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Shemot

Moses in Pharaoh’s Palace

Pharaoh’s daughter drew Moses from the water and raised him in her father’s palace. The Sages describe Moses’ charm and relate that his actions as a toddler were a portent of what he was destined to do to Pharaoh.

[The verse teaches concerning the maidservant of Pharaoh’s daughter:] “She brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he was a son to her” (Exodus 2:10). Pharaoh’s daughter would kiss, embrace, and treat Moses fondly as though he were her son, and she would not take him out of the king’s palace. Because he was beautiful, everyone desired to see him. Anyone who would see him would not be able to look away from him. Pharaoh would kiss him and hug him. He would take Pharaoh’s crown and place it on his own head, just as he was destined to do to him when he grew up, [as Moses would cause Pharaoh to lose his kingship]…. Thus Pharaoh’s daughter raised one who was destined to take vengeance against her father. The magicians of Egypt were sitting there, and they said: We are afraid of this one, who is taking your crown and placing it on his head, lest he be the one we are saying is destined to wrest your kingdom from you [as they had previously experienced such a vision]. Some of them said to behead Moses; some of them said to burn him. Yitro(Shemot Rabba 1)