Moshe's Family Life

This page is a stub.
Please contact us if you would like to assist in its development.

Moshe and Zipporah's Marriage

The Bavli SanhedrinSanhedrin 82aAbout the Bavli recounts how when Moshe instructed the judges to execute the Israelites who had cohabited with the Midianite women and worshipped Ba'al Peor, Zimri accused Moshe of hypocrisy, as Moshe himself had married Zipporah the Midianite. The Talmud never completely rebuts Zimri's claim, and the Bavli Bava BatraBava Batra 109bAbout the Bavli even suggests that because Moshe married the daughter of an idolater he had a descendant who was an idolatrous priest.1 As a result, commentators struggle with what to make of Zipporah's Religious Identity and her marriage to Moshe. Their perspectives can be divided into two basic categories:

Did Moshe Divorce Zipporah?

Moshe's Descendants

Why Were They Not Chosen as Priests?

The Cushite Woman

See Miryam's Critique of Moshe and his Cushite Marriage.

×