Midrash sobre Exodo 10:21

And the Lord said unto Moses: “stretch out thy hand toward the heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt” (Exod. 10:21). Scripture states (elsewhere in reference to this verse): He sent darkness, and it was dark; and they rebelled not against His word (Ps. 105:28). The darkness that the Holy One, blessed be He, spread over Egypt was exceedingly thick. Why? Because they would not submit to the authority of the word of the Holy One, blessed be He¹Word-play on rebelled not (maru), connecting marut (“rebel”) from marut (“authority”). See Exodus Rabbah 4:1. The Holy One, blessed be He, told Egypt’s guardian angels: They deserve to be smitten with darkness, and they all agreed at once, for they rebelled not against His word (ibid.). He sent darkness, and it was dark (ibid. 105:28). This implies that the darkness had a substance of its own. To what may this be compared? It may be compared to a king whose slave has rebelled against him. He told one of his aides: “Go give him fifty lashes.” When that person whipped the slave, however, he administered a hundred lashes, adding fifty of his own accord. Similarly, when the Holy One, blessed be He, may His name be blessed, sent the darkness upon Egypt, the darkness added something of its own. Hence, He sent darkness, and it was dark (ibid.).

(Exod. 10:21:) THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND TOWARD THE HEAVENS <THAT THERE MAY BE DARKNESS OVER THE LAND OF EGYPT>….¹Note that both Tanhumas seem to omit the beginning section (Exod. 10:1–20) of parashah Bo. The missing passage seems to include a whole parashah of the so-called triennial cycle. This text is related (to Ps. 105:28): HE SENT DARKNESS, AND IT BECAME DARK; [FOR THEY DID NOT DEFY (maru) HIS WORD]. The darkness which the Holy One sent upon Egypt was very severe. R. Aha said: <It was> because they did not accept the {regulations middotaw} [authority (marut)] of the Holy One over themselves.²By interpreting the verb maru as coming from the same root as the word for authority, R. Aha has interpreted the second part of Ps. 105:28 to mean: FOR THEY DID NOT ACCEPT THE AUTHORITY OF HIS WORD. Similarly Tanh., Exod. 3:1; Exod. R. 14:1; M. Pss. 105:9. Our Masters have said: What is the meaning of THEY DID NOT DEFY (MRH) HIS WORD? <It is> in reference to their having disregarded (rt.: MRH) the word of the Holy One. The Holy One said to the ministering angels: The Egyptians deserved to be smitten with darkness. Immediately they agreed and said: Yes. Not one of them rebelled (rt.: MRH) against the Holy One. (Ps. 105:28b:) THEY DID NOT DEFY (MRH) HIS WORD. (Vs. 28a:) HE SENT DARKNESS, AND IT BECAME DARK. To what is the matter comparable? To a king whose servant sinned against him. So he said to someone: Go and give him fifty lashes. He went and gave him a hundred. Thus he increased <the punishment > on his own. So did the Holy One send darkness over Egypt, and the darkness increased. (Ibid.:) HE SENT DARKNESS, AND IT BECAME <even more> DARK.

Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness (Exod. 10:21). Where did the darkness come from? R. Judah and R. Nehemiah discussed this question. R. Judah held: It descended from the darkness of the upper regions, as it is said: He made darkness His hiding place, His pavilion round about Him (Ps. 18:12). While R. Nehemiah argued that it ascended from the darkness of the netherworld, as it is stated: A land of thick darkness, as darkness itself, a land of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness (Job 10:22).