שמות רבה ה׳Shemot Rabbah 5

Section 1א׳

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַהֲרֹן לֵךְ לִקְרַאת משֶׁה הַמִּדְבָּרָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (שיר השירים ח, א): מִי יִתֶּנְךָ כְּאָח לִי, בְּאֵיזֶה אָח הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, אִם תֹּאמַר בְּקַיִן, וְהָא כְתִיב (בראשית ד, ח): וַיָּקָם קַיִן אֶל הֶבֶל אָחִיו וַיַּהַרְגֵּהוּ. אִם תֹּאמַר כְּיִשְׁמָעֵאל לְיִצְחָק, הָא גַרְסִינָן יִשְׁמָעֵאל שׂוֹנֵא לְיִצְחָק. אִם תֹּאמַר כְּעֵשָׂו לְיַעֲקֹב, הָא כְתִיב (בראשית כז, מא): וַיִּשְׂטֹם עֵשָׂו אֶת יַעֲקֹב. אִם תֹּאמַר כַּאֲחֵי יוֹסֵף, וְהָכְתִיב (בראשית לז, ד): וַיִּשְׂנְאוּ אֹתוֹ, וּכְתִיב (בראשית כז, יא): וַיְקַנְאוּ בוֹ אֶחָיו. אֶלָּא כְּיוֹסֵף לְבִנְיָמִן, (שיר השירים ח, א): יוֹנֵק שְׁדֵי אִמִּי, כְּמשֶׁה לְאַהֲרֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּ בְּהַר הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּשַּׁק לוֹ, אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, כָּל נְשִׁיקוֹת שֶׁל תִּפְלוּת הֵן, חוּץ מִשָּׁלשׁ, נְשִׁיקָה שֶׁל גְּדֻלָּה, נְשִׁיקָה שֶׁל פְּרִישׁוּת, נְשִׁיקָה שֶׁל פְּרָקִים. נְשִׁיקָה שֶׁל גְּדֻלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א י, א): וַיִּקַּח שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת פַּךְ הַשֶּׁמֶן וַיִּצֹּק עַל רֹאשׁוֹ וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ. נְשִׁיקָה שֶׁל פְּרִישׁוּת (רות א, יד): וַתִּשַּׁק עָרְפָּה לַחֲמוֹתָהּ. נְשִׁיקָה שֶׁל פְּרָקִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּפְגְּשֵׁהוּ בְּהַר הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּשַּׁק לוֹ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים אַף נְשִׁיקָה שֶׁל קְרֵיבוּת אֵין בָּהּ גְּנַאי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כט, יא): וַיִּשַּׁק יַעֲקֹב לְרָחֵל, שֶׁהָיְתָה קְרוֹבָתוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי פִּנְחָס מַעֲשֶׂה הָיָה בְּאָח וּבְאָחוֹת שֶׁהָיָה אֶחָד מֵהֶם בְּגוּשׁ חָלָב וְאֶחָד מֵהֶן בְּבֵית מָרוֹן, נָפְלָה דְּלֵקָה בְּבֵיתוֹ שֶׁל גּוּשׁ חָלָב, בָּאתָה אֲחוֹתוֹ מִבֵּית מָרוֹן וְנָפְלָה עָלָיו וְהָיְתָה מְחַבַּקְתּוֹ וּמְנַשַּׁקְתּוֹ, אָמְרָה לוֹ אֵינִי מֻרְגֶּלֶת לָבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ, אֶלָּא פָּחַדְתִּי דַּהֲוֵית אָחִי בַּאֲנָנְקֵי וּפָלַטְתָּ מִמֶּנָּהּ, (שיר השירים ח, א): אֶמְצָאֲךָ בַּחוּץ אֶשָׁקְךָ, בְּאֵיזֶה חוּץ, בַּמִּדְבָּר, מָקוֹם שֶׁנָּשְׁקוּ אַחִים זֶה לָזֶה, משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן.

“The Lord said to Aaron: Go toward Moses to the wilderness. He went, and he met him at the mountain of God and he kissed him” (Exodus 4:27). “The Lord said to Aaron: Go toward Moses to the wilderness” – that is what is written: “If only you were as my brother [who nursed from the breasts of my mother; I would find you outside, I would kiss you]” (Song of Songs 8:1). Regarding which brother is the verse speaking? If you say it is regarding Cain, but is it not written: “Cain rose against his brother Abel and killed him”? If you say it is like Ishmael to Isaac, did we not learn: Ishmael hates Isaac? If you say it is like Esau to Jacob, is it not written: “Esau hated Jacob” (Genesis 27:41)? If you say it is like Joseph’s brothers, but is it not written: “They hated him” (Genesis 37:4), and it is written: “His brothers envied him” (Genesis 37:11). Rather, it is like Joseph to Benjamin, “who nursed from the breasts of my mother” (Song of Songs 8:1), [and] like Moses to Aaron, as it is stated: “He went, and he met him at the mountain of God and he kissed him.” Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: All kisses are indecent except for three: The kiss of greatness, the kiss of separation, and the kiss of reunion. The kiss of greatness, as it is stated: “Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him” (I Samuel 10:1); the kiss of separation: “Orpa kissed her mother-in-law” (Ruth 1:14); the kiss of reunion, as it is stated: “He went, and he met him at the mountain of God and he kissed him.” Some say: Even a kiss of closeness is not disgraceful, as it is stated: “Jacob kissed Rachel” (Genesis 29:11), who was his relative. Rabbi Pinḥas said: There was an incident involving a brother and a sister, one of whom was in Gush Ḥalav and one of whom was in Beit Maron. The house in Gush Ḥalav caught fire. His sister came from Beit Maron and fell upon him and was hugging him and kissing him. She said: ‘I am not accustomed to come to you [and to kiss you], but I was afraid, as you are my brother and were in distress, and you emerged from it.’ “I would find you outside, I would kiss you” (Song of Songs 8:1) – where outside? It is in the wilderness, where the brothers, Moses and Aaron, kissed each other.

Section 2ב׳

אָמַר רַבִּי חָמָא בֶּן שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה נִתְלַשׁ משֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ מִבֵּית אָבִיו, לָמָּה כֵן, שֶׁאִלּוּ גָּדַל בְּבֵית אָבִיו וּבָא וְאָמַר לָהֶן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הַמַּעֲשִׂים לֹא הָיוּ מַאֲמִינִים בּוֹ, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים אָבִיו מְסָרָהּ לוֹ, לְפִי שֶׁיּוֹסֵף מְסָרָהּ לְלֵוִי וְלֵוִי לִקְהָת וּקְהָת לְעַמְרָם. וּלְכָךְ נִתְלַשׁ מִבֵּית אָבִיו, וּכְשֶׁהָלַךְ וְהִגִּיד לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל הַדְּבָרִים, לְפִיכָךְ הֶאֱמִינוּ בּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ד, לא): וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם.

Rabbi Ḥama said: At twelve years old, Moses our master was torn from his father’s house. Why was it so? It is because had he grown in his father’s home, and come and related these signs to Israel, they would not have believed him. They would have said: Your father passed it to you; as Joseph passed it to Levi, and Levi to Kehat, and Kehat to Amram. That is why he was torn from his father’s home. Therefore, when he went and told Israel all these matters, they believed him, as it is stated: “The people believed” (Exodus 4:31).

Section 3ג׳

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֵלְכָה נָא וְאָשׁוּבָה, אַתָּה מוֹצֵא כָּל מִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם, הָלַךְ וְחָזַר. וְכָל מִי שֶׁכָּתוּב בּוֹ בְּשָׁלוֹם, הָלַךְ וְלֹא חָזַר. יִתְרוֹ אָמַר לְמשֶׁה: לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם, הָלַךְ וְחָזַר.

“Moses went and returned to Yeter his father-in-law, and he said to him: Please, let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt and see if they are still alive. Yitro said to Moses: Go in peace [lekh leshalom]” (Exodus 4:18). “He said to him: Please, let me go and return.” You find that everyone in whose regard “go in peace [leshalom]” is stated, he went and returned, and everyone in whose regard beshalom is written, he went and did not return. Yitro said to Moses: “Go in peace [leshalom],” and he went and returned.