אלה ראשי בית אבתם. מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁהֻזְקַק לְיַחֵס שִׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל לֵוִי עַד מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן בִּשְׁבִיל מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן, הִתְחִיל לְיַחֲסָם דֶּרֶךְ תּוֹלְדוֹתָם מֵרְאוּבֵן. וּבְפְסִיקְתָּא רַבָּתִי רָאִיתִי, לְפִי שֶׁקִּנְטְרָם יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ לִשְׁלוֹשָׁה שְׁבָטִים הַלָּלוּ בִּשְׁעַת מוֹתוֹ, חָזַר הַכָּתוּב וְיִחֲסָם כָּאן לְבַדָּם, לוֹמַר שֶׁחֲשׁוּבִים הֵם: אלה ראשי בית אבתם THESE ARE THE HEADS OF THEIR FATHERS’ HOUSES — Since it (Scripture) finds itself compelled to give the genealogy of the tribe of Levi as far as Moses and Aaron because of Moses and Aaron, it begins to give the genealogy of the tribes in the order of their birth commencing from Reuben. And in Pesikta Rabbati 7 (on Numbers 7:12) I have seen the statement, that because their father Jacob reproached these three tribes in the hour of his death Scripture again enumerates here their genealogy alone of all the tribes to indicate that they nevertheless were men of worth.
ושני חיי לוי וגו'. לָמָּה נִמְנוּ שְׁנוֹתָיו שֶׁל לֵוִי? לְהוֹדִיעַ כַּמָּה יְמֵי הַשִּׁעְבּוּד; שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁאֶחָד מִן הַשְּׁבָטִים קַיָּם לֹא הָיָה שִׁעְבּוּד (שמות רבה א'), שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וַיָּמָת יוֹסֵף וְכָל אֶחָיו" (שמות א), וְאַחַר כָּךְ "וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ", וְלֵוִי הֶאֱרִיךְ יָמִים עַל כֻּלָּם: ושני חיי לוי וגו׳ AND THE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF LEVI WERE etc. — Why is the number of the years of Levi mentioned? In order to tell us how long the period of slavery lasted — because so long as even one of the sons of Jacob (lit. the tribes) remained alive there was no slavery imposed upon the Israelites, as it is said, (Exodus 1:6) “And Joseph died and all his brethren”, and afterwards it is stated (Exodus 1:8), “Now there arose a king” (who enslaved them); and Levi lived the longest of all of them (Seder Olam 3).
ושני חיי קהת, ושני חיי עמרם וגו'. מֵחֶשְׁבּוֹן זֶה אָנוּ לְמֵדִים עַל מוֹשַׁב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (בראשית ט״ו:י״ג), שֶׁלֹּא בְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְבַדָּהּ הָיוּ, אֶלָּא מִיּוֹם שֶׁנּוֹלַד יִצְחָק; שֶׁהֲרֵי קְהָת מִיּוֹרְדֵי מִצְרַיִם הָיָה, חֲשֹׁב כָּל שְׁנוֹתָיו וּשְׁנוֹת עַמְרָם וּשְׁמוֹנִים שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה, לֹא תִמְצָאֵם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, וְהַרְבֵּה שָׁנִים נִבְלָעִים לַבָּנִים בִּשְׁנֵי הָאָבוֹת: ושני חיי קהת … ושני חיי עמרם וגו׳ AND THE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF KOHATH WERE etc. … AND THE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF AMRAM WERE etc. — From these numbers we may gather regarding the period of residence of the children of Israel, — viz., four hundred years, of which Scripture speaks, that these four hundred years were not passed in Egypt alone, but that they date from the day of Isaac’s birth. You know that Kohath was one of those who went down to Egypt; now reckon all his years (133) although really we should not take into account the years he lived before he went down to Egypt, and the years of Amram, his son (137), and the eighty years of Moses, the latter’s son, which he had attained when the Israelites left Egypt, and you will not find them totaling to four hundred, and in this calculation many years of the sons’ ages are included in those of their fathers (i. e. in such a calculation one must deduct in each instance the father’s age when his son was born since this number is included in the total age of each of these persons) (cf. Rashi on Exodus 12:40)
יוכבד דודתו. אַחַת אֲבוּהִי, בַּת לֵוִי אֲחוֹת קְהָת: יוכבד דדתו JOCHEBED HIS AUNT — The Targum has: his father’s sister; she was daughter of Levi (cf. Exodus 2:1) and sister of Kohath.
אחות נחשון. מִכָּאן לָמְדוּ, הַנּוֹשֵׂא אִשָּׁה צָרִיךְ לִבְדֹק בְאַחֶיהָ (בבא בתרא ק"י): אחות נחשון THE SISTER OF NAASHON — Hence they (the Rabbis) learned (i.e. from the fact that Scripture states who her brother was when it mentions her marriage to Aaron) that he who is about to take a wife should strictly investigate who her brothers are (Bava Batra 110a).
מבנות פוטיאל. מִזֶּרַע יִתְרוֹ שֶׁפִּטֵּם עֲגָלִים לַעֲ"זָ, וּמִזֶּרַע יוֹסֵף שֶׁפִּטְפֵּט בְּיִצְרוֹ (סוטה מ"ג): מבנות פוטיאל ONE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF PUTIEL — of the family of Jethro (cf. Rashi on Exodus 4:18) who used to fatten (פטם) calves for idolatrous sacrifice, and of the family of Joseph who overcame (פטפט, who talked or argued with) his passion (Sotah 43a; Bava Batra 109b).
הוא אהרן ומשה. אֵלּוּ שֶׁהֻזְכְּרוּ לְמַעְלָה, שֶׁיָּלְדָה יוֹכֶבֶד לְעַמְרָם. הוא אהרן ומשה. יֵשׁ מְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁמַּקְדִּים אַהֲרֹן לְמֹשֶׁה וְיֵשׁ מְקוֹמוֹת שֶׁמַּקְדִּים מֹשֶׁה לְאַהֲרֹן, לוֹמַר לְךָ שֶׁשְּׁקוּלִין כְּאֶחָד: הוא אהרן ומשה THESE ARE THAT AARON AND MOSES who are mentioned above where it states (v. 20) that Jochebed bore them to Amram. הוא אהרן ומשה There are some passages where Scripture mentions Aaron before Moses (as here) and other passages where it mentions Moses before Aaron; this is done in order to indicate that they were equal in all respects (more lit., that they weighed alike) (Mekhilta).
על צבאתם. בְּצִבְאוֹתָם, כָּל צְבָאָם לְשִׁבְטֵיהֶם; יֵשׁ עַל שֶׁאֵינוֹ אֶלָּא בִמְקוֹם אוֹת אַחַת, "וְעַל חַרְבְּךָ תִחְיֶה" (בראשית כ"ז), כְּמוֹ בְּחַרְבְּךָ, "עֲמַדְתֶּם עַל חַרְבְּכֶם" (יחזקאל ל"ג) – בְּחַרְבְּכֶם: על צבאתם — This is the same as בצבאותם with their hosts — all their hosts according to their tribes. Sometimes the word על is merely used in place of a single letter (ב as a prefix); e. g., (Genesis 27:40) “על חרבך shalt thou live” which is the same as בחרבך, by thy sword; (Ezekiel 33:26) “Ye stand על חרבכם” which is the same as בחרבכם, by your sword.
הם המדברים וגו'. הֵם שֶׁנִּצְטַוּוּ, הֵם שֶׁקִּיְּמוּ: הם המדברים וגו׳ THESE ARE THEY WHO SPAKE TO PHARAOH — It was they who received the command to speak to Pharaoh (cf. v. 26), and it was they who carried it out by actually speaking to him (cf. e.g. Exodus 7:7).
הוא משה ואהרן. הֵם בִּשְׁלִיחוּתָם וּבְצִדְקָתָם מִתְּחִלָּה וְעַד סוֹף (מגילה י"א): הוא משה ואהרן THESE ARE MOSES AND AARON — they remained always the same in carrying out their mission and in their integrity from beginning to end (cf. Megillah 11a).
ויהי ביום דבר וגו'. מְחֻבָּר לַמִּקְרָא שֶׁלְּאַחֲרָיו: And it came to pass on the day that the Lord spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt: [This is connected with the following verse]
וידבר ה'. הוּא הַדִּבּוּר עַצְמוֹ הָאָמוּר לְמַעְלָה בא דבר אל פרעה מלך מצרים, אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁהִפְסִיק הָעִנְיָן כְּדֵי לְיַחֲסָם, חָזַר עָלָיו לְהַתְחִיל בּוֹ: וידבר ה׳ AND THE LORD SPAKE — This is the self-same command which was mentioned before, viz., (v. 11) “Go in, speak unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt”, but because it (Scripture) broke off the narrative in order to record their genealogy it now reverts to it and begins it anew.
אני ה'. כְּדַאי אֲנִי לְשָׁלְחֲךָ וּלְקַיֵּם דִּבְרֵי שְׁלִיחוּתִי: אני ה׳ I AM THE LORD — I am powerful enough to send you and to carry out the matter on which I have sent you.