Study Bava Batra folio 120A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
אפשר בת מאה ושלשים שנה, וקרא לה: ״בת״?! דאמר רבי חמא בר חנינא: זו יוכבד; שהורתה בדרך, ונולדה בין החומות – דכתיב: ״אשר ילדה אתה ללוי במצרים״ –
The Talmud asks: Is it possible that this is Jochebed? Jochebed was then 130 years old and the verse called her a daughter, indicating one who is very young. Jochebed’s age is established based on a tradition concerning the number of Jacob’s descendants who came to Egypt, as follows: While the verse states that Leah had 33 descendants (Genesis 46:15), only 32 were enumerated. This was explained as R' Ḥama bar Ḥanina says: This “daughter of Levi” is Jochebed, whose conception occurred on the journey as the family of Jacob descended to Egypt, and she was born within the walls, i.e., having entered Egypt, as it is written: “And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt” (Numbers 26:59).
לידתה במצרים, והורתה שלא במצרים. ואמאי קרו לה ״בת״? אמר רב יהודה בר זבידא: מלמד שנולדו בה סימני נערות, נתעדן הבשר, נתפשטו הקמטין, וחזר היופי למקומו.
One can infer from the verse: Her birth was in Egypt, but her conception was not in Egypt. Since the Jewish people were in Egypt for 210 years and Moses was 80 years old at the time of the Exodus, Jochebed must have been 130 years old when Moses was born. The Talmud therefore asks: And why does the verse call her “a daughter”? Rav Yehuda bar Zevida says: This teaches that her signs of youth miraculously came into being again. The flesh became smooth, the wrinkles were straightened out, and the youthful beauty returned to its place.
״ויקח״?! ״ויחזור״ מיבעי ליה! אמר רב יהודה בר זבידא: מלמד שעשה לה מעשה לקוחין – הושיבה באפריון, ואהרן ומרים משוררים לפניה, ומלאכי שרת אומרים: ״אם הבנים שמחה״.
The verse concerning Amram’s marriage to Jochebed states: “And a man of the house of Levi went, and took as a wife a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1). The Talmud asks: Since Jochebed had already been married to Amram for some years, as Miriam and Aaron were already born, the verse should have stated: And he took back as a wife. Rav Yehuda bar Zevida says: The wording of the verse teaches that Amram performed for her a formal act of marriage as though he were marrying her for the first time. He seated her in a bridal palanquin [be’appiryon], and Aaron and Miriam were singing before her, and the ministering angels were saying: “A joyful mother of children” (Psalms 113:9).