We pick up the story with Moses, right after he convinces Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. He steps just outside the city walls, raising his hands to Adonai (the Lord). Now, why outside the city? The text specifies that Moses didn't want to pray within the city, surrounded by all those Egyptian idols and images. Makes sense, right? A little spiritual hygiene.
And here's the kicker: as soon as Moses prayed, the hail that had been pelting Egypt just…stopped. Suspended in mid-air.
But what happened to it? Did it melt? Nope. According to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, drawing on various midrashic sources, that hail was put on hold.
Part of it, we're told, was used later when Joshua was battling the Amorites. Talk about divine intervention! Imagine being on the battlefield and suddenly…hail!
But the rest? The really interesting part? The rest of that plague-hail is being saved for a future showdown. A massive, end-of-days battle against Gog. A chilling thought, isn't it? God, in His fury, unleashing the full force of the ancient plague.
And it's not just the hail. The thunders, too, ceased at Moses' request. But they weren't destroyed either. They were stored up.
Think about that for a moment. All that raw, untamed power just… waiting.
And where did they end up? Well, according to this tradition, they were the very same thunderous noises that caused the Syrian army to flee in terror from Samaria! Can you imagine the sound? So terrifying it sent an entire army running in the twilight. Talk about repurposing!
It makes you think about divine power, doesn't it? About how things, even destructive forces like plagues, can be used and reused for different purposes, at different times. It's a reminder that nothing is ever truly wasted and that the echoes of the past can resonate powerfully in the future. What other "leftovers" might be waiting in the wings, ready to be unleashed when the time is right?