The Ten Plagues as Measure for Measure Against Egypt

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 182:3

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

(Exodus 7:15-25) "Behold, he goes out to the water." The Pharaoh of Moses' day was a magician, as it is said, "Behold, he goes out to the water." The ten plagues: detzakh, adash, be'achav. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: With the very thing in which he exalted himself, saying, "The Nile is mine" (Ezekiel 29:3), with it I will begin the punishment, as it is written, "and seven days were completed after the LORD struck the Nile." After blood, frogs. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let a thing whose growth and sustenance is in the water come and exact punishment from Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation destined to receive the Torah, which is compared to water, as it is said, "Ho, all who are thirsty, go to the water" (Isaiah 55:1). After this, lice. He said: Let a thing created from dust come and punish Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation compared to dust, as it is said, "and I will make your seed as the dust of the earth." After this, the mixture of beasts: let lions, serpents, and bears come and punish Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation compared to wild beasts, "Judah is a lion's whelp," "Dan is a lion's whelp," "Dan shall be a serpent," "Benjamin is a wolf." After this, pestilence: let a deadly pestilence come and punish Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation that gives itself over to death for the unity of His Name, "for Your sake we are slain all the day" (Psalms 44:23). After this, boils, "handfuls of soot from the furnace" (Exodus 9:8): let what rises from the furnace punish Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation that gave itself to death, Abraham in the furnace of the Chaldeans, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the fiery furnace. After this, hail, white as snow: let hail punish Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation whose sins I will whiten, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow." After this, locusts, called "My great army": let the locust punish Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation called armies, "and I will bring out My hosts" (Exodus 7:4). After this, darkness, set apart from light: let darkness punish Egypt, who sought to destroy a nation set apart from the nations. After this, the plague of the firstborn: I pass through Egypt at midnight and exact punishment from Egypt, who sought to destroy the sons of Abraham My beloved, who divided the night to destroy My enemies, "and the night was divided against them." The Holy One, blessed be He, brought the plagues upon them by the strategy of kings. When a province rebels against a king of flesh and blood, what does he do? He sends legions to surround it. First he dams their water channel; if they return, well and good, and if not he sounds horns against them; if not, he shoots arrows; if not, he hurls naphtha; if not, he flings catapult stones; if not, he sets many legions against them; if not, he binds them in prison; if not, he kills their leaders. So the Holy One, blessed be He, came upon Egypt by the strategy of kings: first He dammed their water, "and He turned their rivers to blood" (Psalms 78:44); they did not turn back, so He brought against them noise-makers, these are the frogs; He brought arrows, these are the lice, which pierced the bodies of the Egyptians like arrows; He flung catapult stones, this is the hail; He set many hosts against them, this is the locust; He bound them in prison, this is the darkness; they did not turn back, so He killed all their great ones, "and the LORD struck every firstborn" (Exodus 12:29). According to what the Egyptians plotted against Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon them. They thought Israel would draw their water; therefore "He turned their rivers to blood." They thought Israel would carry their wares; frogs ruled over them. They thought Israel would labor in the soil; the earth swarmed with lice. They thought Israel would carry their children like a tutor; He sent lions and wolves and bears. They thought Israel would shepherd their cattle; He sent pestilence. They thought Israel would serve as bath-attendants; He brought boils. They thought to stone them with stones; He brought hail. They thought Israel would tend their vineyards; He brought locusts that ate their trees. They thought to bind them in prison; He brought darkness, "they did not see one another" (Exodus 10:23). They thought to slay them; He slew their firstborn. They thought to drown them in water; He drowned them in water, "and He shook off Pharaoh and his host" (Psalms 136:15). And every plague that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians, He is destined to bring upon Edom, as it is said, "as at the report of Egypt, so shall they be in pain at the report of Tyre." Rabbi Elazar said: every place where "Tzor" is written full it speaks of the city Tyre, and every place where it is written defective it speaks of the kingdom of Edom, which oppresses Israel. Why was the plague of blood brought first? Because Pharaoh and the Egyptians worshipped the Nile. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go and strike their god before them, and afterward himself. As the common proverb says: Strike the gods and the priests will be ashamed. And "the LORD said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning": this is what Scripture says, "Set, O LORD, a master over them" (Psalms 9:21). Because they make themselves masters, make known to them that You are Lord over all. Moses seized him. He said: Let me relieve myself, and afterward I will speak with you. Moses said: Is there a god who relieves himself? Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Rise up early in the morning" and meet Pharaoh at the water.

Themes

PlaguesEgyptDivine Justice

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