עשר מכות

TEN PLAGUES

-  Adam Ohayon

 

    During the Magid part of the Pesach Seder, we read the bulk of the Haggadah including the story of the Exodus. The Magid part is divided into many portions.  It begins with the enslavement to Pharaoh, and it proceeds from there.  A certain part of the Magid is read that deals with the ten plagues that G-d with His mighty hand had brought upon the land of Egypt.  Each and every plague that HaShem brought on Egypt was done for a specific reason. HaShem always punishes with the method of “Midah Keneged Midah”; that is, he will give a punishment that has a correlation to the act that was done. For example, if someone is constantly cheating others in business, HaShem might punish him by causing his business to go bankrupt. Likewise, if someone is a good person who gives a lot of Tzedakah (charity), HaShem may reward him “Midah Keneged Midah” and cause him to win a grand lottery. The following is a list of the reasons as to why HaShem punished the Egyptians with the particular plagues given to the Egyptians.

            The Egyptians believed and worshipped the ten powers [(1) the moon, (2) Mercury, (3) Venus, (4) the Sun, (5) Mars, (6) Jupiter, (7) Saturn, (8) the Zodiac, (9) the Outer Sphere, (10) the Intellectual Sphere]. However, when Moshe told Pharaoh for the first time about HaShem he replied, “Who is your G-d that I should have to obey his voice?” (Shemot 5:2). Thus the Midrash tells us that from this passuk we can learn that Pharaoh denied HaShem’s control over these powers (spheres) and was therefore punished with the following ten plagues:

 

1.      Blood- the Egyptians believed that since the moon controls the tides of the ocean that it had power over the water. Therefore HaShem brought the plague of blood to show that there is a greater power than the moon that controls the water.

2.      Frogs- the Egyptians believed that Mercury was responsible for controlling all living things in the water. Therefore again HaShem caused frogs to come out of the water and jump into the ovens and into the Egyptians’ stomachs, to prove that there is a greater power than Mercury.

3.      Lice- Venus is supposed to manipulate all beauty in the world. HaShem thus brought lice, once of the most disgusting creatures, over Egypt to show that He is the master over all including the beauty of the world.

4.      Wild animals- they believed that the sun had a controlling power on those animals that lived in the desert where the sun shines brightly. However, HaShem proved otherwise by causing many wild animals to leave their habitats and enter Egyptians cities. Thus, HaShem once again showed that he has the power to control the instincts of all animals and where they are to live.

5.      Plague on the Animals- The Egyptians believed that Mars was responsible for blood and body warmth. The Yalkut Me’am Loez explains that during this plague all body heat was lost in the animals due to cold air therefore causing them to die. HaShem showed that he is the once who controls health and warmth.

6.      Boils- it was believed that Jupiter was responsible in the balance of human body fluids. However, the boils caused an extreme imbalance of fluids on the skin hence causing a tremendous amount of pain to the Egyptians.

7.      Hail- The Egyptians believed that there were gods that worked with Saturn that control all things that relate to ice, snow, or cold. However, when HaShem brought down a hail that contained fire from within, He proved that there were no such gods that existed.

8.      Locusts- the Zodiac was supposed to have influence on all the animals and control where they wander. However, HaShem showed that He is more powerful than the Zodiac and allowed multitudes of locusts to cross Egypt’s border and consume everything that the hail had left over.

9.      Darkness- Day and night was believed to be controlled through a power called the Outer Sphere. G-d, on the other hand, proved that it is He who controls when it is day or night. Thus He brought 7 days of darkness upon Egypt.

10.  Death of the First Born- The intellectual sphere was believed to bless all first-born children at birth giving them special advantages through a direct link with this sphere. However G-d confirmed that He is the one and only who controls life and the well-being of any first born child and thus killed all first-born Egyptian people and animals.

 

We may now conclude that through G-d’s mighty will He can change all laws of nature and prove through “Middah Keneged Middah” that He is the one and only who controls everything.

 

 

Sources:  Midrash Shemot Rabbah, Alshich, Zevach Pesach, Tzeror Hamor, Yad Yosef, Yalkut Me’am Loez