We often focus on the what – the frogs, the locusts, the darkness – but sometimes miss the deeper meaning. to one of the more… amphibious plagues and see what the ancient rabbis had to say.
We’re looking at Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text – midrash being a way of interpreting and expanding on the Bible. Here, in Shemot Rabbah 10, the rabbis are unpacking the verse "Behold, I will smite [nogef]". Now, nogef can mean "to hurt" or "to push," but the Holy One, blessed be He, is saying, in essence, “Get ready, because I’m unleashing all the plagues!” As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi points out, every plague was accompanied by pestilence, a magefa, as it says, "Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon your cattle." (Exodus 9:3).
But let's talk about the frogs. “[I will smite] all your borders with frogs.” What’s so significant about the borders? Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, suggest something fascinating: the plagues actually brought peace! There was a border dispute between the Egyptians and the Kushites. But where the frogs went, that defined the border. "Your borders," the text says, "but not those of others." In other words, the plague acted as a divine surveyor.
Now, the verse in (Exodus 7:28) gets pretty vivid: “The Nile will swarm with frogs that will ascend and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and onto your bed, and into the house of your servants, and upon your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.” Frogs everywhere!
Rabbi Yehuda bar Shalom adds an interesting layer. He says, "The most outstanding among them will be in your house." Why "ascend" [ve’alu]? Normally, when a king visits, dignitaries get residences based on their status. But Pharaoh lives in a palace, presumably not on a hill. So, the "ascending" refers to the most prominent frogs – they were heading straight for Pharaoh's place!
But the image of frogs in ovens and kneading bowls… that’s particularly striking. Imagine an Egyptian woman trying to bake. The frogs would jump into the dough, eat it, then hop into the oven, cooling it down, and sticking to the bread. Talk about a kitchen nightmare!
And here's a beautiful connection: Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as they're known in English – who famously refused to bow down to idols and were thrown into a fiery furnace (Daniel, chap. 3). The text says they drew strength from the frogs and descended into the furnace. If frogs could endure the heat of an oven, they reasoned, they could endure the furnace for their faith. What a powerful a fortiori argument!
Finally, the text brings us back to Pharaoh’s arrogance. He declared, "My river is mine!" (Ezekiel 29:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, responds: I’ll show you who controls the Nile. I decreed that the water should swarm at creation (Genesis 1:20), and it obeyed. Now, the Nile will obey My decree and produce frogs.
So, what does this all mean? The story of the frogs isn't just a bizarre plague. It's a lesson in divine power, humility, and even unexpected peace. It shows how God can use the most unlikely creatures to assert control, challenge arrogance, and even inspire faith. Next time you think about the plagues, remember the frogs – and the deeper story they tell.
What is “behold, I will smite [nogef]”? The Holy One blessed be He said: Behold, I am forcing all the plagues upon you, as it is written: “If the ox of one man hurts [yigof]3The term nogef, translated generally “hurts,” means more specifically pushing or shoving. [another’s]” (Exodus 21:35). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Each and every plague that would come upon the Egyptians in Egypt, pestilence would accompany it, as it is stated: “Behold, I will smite.” Behold, this is the pestilence, as it is stated: “Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon your cattle” (Exodus 9:3).4According to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi nogef is in the sense of magefa, meaning plague. “[I will smite] all your borders with frogs.” Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: The plagues that the Holy One blessed be He brought upon the Egyptians caused them to make peace between them. How so? There was a dispute between the Kushites and the Egyptians. The Egyptians claimed: Our borders are until here, and the Kushites claimed: Our borders are until here. Once the frogs came they made peace between them. The border within which the frogs would enter, it was known that the field was not his,5It did not belong to the Kushites. as it is stated: “All your borders”; “your borders,” but not those of others. “The Nile will swarm with frogs that will ascend and come into your house, and into your bedchamber, and onto your bed, and into the house of your servants, and upon your people, and into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls” (Exodus 7:28). “Will ascend and come into your house” – Rabbi Yehuda bar Shalom said: The most outstanding among them will be in your house. The way of the world is that when a king of flesh and blood enters a city, each one6Each member of the king’s party is given a residence according his status, with the higher-ranking officials residing in a more elevated residence. is given a residence in accordance with his status. However, the king resides in his palace on a flat area. If so, why is it stated: “Will ascend [ve’alu] and come into your house”?7Presumably Pharaoh’s residence was not on the top of a hill, which would have made it difficult to enter. Consequently, the term “ascend” seems out of place. It is because the most outstanding [hame’ulot] among them will be in Pharaoh’s house. “And into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls” – when an Egyptian woman would knead dough and ignite the oven, the frogs would come, descend into the dough, eat the dough, descend into the oven, cool it, and adhere to the bread, as it is stated: “And into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.” When is the time for the dough to be stuck to the oven [to bake]? When it is ignited. Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya drew an a fortiori inference for themselves from the frogs and descended into the fiery furnace.8Rather than worship idols; see Daniel, chap. 3. What is “The Nile will swarm with frogs”? The Holy One blessed be He said to him [Pharaoh]: ‘You said: “My river is mine” (Ezekiel 29:3). I will show you whether it is mine or yours, as its plague will come from Me upon it, and when I decree it will produce frogs. Just as I have decreed regarding the water: At the outset, I said: “Let the water swarm” (Genesis 1:20), and it performed My command; so, too, the Nile will perform My decree.’
