Comentario citado sobre Deuteronómio 28:19

your going Either to celebrate the festivals, or to conduct commerce, or to bring in the spoils of battle; or all everyday comings and goings (meaning, you will succeed in everything you do — cf. the subsequent passage [: 20], where the reverse of this blessing is stated explicitly).

We will now explicate the fifty primary plagues at the sea that struck Egypt: 1. It is written, “HaShem hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites.” (Ex. 14:8) Rashi explains, “Pharaoh was in doubt whether to pursue or not, so God hardened his heart to pursue.” ¹⁷⁵Rashi on Ex 14:8, Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:8:1 Therefore, God hardened his heart so he would pursue them. One wonders, what reason did Pharaoh have, after inciting his people, saying, “What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?” “Come with me and I will not behave with you as other kings. It is the way of other kings that their subjects go in front of them into the battle, but I will go in front of you…It is the way of other kings to have first pick of the booty, but I will be equal to you in the division of the booty.” ¹⁷⁶Rashi on Ex. 14:6 Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:6:2 “And he made his chariots ready…” (Ex 14:6) “He himself.”¹⁷⁷Rashi on Ex. 14:6 Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:6:1 After all of this trouble he would have reconsidered if the Holy One had not hardened his heart so he would pursue the Israelites. Rather, it teaches that the saying, “Cursed are you when you go out,” (Deut. 28:19) was established about him. In order to speed up the pursuit, the sages said, they tethered mares in front of male horses so that the male horses would want to overtake the mares and the mares would try to escape. In this way they would all run with all their might. They did not get far from the city when chariots began to break down because of the speed. Some of the chariots broke or were broken by neighboring chariots. Their weapons began to fall off; this was taken as an evil omen that they were masters of witchcraft. As a result their thoughts were divided. It arose in their minds to go back. Therefore, “HaShem hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he pursued the Israelites,” (Ex. 14:8) when he saw, “the children of Israel went out with a raised hand.” (Ex. Ibid) There was for Pharaoh, “ no end of scorn and provocation” (Est. 1:18) When the Egyptians saw their king lead them they too chose to pursue the Israelites. This was the first plague; there can be no doubt that it included more than five parts. There was not one of the Egyptians who did not experience confusion, trembling, or injury from the unnatural speed of the chariots. We do not find any Midrashim that inform us of the events that happened, and I was only able to describe some of the things that make sense. It is not our job to complete the task before God makes sense of it!

34. “And when Israel saw the wondrous power which HaShem had wielded against the Egyptians…” (Ex. 14:31) when the Israelites left the sea. For there they saw the Egyptians dying but not quite dead, as we have said, fulfilling Scripture, “Cursed shall you be in your going out;” (Deut. 28:19) that is, when you go out of the sea. For the Egyptians were afflicted with as the Reproofs, “HaShem will drive you, and the king you have set over you, to a nation unknown to you…,” (Deut. 28:36) The Egyptians saw Pharaoh was saved and they were troubled because he was more deserving of death than they were, for he pressed them to pursue Israel, and he had said, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;” (Ex 15:9) Thus the words of Scripture were established about them, “You shall be a consternation, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples,” (Deut. 28:37) “and you shall become a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.” (Deut. 28:25) as it is written, “The peoples hear, they tremble; agony grips the dwellers in Philistia. (Ex. 15:14)