R. Judah the Levite said: The tribe of Levi was exempt from the public service.²⁷. Pharaoh said to them: Because you are exempt, you come and say (in Exod. 5:3): LET US GO…, AND LET US SACRIFICE.²⁸., Exod. 2:6; Exod. R. 5:16. He said to them (in vs. 4): WHY DO YOU, MOSES AND AARON, DISTRACT THE PEOPLE FROM THEIR TASKS? What is the meaning of WHY (LMH)? You are nothing (LMH),²⁹, voweled as lamah means “nothing.” It comes from the Aramaic, la’ ma, which literally means “no what,” i.e., “no thing.” and your words are nothing (LMH). (Ibid., cont.:) GO TO YOUR BURDENS.

footnotes: ²⁷ Gk.: leitourgia ²⁸ Tanh ²⁹ LMH

(Exod. 5:9:) LET HEAVIER WORK BE LAID UPON THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY WORK AT IT AND NOT PAY ATTENTION TO LYING WORDS. What is the meaning of NOT PAY ATTENTION (rt.: Sh'H)?³⁰., Exod. 2:6. Similarly Exod. R. 5:18. See also M. Pss. (Buber) 119:38. That they had scrolls with which they entertained themselves (rt.: Sh'Sh') from Sabbath to Sabbath by saying: The Holy One is redeeming us. Pharaoh said to them (ibid.): AND NOT PAY ATTENTION (rt.: Sh'H) TO LYING WORDS, nor rely (rt.: Sh'N) on them, nor entertain themselves (rt.: Sh'Sh') with them, nor be idle. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 5:6): ON THAT SAME DAY PHARAOH COMMANDED THE TASKMASTERS OVER THE PEOPLE AND THEIR OFFICERS, SAYING. He said to them (in vs. 7): YOU SHALL NO LONGER GIVE THE PEOPLE STRAW…. The Holy One said: Tomorrow I am bringing plagues upon them.³¹ They said: Pharaoh is sinning, and we are paying. When Israel goes out to bring stubble for them to make straw, the Egyptian smites them, when he sees them in the midst of his field. Therefore (in Exod. 5:12): THEN THE PEOPLE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT TO GATHER STUBBLE FOR STRAW . (Exod. 5:15) THEN THE OFFICERS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CAME AND {SAID} [CRIED] UNTO PHARAOH, SAYING: WHY HAVE YOU ACTED IN THIS WAY TOWARD YOUR SERVANTS? What did he reply to them (in vs. 17)? YOU ARE LAZY, LAZY!

footnotes: ³⁰ This sentence is taken from the parallel account in Tanh ³¹ Exod. R. 5:19.

(Exod. 5:20): NOW THEY MET MOSES AND AARON STANDING IN THEIR PATH. These officers were Dathan and Abiram, of whom it is written (in Numb. 16:27): THEY CAME OUT STANDING.³² (Exod. 5:21): AND THEY SAID UNTO THEM: MAY THE LORD LOOK UPON YOU AND JUDGE. R. Judah b. R. Shallum the Levite said: Israel said to him: To what were we comparable?³³ To a certain lamb when the wolf came and took it from the flock. When the shepherd went after it, what did the wolf do? He sought to tear the lamb to pieces. Because of the shepherd (rt.: R'H) the lamb came into danger.³⁴., Exod. 2:6: “The wolf came to take it from the flock. The shepherd ran after it to rescue it from the wolf. Between the shepherd and the wolf the lamb was torn open.” Similarly Moses said to the Holy One: Between Pharaoh and you we are dying, as stated (in Exod. 5:21, cont.): BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE OUR ODOR ABHORRENT IN THE EYES OF PHARAOH ….

footnotes: ³² Exod. R. 5:20. ³³ Exod. R. 5:21. ³⁴ Cf. the parallel in Tanh

(Exod. 5:22–6:1): THEN MOSES RETURNED UNTO THE LORD AND SAID: MY LORD, WHY DID YOU BRING HARM (as if from R'H)³⁵ is R“. UPON THIS PEOPLE?…. FOR EVER SINCE I CAME UNTO PHARAOH TO SPEAK IN YOUR NAME, HE HAS MISTREATED THIS PEOPLE…. THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: NOW YOU SHALL SEE WHAT I WILL DO TO PHARAOH…. You shall see only what I do to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but what I do to the thirty-one kings you shall not see.³⁶ At that time the Holy One sought to sit in judgment over him. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Exod. 6:2): SO GOD (Elohim) SPOKE UNTO MOSES. GOD (Elohim) must imply a judge.³⁷ 12:23. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 22:27 [28]): YOU SHALL NOT REVILE A GOD (Elohim) NOR A RULER OF YOUR PEOPLE . ³⁸ A defense lawyer³⁹. came along and pleaded in his favor, as stated (in Exod. 6:2, cont.): AND HE SAID UNTO HIM: I AM THE LORD. Now THE LORD⁴⁰ must imply mercy. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 34:6): THE LORD: THE LORD IS A MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS GOD (El)….

footnotes: ³⁵ The actual root of HR’TH ³⁶ Exod. R. 5:23 explains that, since these were the kings on whom Joshua would exact vengeance, Exod. 6:1 suggests that Moses was not to enter the promised land. ³⁷ See Exod. R. 6:1; PRK ³⁸ On this translation of the verse, see above, 2:1, and the note there. ³⁹ Gk.: synegoria ⁴⁰ Here and elsewhere this translation follows the common practice of using THE LORD to render the Divine Name.