If we dont study then were only left with half the truth. Countertraditions Have an update or correction? Throughout the Pentateuch, Moses's wife is identified as Zipporah, a Midianite woman and the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian (Exodus 2:21; 3:1). Intercultural/interracial marriages can work and are Biblical: Zipporah and Moses came from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Because of this pledge, Moses had to return to Midian after he had been sent to Egypt, as it is said (Ex. "Why did you leave the man? Her father Jethro was the priest of Midian, and it was he that gave Zipporah to Moses to marry. Zipporah was one of them. He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; and gave her the assurance of an oath to take her to his wife; and that when he had once taken possession of the city, he would not break his oath to her. Who Was Zipporah and What Can We Learn from Her Life. The latter tries to help, and is punished. When the daughters of Reuel, a Midianite priest, were being harassed, Moses helped them. Zipporahs actions led to a Talmudic discussion of the ability of women to perform circumcision. 44 And the stick came down to Noah and was given to Shem and his descendants, until it came into the hand of Abraham the Hebrew. Zipporah was called a Cushite, meaning at least part if not all of her heritage was from Africa. Yael Wife of Heber The Kenite: Midrash and Aggadah, The Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women, Copyright 19982023, Jewish Women's Archive. They answer that just as a Cushite has different skin, Zipporah was different, since she was more comely than all other women. 4:20 relates that Moses took Zipporah and his two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, when he returned to Egypt, and describes an incident that occurred on their journey in the night encampment. There are many mysteries surrounding the episode at the end of this week's parsha when Miriam and Aaron say something to Moses with regards to the "Cushite" woman whom he had married. Reuel's daughter, who became the wife of Moses ( Exodus 2:21).In consequence of the event recorded in Exodus 4:24-26, she and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, when so far on the way with Moses toward Egypt, were sent back by him to her own kinsfolk, the Midianites, with whom they sojourned till Moses afterwards joined them ( 18:2-6). Zipporah is not well rewarded. Testamentum 43 (1993): 495518. Zipporah the Midianite was a descendant of Midian, Abraham's son by his third wife Keturah. 2:21), understanding the word va-yoel as a customary wording of a vow. In another midrashic account, Jethro agreed to the marriage between Moses and Zipporah on condition that their firstborn would be an idolater (see below). Who Was Zipporah and What Can We Learn from Her Life? - Bible Study Tools