּיוֹרֵיהּ בְּיִתְרוֹ, הֲווֹ לֵיהּ לְיִתְרוֹ בְּנִין וְכָל בֵּיתֵיהּ אַיְיתֵי עִמֵּיהּ, לְמֵיעַל לוֹן תְּחוֹת גַּדְפֵּי דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא, וְיִתְרוֹ אָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה, אֲנִי חוֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרוֹ בָּא אֵלֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּשְׁנִי בָּנֶיהָ עִמָּהּ, וּשְׁנֵי בָּנֶיהָ כְּתִיב, וְלָא כְּתִיב וּשְׁנֵי בָּנֶיךָ. (ס"א ויבא יתרו חתן משה ובניו) בְּנִין הֲווֹ לֵיהּ לְיִתְרוֹ, דִּכְתִּיב, (שופטים א׳:ט״ז) וּבְנִי קֵנִי חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה עָלוּ מֵעִיר הַתְּמָרִים וּבְנוֹי שָׁבַק עִם מֹשֶׁה.
For Moses’ sake, and through his merit, did Jethro beget sons, whom he then brought with him to Moses, so that they might all enter together under the wings of the Shekinah. Therefore it says also in the following verse (6): “I, thy father-in-law, Jethro, am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.” And that Jethro did have sons is definitely stated: “And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law…” (Judges 1, 16), and he left his sons to be with Moses.’