זוהר, בשלח ג׳Zohar, Beshalach 3

Segment 1א׳

(שמות י״ג:י״ח) וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר יַם סוּף לְתַקְּנָא אָרְחָא לְאַתְרֵיהּ. ר' יְהוּדָה אָמַר, מַאי שְׁנָא כַּד הֲווֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות ה׳:א׳) שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי, (שמות ט׳:ב׳) כִּי אִם מָאֵן אַתָּה לְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת עַמִּי, (שמות ד) בְּנִי בְכוֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא לָא הֲווֹ גְּזִירִין, וְלָא אִתְקַשָּׁרוּ בֵּיהּ כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת. וְהָכָא דַּהֲווֹ גְּזִירִין, וְעָבְדוּ פִּסְחָא, וְאִתְקַשָּׁרוּ בֵּיהּ, קָרֵי לוֹן אֶת הָעָם.

AND GOD LED THE PEOPLE ABOUT THROUGH THE WAY OF THE WILDERNESS OF THE RED SEA. This was to pave the way for the manifestation of the Divine power at the Red Sea. R. Judah asked: ‘Why was it that when the children of Israel were still in Egypt, and were not yet circumcised, nor in full communion with the Holy One, He yet spoke of them as “my people” (Ex. 5, 1), and “my firstborn Israel” (Ibid. 4, 22), whereas now that they were circumcised, and had duly sacrificed the Passover lamb, and were fully joined to the Holy One, they are referred to merely as “the people”?

Segment 2ב׳

אֶלָּא בְּגִין הַהוּא עֵרֶב רַב, דְּאִתְדְּבָקוּ בְּהוּ, וְאִתְעָרְבוּ בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, קָרֵי לוֹן אֶת הָעָם סְתָם. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמות לכ) וַיִּגּוֹף יְיָ' אֶת הָעָם עַל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶת הָעֵגֶל. וַיִּקָּהֵל הָעָם עַל אַהֲרֹן. וַיַּרְא הָעָם כִּי בֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁה. וְכֵן כֻּלְּהוּ.

The answer is that they were spoken of-not only here, but in many other places (e.g. Ex. 32, 1, 35)-as “the people” because of the “mixed multitude,’ which went out with them.’

Segment 3ג׳

ר' יִצְחָק ור' יְהוּדָה הֲווֹ אַזְלֵי מֵאוּשָׁא לְלוּד, וַהֲוָה עִמְּהוֹן יוֹסֵי טַיָּיעָא, בִּקְטִירָא דְּגַמָּלֵי עֲטוּפִירָא בְּכַתְפַיְיהוּ. עַד דַּהֲווֹ אַזְלֵי, אַשְׁכַּח הַהוּא יוֹסֵי טַיָּיעָא אִנְתּוּ חֲדָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין, דְּקָטִיר בִּירוֹקֵי חַקְלָא, אִשְׁתְּמִיט מִנַּיְיהוּ וְאַתְקִיף בָּהּ, וְאָתָא עָלָּה. תַּוְוהוּ ר' יִצְחָק ור' יְהוּדָה, אָמְרוּ נֵיתוּב מֵאָרְחָא דָּא, דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לְאַחְזָאָה לָן, דְּלָא נִתְחַבַּר בַּהֲדֵיהּ. תָּבוּ מֵאָרְחָא, בָּדְקוּ בַּתְרֵיהּ, וְאַשְׁכָּחוּ דִּבְרֵיהּ דְּבַת אֵל נִכָר הֲוָה, וַאֲבוּהָ פָּסִיל זַרְעָא הֲוָה. אָמְרוּ, בְּרִיךְ רַחֲמָנָא דְּשֵׁזִיב לָן.

R. Isaac and R. Judah were once journeying from Usha to Lud, and with them was a certain Jose driving a train of laden camels. On the way this Jose turned aside and misconducted himself with a heathen woman who was gathering herbs in a field near by. R. Isaac and R. Judah were greatly shocked, and the latter exclaimed: ‘Let us abandon this journey, since God has given us a sign that we should not associate with this wicked man or have any further intercourse with him’. So they changed their course. On making inquiries they found that his mother was a heathen woman and that his father had been born in illegitimacy, and they blessed God for saving them from him.