Black Tzippora, White Moshe and the Cosmic Marriage that Shaped the World

 

In Parshas Shemos, we are introduced to the wife of Moshe Rabbeinu, Tzippora. And it’s interesting, because Moshe might be the center figure of all of Jewish thought who we know a tremendous amount about, but his wife Tzippora, much less so. 

We know she grew up in Midian and her father was Yisro. We know she saved Moshe’s life when he was about to be killed for the sin of delaying the Bris Mila of his son. We know that Moshe separated from Tzippora as he rose up the level of prophecy. But that’s about it… at least on the surface. 

But the truth is, the Torah is not interested in historical facts and family trees. The union between Moshe and Tzippora was of cosmic significance, we just have to dive a little deeper to understand why.

The Maharal in his Be’er Golah 5:2 discusses why Moshe had to marry a wife from a foreign nation and not from within Klal Yisrael. He discusses that in fact, Moshe’s soul was so big, he was already considered encapsulated of all of the Jewish people. While most of us have relatively small souls and need to connect to our spouse to create a deeper bond within the nation, Moshe all already attained that level of unity with everyone in Klal Yisrael and now was able to bring that connection to a spark of holiness fallen to the nation of Midian. 

Let me share a few more primary sources that will shed light on this topic and give us more insight into just how significant the marriage of Moshe and Tzippora truly was. 

In Numbers 12:1, when Miriam criticized Moshe for separating from his wife, she refers to Tzippora as a Cushite woman. Now this is interesting, because from the original sources, she was clearly from Midian. If this were true, that she was indeed Cushite, it would mean her skin was black. Some commentaries take this allegorically, but on its surface level, what is the significance of her pigment? It’s nice and inclusive that Moshe was multi-cultural, but what deeper dimension can be understood from this?

In the Midrash Sefer Hayashar, Exodus 36, it describes Moshe’s rule over the Kingdom of Cush and his subsequent departure from their nation. He arrived in Midian and his future father in law Yisro assumed him to be a fugitive from the Cushite nation and in attempting to gain favor from that kingdom, imprisoned Moshe for 10 years in a pit without food. It was only Tzippora’s mercy then went and fed Moshe every day to sustain him and keep him alive. He ended up marrying Tzippora when freed from the pit. What a way to start off a relationship with a future father in law!

There is another fascinating Midrash, Mechilta D’Rebbi Yishmael, Amelek 3:18 that tells the condition for Moshe to marry Tzippora. Yisro made him swear that their first son together would worship idols. Seemingly, Yisro wanted to raise his grandson with religious choices and let him pick his own path in faith, just as Yisro had done. And remarkably, Moshe agreed to this! Why would Moshe marry into such a family, with such conflict and strange conditions?

According to the Gemara in Sanhedrin 82a, this marriage to Tzippora came back to bite him. Years later a tragic incident took place where Zimri, a leader of the Jewish people, sinned and took a Midianite wife, Cozbi. He defended his actions by claiming that Moshe had married a Midianite woman, why couldn’t he? In fact, the Mei Hashiloach in his commentary on Parshas Matos 6 creates this comparison and describes that just like Moshe had married his wife from a deep spiritual connection, so too did Zimri marry Cozbi. If that’s the case, why was one a sin and the other a Mitzvah?

And the story gets even more interesting and perplexing. Because in Numbers 22:2, the Torah introduces us to Balak, the evil king of Moav, He banded with the prophet Bilam to attempt to destroy the Jewish people. In describing Balak’s lineage, it says his father was Tzipor, grandson of Yisro. Tzipor, Tzippora, just a nice coincidence that his wife and the father of his arch nemesis have a similar name? Guess again! Because the Arizal in Shaar Hapesukim Balak 9 says explicitly that they were connected at their root. What is the deeper meaning of all of this?

To go even further, Rav Nosson of Breslov in his Likutei Halachos Laws of Injury 3:14 paints a very murky picture of Tzippora’s true essence. On one hand he compares her to the source of holiness, back to Chava the mother of all of humanity. On the other hand, he says she is connected to the foreign nations, harlotry and the evil side of Sitra Achra. According to Chassidus, which one was it, the highest of high or the lowest of low?

To add another layer to the story, in Amos 9:7, the Navi tells us in his prophecy of the Messianic era that all of the Jewish people are compared to the nation of Cush. The verse in Shir Hashirim 1:5 relates that Klal Yisrael are black, but still beautiful. What does all of this mean and what does it have to do with Tzippora?

I believe that the key to unraveling this mystery begins with the cryptic comment of the Zohar in Termuah 9:62. The Zohar says that sometimes people call darkness white and sometimes people call whiteness dark. It brings a source to these ideas from our Pessukim of Tzippora being from Cush and the Passuk in Amos that connect Klal Yisrael to Cush itself. Interesting, but what is the Zohar really trying to teach us?

Rav Nachman of Breslov in Likutei Moharan 192:1 elaborates this idea further where he brings the Gemara Yerushalmi Shekalim 6:1 that compares the Torah to black fire on white fire. He goes on to say that:

For that which, with respect to the higher one, is black and lowly—i.e., its lowest station—is, with respect to the lower one, beautiful and lofty.

Rav Nosson in Likutei Halachos, Tefillin 6:5 explains this idea with the paradoxical reality that the more humble one is, the more Divine light they shine. The blackening, or nullification of oneself, just like the letter Yud which is the smallest of all of the letters, allows one to connect to Infinity, Olam Haba, and true beauty in the eyes of Hashem. 

I believe this is what both the Zohar and Rav Nachman were referring to as well. The darkness of humility can be called white light shining through while the whiteness of self and ego can actually create the greatest darkness. 

And with all of this in mind, we might be able to fully understand who Tzippora was and the grand unification that took place during their marriage. 

Moshe specifically wanted to marry Tzippora because she was black, not only in the color of her skin but because of the humility she represented. Moshe came from his biological parents who were leaders of Klal Yisrael and his adopted mother was the princess of Egypt. 

Tzippora on the other hand came from the most humble beginnings. Yes, her father was an idol worshipping priest. But he gave all of that up, most probably rejected by his entire community and humbled for changing his path in faith so late in life. 

Moshe specifically had to lower himself to allow him to enter a marriage with such a holy person. He had to let his father in law dominate him, almost dying in the process. He had to acquiesce to allow his father in law to dictate the religious upbringing of his first born son to go through darkness to be able to achieve the light.  

Yes, the Jewish people are compared to Cush. Specifically aligning ourselves with the lowest of nations allows us that self nullification and humility to truly shine Hashem’s light in this world. Dark, yet beautiful at the same time. 

Tzippora needed to be compared to Chava and the Sitra Achra simultaneously because that was her true essence. Life was not handed to her on a silver platter. And it was this very quality that she realized that would bring Moshe to his final Tikkun and allow him to be the conduit to receive the Torah for the Jewish people at Har Sinai. 

This darkness misaligned led to Balak and the root of evil. But when channeled and brought to the side of holiness, the Tzippor became a Tzippora that was able to spread her wings and fly.

And this was Zimri’s mistake. He might have had noble intentions but he was not on the level of Moshe Rabbeinu to enter the world of Midian and raise up those sparks. His intent and the mindset of Cozbi were tainted by ego, power and physicality. For Moshe’s elevated level, it could be a Mitzvah, but for Zimri, it was a great sin. 

When Moshe needed to be on call constantly for prophecy, he separated from his wife Tzippora. But this wasn’t a tragic breakup. The whole reason that Tzippora married Moshe was to partner with him to bring him, the Torah and the Jewish people to an exalted level. And once that goal was reached, mission accomplished. She lived the rest of her life knowing that she set up the paradigm for the end of time where the Jewish people will once again be redeemed in their lowliness, dark, but beautiful! L’Chaim.

The full source sheet to this piece can be found here:

https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/699675.39