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Why did Tziporah's daughters say an "Egyptian man" saved them when Moshe killed an Egyptian and fled Egypt? The Midrash reveals a profound principle: we owe gratitude not just for direct favors but for the entire orchestration of events Hashem (ה׳) arranges. Tziporah's recognition of this divine providence—understanding that the Egyptian Moshe killed led him to Midian—made her worthy to marry the greatest prophet.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a striking question: Why does the Torah (תורה) tell us so little about Tziporah, the wife of Moshe Rabbeinu? Unlike Sarah, Rivka, Leah, and Rochel, whose righteousness and character the Torah describes in detail, Tziporah appears with virtually no background or accomplishments mentioned. What made her worthy to marry the greatest person in history? The shiur then explores a puzzling series of teachings about hakaras hatov (gratitude) that seem difficult to understand. Next week's parsha tells us Moshe cannot strike the Nile because he benefited from the water when he was saved as a baby. He also cannot strike the earth because he used it to bury the Egyptian he killed. This teaching appears throughout the commentaries: we owe gratitude even to inanimate objects. But this makes no sense—how can we owe appreciation to water or earth, which have no feelings? The common explanation that this teaches us a kal vachomer (how much more so must we thank people) still requires the basic premise to be logical.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Parshas Shemos - Moshe at the well, Exodus 2:16-20
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