שמות, פרק ד׳, פסוק כ״ו

At the climax of a terrifying nighttime encounter, Zipporah acts swiftly to save her husband—or, according to some, her son. As soon as she performs the circumcision, the severe illness or destroying angel that had attacked Moses weakens and retreats [רשב״ם, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר]. This sudden release of tension brings a moment of profound clarity for Zipporah. Initially, she may have been uncertain about the cause of the divine wrath. She might have wondered if the attack was due to a delay in circumcising their son, a hesitation in embarking on the mission to Egypt, or even the fact that Moses had married a Midianite woman. However, the immediate retreat of the danger upon cutting the foreskin proves beyond a doubt that the neglected Commandment of circumcision was the sole cause [הדר זקנים, דעת זקנים, לבוש האורה, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, she may have already known the cause but believed Moses was irreversibly condemned to death. The angel's retreat reveals that the attack was not a final punishment for past negligence, but a forceful demand to fulfill the Commandment, which itself serves as the life-saving cure [גור אריה, ריב״א, דברי דוד].

In the aftermath, Zipporah makes a cryptic declaration associating her husband with blood. Some commentators understand this association as a reference to death, meaning Moses was nearly killed over the delayed ritual and was only spared by the blood of the Commandment [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה]. Others view her words as a sigh of deep relief: her husband is not a victim of death as she had feared, but rather a spouse covered in the literal, life-saving blood of the Commandment [אבן עזרא, ביאור יש״ר]. A unique perspective suggests she specifically emphasizes his role as a husband out of a personal fear. Worried that Moses might choose to separate from her after such a terrifying encounter with God, she deliberately invokes their marriage covenant to preserve their relationship [חתם סופר]. While most assume she is addressing Moses, another approach suggests she is speaking directly to her newly circumcised son. In this view, she bestows upon him a festive, honorable title on the day of his circumcision, much like the traditional titles given to individuals during celebrations of the Torah [חזקוני, קאסוטו].

Zipporah speaks of the circumcision ritual in a plural sense, which introduces another layer to the event. The primary approach among commentators is that this points to the two essential stages of the physical ritual: the initial cutting and the subsequent folding back of the membrane. According to this view, the angel initially retreated only partially, signaling to Zipporah that the Commandment was incomplete and prompting her to quickly perform the second stage [ספורנו, רבנו בחיי, תורה תמימה, תולדות יצחק]. Another explanation suggests this plurality reflects her lingering uncertainty about exactly when the sin occurred—whether Moses was being punished for failing to perform the ritual back in Midian or for delaying it while resting at the inn [אברבנאל]. Finally, the phrasing might simply acknowledge the various customs of circumcision that were practiced in that era [שד״ל].