English: “That he was good” — it was taught: R’ Meir said “Tov was his name”; R’ Yehudah said “Toviyah was his name”; R’ Nechemyah said he was fit for prophecy; others said he was born circumcised; and the Sages said the whole house was filled with light.
In context: See the cited source for the full section.
Type of Learning
Custom — multiple midrashic readings of tov.
What Is Learned
Chazal offer several complementary explanations of the goodness perceived at Moshe’s birth, culminating in the tradition that light filled the house.