Commento su Esodo 11:11

כלה Onkelos renders it by גמירא, taking כלה in sense of כליל entirely; i. e. he will send all of you away.

AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO MOSES: YET ONE PLAGUE MORE WILL I BRING UPON PHARAOH. “This [prophecy] was spoken to him while he was still standing before Pharaoh, for after he left him he did not see his face again.” Thus the language of Rashi.
Our Rabbis have similarly said:⁷⁵Shemoth Rabbah 18:1. “G-d sprung upon Moses. He, as it were, entered Pharaoh’s palace, [which was replete with abominations], for the sake of Moses — who had said, I will see thy face again no more —⁷⁶Above, 10:29. so that Moses might not be branded a liar. Now you find no other occasion on which the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to Moses in the royal palace except this moment. Whence may we deduce this? From the verse, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands unto the Eternal.⁷⁷Ibid., 9:29. And see Ramban there. But now the Holy One, blessed be He, sprang upon Moses and said to him, Yet one plague more, etc.”
Now here too⁷⁸See Ramban above, 10:2. there is a shortening of narrative. G-d said to Moses, Yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and He informed him of the nature of that plague, saying to him, At midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt, as well as the whole communication stated in this section, [further in Verses 5-8, as Moses’ address to Pharaoh in the Name of G-d]. But Scripture did not want to lengthen the account by first narrating what G-d said to Moses, it being sufficient to state what Moses said to Pharaoh, i.e., Thus saith the Eternal,⁷⁹Verse 4. just as I have explained in the case of the locusts.⁷⁸See Ramban above, 10:2. There are many such sections in the Torah. In this Seder (section of the Torah), in the segment, Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn,⁸⁰Further, 13:2. Scripture shortens the subject which the Holy One, blessed be He, communicated to Moses, and it prolongs the account of Moses’ words to the people, i.e., Remember this day, etc.,⁸¹Ibid., Verse 3. and so on to the end of that entire segment.⁸²I.e., to the end of Verse 16 there. They really are G-d’s words to Moses, which he said to Israel in the very language with which he was commanded.

ישלח אתכם מזה כשלחו, in the same manner as he has already expelled both you and Aaron from his presence when he had lost his cool. (compare 10,11). When he will send the whole people of Israel from his land, he will act under a similar type of stress.

ויאמר ה׳ ..עוד נגע אחד, G'd said to Moses: "one more plague, etc." This chapter tells us about matters G'd had already mentioned to Moses earlier while Moses was still in Midian. At that time (3,19) G'd had informed Moses that Pharaoh would not let the Israelites depart even after He applied a strong hand against him. In 4,22-23 G'd had already warned Pharaoh of the consequences of not letting the Israelites depart. You will observe that the end of the cycle of nine plagues left Pharaoh exactly as obstinate as he had been at the beginning. He had started out by not even considering the demands of G'd, and though he appeared to have softened his stance, making progressively greater concessions, he was now back to square one having ruled out the departure of any of the Israelites. In 7,4 G'd had told Moses that the sign that the plague of the killing of the firstborn was about to occur would be Pharaoh's refusal to listen. As soon as Moses heard that he was not to appear again at court he knew that the time had come for the last plague after which the Exodus would begin. Moses knew that this plague would be the most severe because G'd asked him to instruct the people to "borrow" as many silver and golden trinkets as they could. The word עוד then does not mean an additional plague as much as it means "the plague I have already spoken to you about once before, I am mentioning again." This explains why Moses did not wait after verse four until G'd described the plague to him, though G'd had done so every other time when Moses was told to warn Pharaoh. Moses proceeded to inform Pharaoh on the spot. Whereas it is true that we do not find that G'd had previously told Moses that the plague of the killing of the firstborn would occur at midnight, we may assume that G'd had told Moses that detail also at that time, but that the Torah did not record it there as it had not yet become relevant. This is why it is not difficult to understand that G'd repeated here what He had told Moses originally, i.e. that the Jews would take with them the silver and gold trinkets borrowed from the Egyptians as well as their garments and that they would "empty" Egypt (Exodus 3,22).

(1) ADONAI SAID TO MOSHE while he was standing in front of Par'oh, "ONE MORE PLAGUE, ETC." And after that, Moshe responded to Par'oh (v.4), "Thus says the LORD: At midnight, etc."

עוד נגע אחד אביא על פרעה, “I shall bring one more plague upon Pharaoh.” Moses received this message from G’d while still standing in the presence of Pharaoh. Ibn Ezra writes that Moses was given this instruction while in Midian, when G’d told him to tell Pharaoh that he would kill his firstborn son (Exodus) The meaning of the word ויאמר in our verse is simply that G’d had already told this to Moses some time ago. Here too the Torah engages in an abbreviation. The Torah relies on the details of this plague having been announced in verses 4-10.

כשלחו כלה גרש יגרש, “when he does send them off, he will expel them.” The word כלה means “in toto,” i.e. including all the flocks and herds and all their moveable belongings. Not a single one of these will be left behind. This corresponds to the message of Ezekiel 39,28 concerning the redemption of the future: “I (G’d) will not leave behind a single one of you.”

He will send you all away. [Rashi is explaining that כלה is] not from the word כלייה (destruction). Rather it is like כליל תקטר (Vayikra 6:15), which Onkelos translates as גמירא (completely burnt). And there, גמירא cannot mean “destruction,” rather it means “completely.”

Kap. 11. V. 1. ויאמר ד׳ אל משה, zur selben Zeit, als ihn Pharao rufen ließ. Siehe zum Schlusse des vorigen Kapitels. Dass diese Worte an Mosche nicht während seiner Anwesenheit vor Pharao gerichtet worden, dürfte schon der Inhalt der V. 2 u. 3 befürworten. Dieser Auftrag an das Volk und der Bericht über des Volkes und Mosche Ansehen bei dem ägyptischen Volke steht völlig außer Beziehung zu dem, was Mosche dem Pharao zu sagen hatte. — שלח אתכם מזה heißt nicht euch ziehen lassen, um Gott zu dienen, sondern offenbar fortschicken von hier zur Nimmerwiederkehr; dies liegt im מזה und wird noch zur völligen Verdeutlichung durch das folgende כשלחו כלה vergewissert. שלח כלה heißt nämlich so fortschicken, dass er nun mit euch zu Ende sei, nichts mehr mit euch zu schaffen habe, dass ihr für ihn wie vernichtet seid. Vergl. die Ausdrücke: אעשה אתכם כלה (Jirm. 5, 18 u. f).

ויאמר ה'....עוד נגע אחד, “the Lord said:....”one more plague;” what is meant is that G–d told Moses that after Moses would leave Pharaoh now, he would not see him again. In light of what is written later, we must assume that G–d lifted Moses at least ten handbreadths above the soil of Egypt on account of the state of ritual pollution that existed in Egypt.

עוד נגע אחד, “one more plague;” this paragraph was communicated by G-d to Moses and Aaron while they were standing in front of Pharaoh. It had to be so, as we never read of Moses seeing Pharaoh again. However, he received this communication outside the capital as we understand from 7,15: “here when he goes to the water (to have his daily bowel movement)” [this explains that Moses could not receive communications from G-d while in a ritually contaminated area. Ed.] As far as this last communication is concerned, the Midrash states that G-d lifted Moses more than ten hand breadths from the floor of the palace in order to communicate with him. (Compare Torah shleymah 11,27) After that, Moses predicted the plague of the killing of the first born with which G-d would smite Egypt.

כלה גרש יגרש אתכם, at that time he had only expelled the two of you. This time he will expel all of you from this entire country. This is the attribute of G’d’s justice at work. When a person obstinately insists on not performing the expressed will of his Creator, (owner) he will ultimately have to do what he tried to avoid doing under infinitely worse circumstances. The Torah had warned us in Deuteronomy in Moses’ famous speech of admonition that because the Jewish people had refused to observe G’d’s commandments joyfully, out of a feeling of gratitude for their success in the Holy Land, they would ultimately still have to do what G’d wanted them to do, and what they had contracted to do, by serving G’d’s servants [host nations in the land of our exile. Ed.] instead of Him directly. (Deut. 28,47-48). Our sages phrase it thus: “everyone who ignores and fails to observe Torah pleading his wealth as his excuse, will ultimately keep the Torah because he has become impoverished.” (Avot 4,10) He will then be so preoccupied with keeping body and soul together that he has no time to devote to Torah study and observance. Numbers 14,28 also outlines the principle of retribution matching the nature of the sin.

(2) ONE AND ALL (KALAH). All -- men, women, children, and livestock.

דבר נא SPEAK נא — The word נא is always an expression of entreaty. Here it means: I entreat you, admonish them about this which follows (impress this injunction upon them), so that righteous man, Abraham, may not say: the prophecy (Genesis 15:13) “they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them” He permitted to be fulfilled in them, but the promise (Genesis 15:14) “and afterwards they shall go forth with great substance” He did not bring to fulfilment for them (Berakhot 9a-b).

דבר נא באזני העם וישאלו, they needed to be encouraged to ask for this as they might have worried about the Egyptians pursuing them in order to retrieve their riches. It worked in reverse; the very fact that the Egyptians chased after the Israelites, i.e. reneged, was the immediate reason G’d came to the Israelites’ assistance and drowned their pursuers. That is what made them absolutely free.

וישאלו, to be an outright gift, just as in Psalms 2,8 שאל ממני ואתנה נחלתך, “ask of Me, and I will give your inheritance.”

כלי כסף וכלי זהב, “vessels made of silver and vessels made of gold.” Why did Moses not include a reference to garments, as the Torah had done 3,22? This reference to garments surfaces again when the Torah describes that the Israelites “borrowed” these from their neighbours immediately prior to their departure (12,35). Some commentators say that the reason was that “shlepping” along all kinds of garments was more of a handicap for the people on their impending journey, so that G’d omitted reference to the garments, to indicate that this was entirely voluntary; they did not have to ask for clothing. The Israelites, when it came to the departure, decided to fulfill G’d’s commandment in its entirety, hence they also asked and received fancy garments.

וישאלו איש מאת רעהו, “let them each ask from their fellow Egyptian male, etc.” This “request” was not similar to a man or a woman asking his or her respective neighbour for some tool on the understanding that after he or she has finished using it it would be returned it to its owner. Here G’d’s instructions were to ask for the respective items as outright gifts. It was understood that G’d would make the Egyptians feel well disposed toward the Israelites so that they would willingly comply with their requests for such gifts. The last thing G’d had in mind was that the Israelites, at the very moment when their redemption was at hand, would leave behind the impression that they had fooled their neighbours and pretended that they would give back the items in question. According to Jewish law whenever a servant is released from service after he has toiled for the agreed period of time, he is entitled to receive a stake from his erstwhile master to enable him to start his economic independence. This is spelled out in Deut. 15, 13-14: “but when you send him away free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. Furnish him out of your flocks, your threshing floor, and vat, with which the Lord has blessed you.” If this law applies to treatment of a fellow Jewish servant whose wages the master has paid six years in advance, how much more so were the Jewish slaves in Egypt entitled to receive some silver trinkets in compensation for over 200 years of slavery for which no wages had ever been paid.
We may find the expression רעהו both in the masculine and the feminine form as peculiar when applied to Egyptians who could hardly be described as equal to the Israelites so that this definition would apply. We have to answer that prior to the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai all human beings were treated as equal before the law. Hence the expression רע “fellow human being” was appropriate. Ever since the giving of the Torah Gentiles are not again referred to by that description. Seeing that G’d had offered the Torah to the Gentile nations and they had refused it they no longer qualified as equals. Henceforth Jews were described as brothers and companions of G’d as we know from Psalms 122,8: “for the sake of My brothers and friends, I pray for your well-being.” Our sages in Baba Kama 113 explain the phrase לכל אבדת אחיך (Deut. 22,3) as “your brother, but not a Gentile.” In other words, a Jew does not have to go out of his way to restore lost property to a Gentile seeing he is not his brother anymore. The same law applies to the prohibition of charging or paying interest to others. While the Torah forbids this inasmuch as it writes: “you must not charge interest to your brother” (Deut. 23,20), this excludes those whom the Torah does not recognize as our brothers, i.e. the Gentile.

“Speak, please, (Na):

נא can only indicate. . . Rashi means that נא written here can only indicate pleading [but in other places it can mean “now”].

וישאלו איש מאת רעהו ואשה מאת רעותה כלי כסף וגו', the meaning of שאלה here is not the same as when women “borrow” kitchen utensils and the like, it being understood that these will be returned to the lender. G’d, i.e. Moses, commanded the people to ask for these trinkets, garments, etc., as outright gifts. G’d would see to it that the Israelites asking for this would be considered by the Egyptians as deserving of this so that they would gladly part with the items in question. This did not involve any misrepresentation on the part of G’d, the Egyptians being perfectly aware that nothing they would give their Israelite neighbours could even remotely compensate them for the wages these people had never received during all these years. In that connection, consider that a Jewish servant (for whose services his master paid six years’ wages in advance to the servant’s creditor) at the end of his 6 years of service must be given an ex gratia payment by his master so that he can establish himself economically. (Deuteronomy 15,13-14). How much more so would the Israelites be entitled at this time to a small installment of all the money owed them for 210 (or 86) years of slave labour!

SPEAK NOW IN THE EARS OF THE PEOPLE. I.e., after you depart from Pharaoh.

V. 2 u. 3. Die im vorigen Verse ausgesprochene Bestimmung, dass Pharao sie völlig und für immer forttreiben wird, ist ein fernerer Beweis für die schon oben zu Kap. 3, V. 22, nachgewiesene Bedeutung des שאל מאת (nicht מעם) als: sich etwas zum Geschenke, nicht zum Darlehn, erbitten. נא .דבר נא setzt immer ein Widerstreben bei dem andern voraus. Siehe Bereschit 12, 13 אמרי נא usw. Es hatte eben das Volk in der eklatantesten Weise seine sittliche Gediegenheit erprobt. Drei Tage lang waren in Blindheit gefesselt ihre Dränger ihnen ohnmächtig preisgegeben; drei Tage lang ihnen alle ihre Schätze in deren Wohnungen offen gestanden, und kein Jude hatte die Gelegenheit benutzt, auch nur eine höhnende, neckende Rache an ihnen zu üben, keiner weder eine Person noch eine Stecknadel angerührt. Diese sittliche Größe ließ Gott eben in dem Augenblick, als den Ägyptern wieder das Augenlicht gewährt ward und sie alles Ihrige unangetastet fanden, endlich den Widerwillen der Ägypter gegen die Hebräer besiegen und mehr noch als die Wunder, die er geübt, machte diese sittliche Größe seines Volkes den Mann Mosche in den Augen der Ägypter groß. Es mochte wohl Mosche und dem Volk widerstreben, diesen sittlichen Sieg wieder einigermaßen durch solche Bitten aufs Spiel zu setzen. Allein es war Gottes Wille, dass sein Volk nicht arm ausziehen sollte — waren doch alle die im Sklavendienst dahingegangenen Geschlechter völlig außer Stande gewesen, das Geringste für sich zu erwerben, und der erste Grundstein zum Wohlstand seines Volkes sollte durch die Anerkennung seiner sittlichen Größe abseiten seiner bisherigen Verächter erworben und geweiht sein. Daher dies: נא. Dabei drängte die Zeit. Zwölf Stunden waren nur noch bis zum andern Mittag. Daher: דבר נא באוני העם, rede ihnen zu, bewege sie zu diesem Schritte. Während daher Mosche vor Pharao stand und in dem Augenblicke, in welchem Pharao Mosche mit dem Tode bedrohte, bereitete sich das Volk schon zum Auszuge vor und feierten er und sie draußen den größten moralischen Sieg über ihre Herren und Dränger, die mit dieser anerkennungsvollen Freigebigkeit eine, wenn auch immerhin kleine Sühne der Vergangenheit zu zollen sich bewogen fühlen mochten. Aus dieser Erfüllung lernt sich die hohe moralische Bedeutung der Verheißung: ואחרי כן יצאו ברכוש גדול.

דבר נא, “speak please;” Moses was to do this at this time as they would not have any time to do so once Pharaoh would discharge them unconditionally, i.e. even expel them. If the people had made these requests still earlier, Egyptians would have demanded that they would give back what they had borrowed, seeing that Pharaoh had refused to allow them to leave permanently.

Speak to them about this. . . You might ask: Since Hashem told it to Moshe, is it not obvious that he will tell it to B’nei Yisrael? The answer is: Moshe did not intend to instruct them about this because [if they fail to return the borrowed items] it will be like holding stolen property. However, Hashem considered it as having received wages for their work (Sanhedrin 91a). Another answer: [Moshe was concerned that] the Egyptians will be troubled by the loss of their property and will chase after them. Therefore, Moshe needed to be told to instruct them.

וישאלו איש, “they each asked for, etc.” they complied with what G-d had asked them to do, so that He could fulfill His promise to Avraham that after servitude to a land other than the land of Canaan, they would leave that country as free people with a great deal of wealth. (Genesis 15,14). Some commentators insist that the expression: וישאלו refers to asking for an outright gift. (Rabbeinu Chananel) They claim that Psalms 2,8: 'שאל ממני ואתנה וגו, “ask something of Me and I will grant it,” is proof of this.

מאת רעהו, “from his friend or comrade;” to the question of: “since when were the ordinary Egyptians the personal friends of the Israelites?” The answer is that after the plagues had ceased, the Egyptians’ attitude towards the Israelites underwent a drastic change, and they became very willing to let them use their vessels.

כלי כסף וכלי זהב, “silver vessels and golden vessels.” It was no more than a fair exchange, seeing that the Israelites left behind their houses and their fields which no one compensated them for. We read already in Genesis 47,27 ויאחזו בה, that the sons of Yaakov instead of or in addition to being shepherds, also became land owners.

AND THE ETERNAL GAVE THE PEOPLE FAVOR IN THE SIGHT OF THE EGYPTIANS. The purport thereof is that the Egyptians did not hate them because of the plagues. Instead, they conceived affection for them, and the Israelites found favor in their eyes, the Egyptians acknowledging, “we are the wicked ones. There is violence in our hands, and you merit that G-d be gracious to you.”

גם האיש משה גדול, in his honour the Egyptians gave the Israelites generously.

ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני מצרים, “G’d granted the people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians.” In spite of the fact that the Egyptians experienced all these plagues orchestrated by the messenger of this Jewish G’d, they no longer related to the Israelites with hostility; on the contrary, they had belatedly realized that not the Israelites but they themselves had been the sinners all along by using brute force in their relations with them. It was therefore no more than fair that G’d recompensed them by endowing them. We must not translate the words ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני במצרים, as a reference to the “borrowing” the Israelites were about to do, as, at the time when the Israelites had not yet received these items the expression ויתן would be premature when all they had as yet was a promise by G’d. Here G’d could only have said “I will give the people favour, etc.” In chapter 12,36 G’d is reported (in the past tense) of having given the people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians as the reason why they handed over all these valuables.

גם האיש משה גדול מאד, “also the person called Moses was a very greatly esteemed man.” The Torah writes this in order for us to understand the reason why the Torah reports that the Israelites “emptied out” Egypt. Many Egyptians gave gifts to the Israelites as a sign of their high esteem for their leader Moses.

גם האיש משה, “moreover, the man Moses,” he enjoyed such an image because he had orchestrated the plagues.

MOREOVER, THE MAN MOSES, who brought the plagues upon them, WAS VERY GREAT IN THE ENTIRE LAND OF EGYPT, IN THE SIGHT OF PHARAOH’S SERVANTS — his opponents — AND IN THE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLE, Israel.⁸³Unlike Ibn Ezra, who explains in the sight of the people as referring to the Egyptians. Ramban will refer to this explanation further on. After [the officers of the children of Israel] had said to Moses and Aaron, The Eternal look upon you, and judge,⁸⁴Above, 5:21. after they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit,⁸⁵Ibid., 6:9. he now became very great in their sight when they saw that he was established to be a prophet of the Eternal.⁸⁶I Samuel 3:20. And some scholars⁸⁷Ibn Ezra. say that the expression, in the sight of the people, means the Egyptians.
The reason Scripture does not state [that Moses was very great] “in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants,” [but instead mentions only Pharaoh’s servants], is that G-d made Pharaoh’s heart obstinate towards Moses because he [Pharaoh] had twice spoken to him improperly,⁸⁸Above, 10:10 (So be the Eternal with you, as I will let you go), and ibid., Verse 28 (Get thee from me). and He desired that Pharaoh come to Moses and bow down to him as one comes before his enemy, all this being a sign of the power and achievement of Moses.
Now it is impossible to explain the expression, And the Eternal gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, as referring to the favor they found in the eyes of the Egyptians at the time of the borrowing, [mentioned further, 12:36]. In that case, the verse there relates that G-d later fulfilled the promise He made here.⁸⁹The explanation refuted now by Ramban is that of Ibn Ezra [in Verse 3 before us]. If the verse here were establishing the Divine promise, [i.e., that the people will find favor in the sight of the Egyptians and that they will let them have what they asked], the verse here should not have said, And the Eternal gave; it should have said, “And I will give the people favor.” [Hence we must conclude that the intent of the verse here is to be explained as above, i.e., that the Egyptians bore no grudge against the Israelites because of the plagues.] It is further on at the time of the actual event that Scripture says, And the Eternal gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked.⁹⁰Further, 12:36.

ובעיני העם, “as well as in the eyes of the people.” (the Egyptian people, not only in the eyes of Pharaoh’s officials.)

גדול מאד בעיני עבדי פרעה, “enjoyed great stature in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants.” This is a reference to the servants who had challenged Pharaoh’s policy.

ובעיני העם, “and in the eyes of the people.” This refers to the Jewish people. Seeing that the people, after Moses’ failed intervention on their behalf, had challenged him to a דין תורה with G’d, protesting his mixing in their affairs (Exodus 5,21). The Torah now reports that the minds of the people had undergone a change of heart vis a vis Moses, even though they were still enslaved in Egypt. Other commentators understand the words ובעיני העם as referring to the Egyptian people. The reason that the Torah did not report Pharaoh and his pliant ministers as sharing this high regard for Moses, was because G’d had toughened his heart so that he spoke to Moses in a disparaging manner [something he had not done previously. Ed.]. G’d had created this scenario in order to eventually force Pharaoh to come to Moses and plead that the Israelites leave, the sooner the better. In this manner, Moses’ stature would be enhanced still further if the “mighty” Pharaoh came begging to him in the middle of the night. Ibn Ezra writes that the words ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני מצרים are to be understood both as relating to the Egyptians lending their valuables to the Israelites, and to the esteem that they held Moses in by that time.

'ויאמר משה כה אמר ה AND MOSES SAID, THUS SAITH THE LORD — Whilst he was still standing before Pharaoh this prophecy was spoken to him, because after he left him, he did not see his face again (Exodus Rabbah 18:1).

AND MOSES SAID: THUS SAITH THE ETERNAL: ABOUT MIDNIGHT WILL I GO OUT INTO THE MIDST OF EGYPT. Moses said this to Pharaoh and to his servants, as he mentioned at the end of his words, And all these thy servants shall come down unto me.⁹¹Verse 8. Now he did not explain on what night this plague will take place, since this Divine communication to Moses and the transmission thereof to Pharaoh happened before the first of Nisan,⁹²In view of the fact that Ramban wrote above (10:4) that the plague of the locusts occurred in the month of Nisan, it is difficult to understand his statement here that the Divine communication to Moses and the transmission thereof to Pharaoh concerning the plague of the firstborn happened before the first of Nisan. In my opinion, this is to be explained on the basis of that which Ramban wrote in Seder Shemoth (4:21), that at the very first time that Moses came before Pharaoh, he warned him of the last plague which will force him to let the people go. In that case, the Divine communication to Moses and the transmission of it to Pharaoh did indeed take place before the first of Nisan. The verse here, yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharaoh, must then be understood in the sense that G-d told Moses that the time had come for the final plague of which He had told him in the beginning and which Moses had related to Pharaoh. See also my Hebrew commentary, p. 323, for further discussion of this problem. and when he said about midnight, he did not yet know on which night it would be. Thus Moses did not inform them of the specific night on which this plague would take place, but instead he said in kindled anger, “I will see thy face again no more.⁹³Above, 10:29. It is you who will call upon me at about midnight to go out from your country, and your servants will bow down to me.”⁹¹Verse 8. In the second section He elucidated to Israel, And I will go through the land of Egypt in that night,⁹⁴Further, 12:12. and in the third section Scripture states, And it came to pass at midnight,⁹⁵Ibid., Verse 29. i.e., the night mentioned when they were eating the paschal lamb.

כחצות הלילה, "at around midnight, etc." The Talmud Berachot 4 already discusses that the reason that Moses did not give the precise time but only an approximation was so that in the event the Egyptian astronomers were inaccurate in their calculations they should not be able to accuse Moses of having lied. Possibly the reason is related to what Bereshit Rabbah 43,3 has to say about Genesis 14,15 where Abraham is described as defeating the four kings. That event occurred on the night of the 15th of Nissan. In that case the letter כ before the word חצות does not describe an approximation but refers to a previous event which took place on that date at that time. Our sages in Shemot Rabbah 42 tell us that the night in which Abraham defeated the four mightiest kings of the world (Genesis 14,15) caused many people to re-evaluate the beliefs they had held up to that time. The Torah therefore mentioned the time when this miracle had occurred. In our paragraph too, the people who survived this event must have done some serious soul-searching as to the validity of their religious beliefs. The letter כ then refers to such re-evaluations as a result of what would occur at midnight.

'ויאמר משה לפרעה כה אמר ה' כחצות הלילה, וגו, the construction of כחצות is derived from the root חצה just as כעשות is derived from the root עשה, or as in the expression כעלות המנחה the word כעלות is derived from the root עלה. In other words, the meaning of כחצות הלילה is: “as soon as midnight arrives.” אני יוצא בתוך מצרים, when it came to the execution of this prophecy the Torah writes instead: ויהי בחצות הלילה, “it was exactly at midnight.” (12,12). This is the plain meaning of the text. The reason Moses had to use a slightly different formulation was that he meant to say that G’d will divide the night into 2 halves, יחצה. Seeing that the word כחצות describes an activity by G’d being performed at a certain time, Moses could not merely have described the time without avoiding reference to G’d doing something at that time.

כחצות הלילה, “around midnight.” Rashi says that the reason that Moses did not refer toבחצות הלילה , ”precisely at midnight,” as the Torah reports the slaying of the firstborn having occurred at, was because he did not want to take a chance of being called a liar in the event that the astronomers’ clocks in Egypt were not accurate. Ibn Ezra writes that according to some experts in grammar, the word כחצות is a form of the verb when it becomes converted into a noun. The meaning is: “at the point of time known as midnight, etc.” In other words, the meaning is no different than if the Torah had written בחצי הלילה. Personally, I do not think there is a need for all this, as the meaning of the words כחצי הלילה is “the moment the stroke of midnight is over, etc.” At that moment the second half of the night commences. Nachmanides writes that G’d had never said to Moses that this would take precisely at midnight of a certain date, but that the words reflect that Moses had been informed that on some midnight this plague would become effective. The precise date when this would occur was revealed to the Israelites only in the second paragraph dealing with it. (12,23) The third paragraph dealing with this plague reports on what happened and to whom. (12,29)

While still standing before Pharaoh. . . You might ask: Earlier (11:1), it says similarly: “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘There is one more plague. . .’” Furthermore, “I will not see your face again” was written previous to it. Why then did Rashi not make a similar comment there? The answer is: The content of the earlier verse (11:1) was actually told to Moshe before, for it is written (3:21): “I will give this people grace. . .” But it is merely repeated here, because now was the time for its fulfillment. This section, in contrast, is dealing with the exodus from Egypt, and that the plague will be at midnight, was not hinted anywhere else. Perforce, this prophecy was told to Moshe while still standing before Pharaoh. You might ask: If Moshe would not even offer a simple prayer within the city, how could he be given a full prophecy there [see Rashi 11:1]? The answer is: [Hashem did it] for Moshe’s honor so that he should not be considered a liar. Otherwise, Moshe would need to go back to Pharaoh [to announce Hashem’s prophecy, but Moshe had already told Pharaoh that he would not see his face again]. Alternatively: Hashem lifted Moshe ten handbreadths above the ground when He spoke to him, thus placing him in a separate domain. (Re”m)

V. 4. אני יוצא, wie כי הנה יוצא ממקומק לפקוד וגו׳ (Jes. 26, 21), כי אז יצא ד׳ לפניך להכות וגו׳ (Sam. II 5, 24) usw. Es bezeichnet überall ein unmittelbares Einschreiten zur Zerstörung eines Entgegenstehenden. Was bisher von Gott in Ägypten geschehen, waren אותות ומופתים, von seinen Boten geübt, gleichsam seine Vorboten, die Ihn ahnen ließen und seine Ankunft drohend ankündigten. Jetzt tritt Er selbst in seinem Gegensatz zu Mizrajim hervor, und sofort stirbt Mizrajim in den edelsten seiner Geschlechter. אני, von אנה: von jemandem ausgehen, ist immer die sich einem andern gegenüber fühlende Persönlichkeit, von welcher an den andern etwas ausgeht, während אנכי die den andern umfassende, tragende Persönlichkeit ist.

כחצות הלילה, “around midnight, etc.” G–d brought on the plagues on Egypt according to norms familiar to kings of flesh and blood. When a nation disobeys its ruler, the first thing such a ruler does is to interfere with its water supply. This is why Good first interfered with Egypt’s water supply, turning it into blood. When this proved ineffective, He resorted to frighten them by noises; in order to achieve this he had the frogs which are extremely noisy invade every part of the Egyptians’ homes, including their most private rooms. When this also proved useless, He subjected them to pricks such as are caused when a person is struck by arrows. The vermin did this to the skin of the Egyptians. Following the failure of achieving his objective, He subjected civilised Egyptians to barbarians, i.e. to hordes of ferocious animals whose normal habitat was elsewhere. The next step was to strike their livestock, still not afflicting them with lethal force. They were then subjected to intolerable stench, eventually even immobilised during the plague of darkness. When this proved ineffective, He struck dead both adults and children, i.e. their respective firstborns. Our author quotes verses from different parts of the Bible backing up his claims about frogs being noisy, etc.; etc.;

ויאמר משה, Moses said: according to Rashi this paragraph was told to him while he was still standing in the palace in the presence of Pharaoh as he never saw him again later. The words: נאמרה לו, “were said (revealed) to him,” refer to Moses relating his latest prophecy to Pharaoh. The proof of this is that if these words were only now communicated to Moses by G-d, why did Rashi not comment this on verse 1 of our chapter? We must therefore understand Moses as having announced the plague of his own volition without a commandment at that time, as he had already done so with the plague of the locusts, as stated in Pessikta on the verse 29 in chapter 12. This is also the way it is described in Tanchuma 12,37 (older version) concerning that paragraph commencing with: “it was at about midnight;”

כחצות הלילה means, WHEN THE NIGHT IS DIVIDED (i. e., when midnight arrives). כחצות is an infinitive with prefix, of similar form to, (1 Kings 18:36) בעלות, “when went up” and (Psalms 124:3) “when their wrath was kindled (בחרות)”. This is its literal meaning which fits in with the sense, for חצות is not a noun, being another form of חֵצִי (when the meaning would be about midnight I will go out etc.”, for this does not fit in with the sense, since God would certainly have stated exactly when He would do this). But our Rabbis took it in this sense and explained it as meaning “about the middle of the night”, and they asserted that Moses said כחצות “about midnight”, which implies near to it — either just before it or just after it, and he did not say בחצות “at midnight” (as God had bidden him say) because he feared lest Pharaoh’s astrologers might make a mistake as regards the time when the slaughter of the firstborn actually took place, thinking that it was a little earlier or later than midnight, and would say, in consequence of this error, “Moses is a liar!” (cf. Berakhot 4a).

For חצות is not the noun. I.e., [Rashi is telling us that the term] חצות here is not a noun like it is in (Tehillim 119:62), “ חצות לילה (In the middle of the night) I will rise to praise You.” Here this is not so, because it is preceded by a כ , which is not appropriate for a noun. Furthermore, כחצות implies uncertainty as to when midnight is, and surely, Hashem has no such doubt! Thus כחצות must mean, “When the night is divided.”

אני יוצא. "I will go out, etc." G'd stressed the "I" as if to say that although He has many agents who could perform this task at His behest, He would do so personally and would descend right into the midst of Egypt. G'd had two reasons for doing this personally. 1) As an expression of His fondness for His people whom He wanted to liberate personally. 2) Angels are not capable of distinguishing which human being was formed from the first drop of semen of his father so that he deserved the description בכור, firstborn. Even if such a fetus would emerge as the second or third of a multiple birth it would still deserve to be considered the firstborn. No one but G'd Himself is able to make these distinctions.

כחצות הלילה, “approximately at midnight;” actually when midnight struck; here the prefix כ is used in the prediction whereas at the actual hour of the dying of the firstborn, the Torah describes it as having occurred precisely at midnight. We find something similar in Exodus 13,4 where Moses tells the people: היום אתם יוצאים בחודש האביב, “you are leaving this day in the month of spring.” (Rash’bam)

Which implies at about midnight. . . I.e., our Sages say that חצות here is indeed a noun, meaning “the middle of the night.” Hashem told Moshe בחצות הלילה , meaning exactly at midnight, but — lest Pharaoh’s stargazers say, “Moshe is a liar!” —Moshe changed it to כחצות , meaning at about midnight

אני יוצא, “I am going out (taking a walk);” seeing that Pharaoh had failed to heed Moses’ warning, I will personally descend from heaven to carry out what Moses had threatened would happen at this hour.”

And say, “Moshe is a liar!” You might ask: Why should Moshe change Hashem’s words just so these fools will not err? The answer is: From the third plague on, the sorcerers admitted to the authenticity of Moshe’s prophecy. Thus Moshe feared that a desecration of Hashem’s Name might occur at the very conclusion, lest they err now and they will deny the previous prophecies. (Rabbeinu Bechayeh)

אני יוצא בתוך מצרים, “I will go out amongst Egypt,” Onkelos translates these words as “I will reveal Myself.” Our sages quote Micah 1,3 on this verse “G’d will leave His abode and He will come down and stride on the heights of the earth.” Talmud Yerushalmi Taanit 2,1 suggests that G’d will switch application of one of His attributes for another i.e. He will exit from one attribute and switch to another, in this instance the attribute of Justice.

עד בכור השבי UNTO THE FIRSTBORN OF THE CAPTIVE (these words are used in 12:29 instead of עד בכור השפחה “unto the firstborn of the handmaid” in this verse) — Why were the captives smitten, for they had not enslaved the Israelites? In order that these might not say that their god had claimed satisfaction for the humiliation imposed upon them and had brought this punishment upon the Egyptians (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:29).

מבכור פרעה עד בכור השפחה, from the highest layer of Egyptian society to the most lowly. When we read a similar line in 12,19 the meaning is “from the most severe sinner to the relatively least guilty sinner.”

ומת כל בכור, and every firstborn will die, etc. G'd did not say: "I will kill him." The reason, as we have pointed out on previous occasions is, that evil does not originate with G'd. He is the Creator of all that is good. Anything in the nature of evil is initiated by one of the agents He has designated. G'd Himself indicated who was the firstborn, His agents carried out the death sentence. This is why the mention of "destroyers" at the time the Israelites put the blood on their door-posts and the fact that G'd Himself orchestrated the plague are not contradictory.

אשר אחר הרחיים, later on the simile is changed and the Torah speaks about השבי אשר בבית הבור, “the prisoner in the dungeon.”(12,29) There is no contradiction, seeing that we know from Judges 16,21) that Shimshon as well as other prisoners were obliged to act as the “horse-power” turning the millstones while they were incarcerated.

עד בכור השפחה אשר אחר הרחיים, ‘to the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the millstone.” When the Torah reports about the actual plague happening, it uses a different example when describing the woman at the lowest rung of the social order, namely “the firstborn of the prisoner in jail.” Actually, the Torah refers to the same person each time. When the warning was issued it was daylight, so that the prisoner was at work moving millstones. When the plague occurred it was midnight, a time when all the prisoners are in their cells to prevent them from escaping.

ומת כל בכור, “and every firstborn will die.” The meaning is “regardless of whether he is the firstborn of the male (who provided the sperm) or if he is the firstborn of the female.” The curious wording in the Midrash Hagadol means that if one man impregnated 10 women all of whom had previously not given birth, the males born as a result are considered as “firstborn (of) the women.” If the situation is reversed, and a woman gives birth to ten males each by sperm of another male, then such “firstborn” are considered as “firstborn (of) men.” This is what Assaph means in Psalms 78,51: “He struck every firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their vigor in the tents of Cham.” We have another verse in Psalms 105,36 where the firstborn are also described as “the first fruit of their vigor.” It appears that the firstborn of “males” are described as ראשית לכל אונם, whereas the firstborn of women are described as ראשית אונים באהלי חם. The reason is that woman is traditionally associated with the word אהל, “tent.” Compare Judges 6,8 הם ומקניהם יעלו ואהליהם, “they and their cattle ascended together with their “tents,” i.e. with their women.

Why were the captives struck down? You might ask: The verse mentions the first-born of the captives only later (12:29), in connection with the plague itself. Why does Rashi explain it here [in connection with the warning]? An answer is: Rashi explained above, according to our Sages, that Moshe said “about midnight” because Pharaoh’s sorcerers might say that he is a liar. Yet we might object: Here, they surely will say that Moshe lied! For Moshe said [in his warning], “From the first-born of Pharaoh. . . to the first-born of the [Egyptian] slave girl,” including everyone in between, but excluding those lowlier than the slave girl. Yet later on, in connection with the plague itself, it is written that also the captives were smitten, and they are lowlier, as Rashi explains there. Thus Rashi explains here why the first-born of the captives were struck down, to answer the above objection. [The sorcerers would not err] because they knew that Moshe warned only regarding those who oppressed B’nei Yisrael — i.e., the first-born of Pharaoh until the first-born of the slave girl. But Moshe’s warning did not include the captives. [For the plague came primarily to punish those who enslaved B’nei Yisrael, and] the captives did not enslave them. [As Rashi explains, they died only so that they should not say, “Their own god. . . brought retribution upon the Egyptians.”] Nevertheless, [we could object to the above explanation:] Moshe did not say clearly that the captives are excluded, for the term “first-born of the Egyptian slave girl” could be referring to “the lowly ones,” including the captives. Thus another answer is: Rashi is defending what he explained above, that Moshe changed Hashem’s word because of what the sorcerers might say. If we object that this is no reason to change Hashem’s word, Rashi answers us: “Why were the captives struck down? . . .So they should not say. . .” Thus we see that the captives did not really deserve this, as they did not oppress B’nei Yisrael, and were struck down only because of what they might say. And Moshe changed Hashem’s word for the same reason.

V. 5. Es war dies der gleich anfangs angekündigte Moment, Kap. 4, 22. 23. nicht aus Hass gegen ,בני בכרי ישראל וגו׳ שלח את בני וגו׳ הנה אנכי הרג את בנך בכרך deinen Sohn, sondern zur Rettung des meinigen. In dem Tode deines Sohnes magst du meine Gefühle bei der Misshandlung meines Sohnes schätzen lernen.

כל בכור, “every firstborn.” Both the firstborn of a mother and the firstborn of a father were included.

מבכור פרעה עד בכור השפחה FROM THE FIRSTBORN OF PHARAOH UNTO THE FIRSTBORN OF THE HANDMAID — All who were of less importance than the firstborn of Pharaoh and of more importance than the firstborn of the handmaid are included in this description. And why were the sons of the handmaids stricken? Because they, too, treated them (the Israelites) as slaves and rejoiced at their misery (Midrash Tanchuma, Bo 7).

Because they too enslaved them and rejoiced in their oppression. Enslavement alone is not sufficient reason, as it was not a complete enslavement. And rejoicing alone is not sufficient reason, for no action was involved. Thus both reasons are needed. (Maharshal)

There may also be another meaning, similar to what we are told in Shabbat 34 where Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai put his eye on a sinner and that sinner died as a result. At first glance, how are we to understand that a pious person of the calibre of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai would summarily "execute" someone by giving him "the eye?" The same Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai had castigated people of the evil eye as possessing a very negative virtue (Zohar 3, page 211). Actually, the exact wording in the Talmud was יהבי עיניה, "he looked at him with his eye" (singular). We would have expected the Talmud to say that "he looked at him with his eyes (pl)." We have to remember that inasmuch as "evil" and "death" are synonymous how is it that evil exists at all? This is because there are no absolutes; just as the attribute of Mercy contains a small part of the attribute of Justice, so every good virtue contains a small element of evil, and vice versa. In the case of evil, death occurs when that small part of "good" or "life" which kept it alive is withdrawn. Keeping this in mind, we can understand the peculiar statement in Sukkah 52 according to which G'd will slaughter the evil urge at an appropriate time in the future in the presence of the righteous. How are to understand this? How can one slaughter an angel (disembodied spirit)? Considering what we have just said we can understand the statement in the Talmud very easily. G'd will remove the part of the evil urge which makes it a viable i.e. active force.

הבכור פרעה, “from the firstborn of Pharaoh,” i.e. a firstborn of the father, to עד בכור השפחה, “including the firstborn of a servant maid,” i.e. the firstborn of a mother.

וכל בכור בהמה AND ALL THE FIRSTBORN OF BEASTS — because they worshipped these as gods. When the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment from a nation, He punishes their gods at the same time (Genesis Rabbah 96:5).

We also need to appreciate the natural tendency of identical or basically similar virtues to coalesce with each other. The good attracts the good, the evil tends to attract more evil to itself. This is the secret of how the souls of the Israelites which had their origin in the positive emanations could "draw" to themselves the "lost" souls which we described as being particularly prevalent in Egypt. [The author has repeatedly described these souls as having been captured by the negative side of the emanations as a result of Adam eating from the tree of knowledge (compare his comments on Genesis 49,9). Ed.] G'd had given outstanding Torah scholars the ability to attract to themselves the "good" part of any sinner. When Rabbi Shimon looked at the sinner in question he extracted the good part of that sinner, thus leaving no viable element within that person. As a result the sinner died. When G'd passed through Egypt on that night, He extracted the good that was within any of these firstborn; as a result such a firstborn simply dropped dead. It was as if Rabbi Shimon had put his eye on such an individual.

עד בכור השפחה, according to Rashi, seeing that most commentators here understand the words בכור השפחה, to be identical to בכור השבי in 12,29, they use that term in their commentary on this verse. They assume that Rashi agreed seeing that nearly all prisoners of war become slaves. [According to my understanding of Rashi on 2,29, there are degrees in the hierarchy of slaves. The Torah uses both terms, as the slave who was a prisoner of war is considered as at the rockbottom of that hierarchy. Ed.] Another reason for the two terms being used by the Torah for servant women; when the firstborn sons of servant maids heard Moses use the term שפחה in our verse, they decided to become captives so as to escape the threat of being killed. Upon noticing this, G-d said: while it is true that I had only spoken about the firstborn of the servant maid being killed, now I must include also the firstborn of a woman prisoner. A different interpretation: the expression בכור השבי is subordinate to the general heading of בכור השפחה. The prophets in their way of expressing themselves (as opposed to the Torah itself) do not bother with stylistic effects but are concerned with the basics. Such nuances as השקני “let me drink,” as opposed to הגמאיני, “let me sip,” when Eliezer is quoted as speaking to Rivkah, (Genesis 24,38) or the two versions of the commandment to keep the Sabbath in the Ten Commandments no less, i.e. in Yitro it says: זכור for “remember,” whereas in the Book of Deuteronomy, the text of which is attributed to Moses, it says: שמור to express the same commandment, or minor differences such as swearing a false oath which in Yitro is described as לשוא, and in Leviticus 19,12, לשקר, or differences such as לא תחמוד, for “do not covet,” and לא תתאוה, in the version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5,18, are to be viewed as if two sides of the same coin. [My words, Ed.] Both expressions convey the same basic thought. Still another explanation: when Moses said: ומת כל בכור, “and every firstborn will die,” the firstborn of the maidservants rejoiced noting that they are not considered in the eyes of the Jewish G-d from the firstborn of the nobility. When their masters noted their joy, they threw them in a dungeon to teach them a lesson and not to forget their place in the Egyptian hierarchy. As a result they died, while still in the dungeon. In effect what happened is simply that the first born who had been only slaves at the time the plague had been announced had become also prisoners by the time the plague became effective.

וכל בכור בהמה, “and the firstborn of every domestic animal.” If man sinned, what did the animals do that they too had to pay the penalty? The reason the firstborn animals had to die was because the Egyptians had made deities of them. When G’d exacts retribution from a nation, He commences by punishing their livestock first (compare Mechilta Pisscha 13). Our sages Bereshit Rabbah 96,5 explain that just as the worshipers are punished so are those being worshipped.”

The meaning of ומת כל בכור is not simply that the soul of that person would die leaving the body as it had been, but the element which had made that person different from others because he was a firstborn would die with him. In other words there would never again be Egyptians (or even other Gentiles) whose characteristics would include elements of what had been known as the "firstborn" of the people beholden to the powers of the קליפה, the forces of negative virtues. Perhaps this is why no exile ever again assumed the dimensions of the exile in Egypt. G'd had weakened the powers of the קליפה permanently.

אשר אחרי הרחים, “who walks behind the millstones to help grind. When the plague was over the Torah describes these people as having been in a dungeon. This is another example of what we discussed earlier on this page. Some commentators believe that these two verses are actually to be understood as a single verse, i.e. that these lowly slaves performed one kind of task by day and another by night. We find an example of this in the Book of Judges when Shimshon had to perform the task of pushing the millstone by day, whereas at night he was put back into the dungeon and the millstone was placed on to prevent him from escaping. (Judges 16,21.)

I have tried to find a reason why the dying of the firstborn was a necessary prerequisite for the Exodus, as well as why even non-Egyptian firstborn (compare 12,29) had to die if they happened to be in Egypt on that fateful night. The reason is connected to G'd having described Israel as "My firstborn son" (4,22). We have a tradition (Zohar 2, page 263) that whenever G'd created some phenomenon which is clearly recognisable as something good, He also created its counterpart, i.e. something potentially evil at the same time. Every sacred phenomenon in our world is matched by a parallel phenomenon under the control of Satan, or what is known in Kabbalistic parlance "the forces of the קליפה." The latter make every effort to gain dominance over the former. We must therefore understand the forces of the קליפה which represented their firstborn as exerting every effort to frustrate the emigration of the Jewish people from Egypt. These efforts did not cease until G'd had "killed" the firstborn of the powers of the קליפה which opposed His will. What G'd had to do was to eliminate the concept of the firstborn being special, otherwise the relief as a result of the death of the Egyptian firstborn would have been only temporary. When the Torah (12,29) stresses that: "the firstborn of the captive, the firstborn of the maidservant and the firstborn of the animals died," this is in contrast to the firstborn of the Israelites who were subsequently sanctified (Numbers 8,17). The reason this sanctification of the Jewish firstborn became necessary is that G'd had done away with the concept of the firstborn being somebody special at the time He eliminated the firstborn on the night of the 15th of Nissan. Had this not been the case we would not understand why the firstborn of the animals had to die also. In Numbers 8,17 G'd declared that henceforth the firstborn of the Jews would be sacred to Him, i.e. there should no longer be a firstborn associated with the powers of the קליפה. If we find that the Egyptians still engaged in hot pursuit of the Israelites even after the death of the firstborn, this was because they had not yet realised that their former power had vanished. As a result, not a single one of them survived the debacle at the Sea of Reeds.

וכל בכור בהמה “and every firstborn of the domestic animals.” According to Rashi, G-d first punishes a people’s deities and then the people themselves. We see this from Exodus 7,17, where the river Nile, a major deity of the Egyptians was struck before the people suffered as a result of this.

אשר כמוהו לא נהיתה, never had there been such an outcry in any of the nights the Egyptians had known. The reason was that this was not a night during which a battle was being waged against the enemies of the Egyptians, an occasion when there are many outcries in the city, as we know from Tzefaniah 1,10 “a loud outcry from the fish gate and howling from the Mishneh, and a great sound of anguish from the hills. The dwellers of the Machtesh howl.” This was a night during which Egypt was at peace. Never again would there be such an outcry in the midst of peace.

אשר כמוהו לא נהייתה, although we have a mixture of masculine and feminine construction here, this is only one of many such examples in the Torah. Genesis 32,9 המחנה האחת והכהו is just one such example which is well known.

V. 6. Zu den hundertjährigen Misshandlungen, zu dem Töten der jüdischen Kinder hat man geschwiegen. Jetzt wird man schreien. נהיתה: durch etwas hervorgerufen werden.

אשר כמוהו לא נהיתה, “the like of which had never occurred and will never occur again.” [The following is a comment on the grammatical incongruity in this verse where masculine and feminine constructions have been used inconsistently. Ed.] We find this kind of incongruity not only here but also in Leviticus 6,9: והרים ממנו בקומצו, as well as in Leviticus 27,9. Compare also Genesis 32,9. A different explanation: the word כמוהו, does not refer to the outcry of the Egyptians but to the night, לילה, which is masculine also. In chapter 11 verse 4, G-d had said that He would go out during that night. In our verse here the reference is to that night.

לא יחרץ כלב לשנו NO DOG SHALL חרץ HIS TONGUE — I say that it has the meaning of sharpening: “no dog shall whet his tongue”. So, too: (Joshua 10:21) “לא חרץ his tongue against any of the children of Israel”, i. e. “none whetted”; (II Samuel 5:24) “then תחרץ” — then thou shalt utter a sharp sound; (Isaiah 41:15) “a threshing-sledge חרוץ” i. e. sharp; (Proverbs 21:5) “the plans of a חרוץ” — of “an acute and sharp man”; (Proverbs 10:4) “the hand of the חרוצים maketh rich”, i. e. the hand of the acute — of sharp merchants.

ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשונו, "not a single dog will whet his tongue against any Israelite, etc." Why was this so important? If the meaning of the line is that not a single Israelite would die as a result of a bite by a dog, why did the Torah not spell this out?

לא יחרץ כלב, the angel proceeds to afflict and kill the firstborn of the Egyptians. By contrast, the Jewish firstborn did not even have to endure the barking of a dog.

ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשונו, “but against all the Children of Israel not a dog will whet its tongue.” (in preparation to giving the alarm) even though the city was full of corpses and it is the custom of the dogs to howl in the presence of corpses, as well as when they hear people walking at night; in fact there is a popular proverb according to which howling of dogs without visible reason, signifies that the angel of death is about. In spite of all this, on this night in Egypt the dogs kept mum.

לא יחרץ כלב לשונו, “not a dog will whet his tongue.” Looking at the plain meaning of the text the Torah appears to compare the plague of the dying of the firstborn to dogs. This is to teach us that at the time wicked people suffer damage the righteous are saved from suffering such damage. This concept is spelled out in Psalms 91,6 “a thousand shall fall on your left and ten thousand on your right, but it shall not reach you.”

V. 7. חרץ, das verstärkte חרש, die Hartes überwindende Schärfe; auf Geschmack übertragen: der eindringende scharfe Geschmack, חריצי חלב: Käse; auf Menschentätigkeit: der Schwierigkeiten überwindende emsige Fleiß: יד חרוצים die Hand der Fleißigen. Kein Hund wird seine sonst so fleißige Zunge in Bewegung setzen. Bis zum Tier hinab wird nicht nur niemand Israel etwas Leides zufügen, nicht einmal eine wenn auch ohnmächtige feindselige Regung, wie das Anbellen eines Hundes, wird gegen sie rege werden. Bis zum Tier hinab wird alles von stillem Respekt vor dem jüdischen Menschen erfüllt sein. Ganz ähnlich heißt es Josua 10, 21 לא חרץ לבני ישראל לאיש את לשונו, und zwar dort nicht bloß vom Hunde.

ולכל בני ישראל לא יחרץ כלב לשונו, “but not a single dog raised his voice against a single Israelite.” This was the miracle; normally dogs alert their owners to the presence of the angel of death in their midst. In this instance, not one of the watch dogs wagged as much as a tail to warn their owners of danger.

לא יחרץ כלב לשונו, “not a single dog will whet its tongue;” it was customary for the dogs to bellow at midnight as midnight was the time when the watches changed as we know from the Talmud in B’rachot folio 3. When the Israelites made ready to leave, each one with his walking stick in his hand, these watchdogs did not raise their voices in protest and gave no alarm.

אשר יפלה meant THAT HE MAKETH A DIFFERENCE.

A Kabbalistic approach: “what does the whetting of a dog’s tongue have to do with the plague of the dying of the firstborn?” It is a well known fact that the dog is a totally materialistically oriented animal which is never satiated. Isaiah 56,11 confirmed this when he said: “moreover the dogs are greedy; they never know satiety.” The greed of the destroyer (Satan) is similarly never satiated. Proverbs 30,15 describes him as הב, הב, “constantly demanding: “give! give!” Seeing that the animal which died of natural causes as well as the one which was torn by wild beasts (נבלה וטרפה) died due to the power of said “destroyer,” the Torah commanded to throw such carcasses to the dogs (compare Exodus 22,30) so that two species of the same category should meet. This is the mystical dimension of our verse here. Seeing that it is the nature of the dog to constantly attack and cause damage, it was appropriate that just as the celestial destroyer (Satan, the angel of death) did not attack the Jewish firstborn so its terrestrial counterpart would not make any threatening noises either. The tongue is characteristic of the original serpent which inflicted its damage upon the world and upon man by the indiscriminate use of its tongue. This is why the tongue of the dog is singled out by the Torah in this connection.
The most concentrated power of the destroyer is emanated to it by the attribute of Justice which killed all the firstborn of Egypt. This attribute is at its most powerful at midnight. This is why the dying of the firstborn had to occur at midnight. The Torah informs you here by inference that the dogs used to bark halfway through the second משמרת, “watch” (out of a total of three) of the night. In other words, it was customary for the dogs to bark at midnight. This was the time when the angel of death would normally reap its harvest in Egypt. Baba Kama 60 states that when the dogs wail it is a sign that the angel of death has arrived at that time. On the other hand, when the dogs make happy sounds it is proof that the prophet Elijah has arrived in that town (in the absence of bitches). We have a further statement in Berachot 50 that the night watch is to be divided into three sections. During the first watch the donkey brays, a sign of the attribute of Mercy, kindness. (The donkey was never mentioned by name until the advent of Avraham who represents the attribute of loving kindness). During the second watch the dogs bark; this is an allusion to the presence of the attribute of Justice. During the third watch a wife engages in intimate talk with her husband and the infant suckles at the breast of its mother. This is an allusion that this is the time G’d arranges the livelihood for every creature at this hour.
Solomon alluded to this in his famous poem אשת חיל (Proverbs 31,10-31). He wrote (verse 15) “she rose when it is still night and supplied provisions for her household and the daily fare for her maids.” The “infant” mentioned in Berachot is a reference to the universe at large, i.e. G’d’s “infant.” The “breast of its mother” is a reference to the conversation between wife and husband. Our verse here tells us that at the same hour when the dogs were barking at the Egyptians, not a single one barked at an Israelite. The Torah added: “in order that you shall know that Hashem will have differentiated between Egypt and Israel.”

Perhaps we should understand this as an allusion to a well known proverb quoted in Baba Kama 60 that when one hears the dogs bark it is a sign that the angel of death is in town. The Torah wanted to tell us that the angel of death did not cause the death of a single Israelite during that night. The Torah added the detail about the dogs not whetting their tongue against Israel as evidence that they did not even attack a Jew. The reason was "so that you shall know that G'd will make a miraculous distinction between Egypt and between Israel."

The word ולכל may also mean that only where the Jews congregated did the dogs not whet their tongues against them because this would prove that no stranger was amongst them. Wherever Jews and Egyptians would mingle the dogs would most certainly bark as proof that the משחית, the angel of death, was active in that environment. What the Torah revealed then is that no trick would save the Egyptian firstborn. If they decided to hide amongst the Israelites the barking of the dogs would reveal their presence (compare Shemot Rabbah 18,2).

וירדו כל עבדיך AND ALL THY SERVENTS SHALL COME DOWN [UNTO ME] — He showed respect to the king, for as a matter of fact ultimately Pharaoh himself came down to him at night, (Exodus 12:31) “And he said, Arise, go out from the midst of my people”; but Moses did not at the outset say to him, “And thou shalt come down to me and shalt prostrate thyself”, out of respect for the king, (Exodus Rabbah 7:3)

ואחרי כן אצא, I will not leave Egypt at once, as you have requested from me, but afterwards, in the morning.

וירדו כל עבדיך, Even at this point Moses respected royalty, and, when referring to something undignified for a king, instead of describing the indignity as being something the king had to endure, described it as something his servants would have to endure. Let us look at the facts reported in the Torah: While the dying was in progress, the Torah reports Pharaoh as rising from his sleep in 12,30-31 calling in Moses and Aaron and doing exactly what Moses had predicted at the time Pharaoh had expelled him from his presence. (10,29)

וירדו כל עבדיך אלה אלי, “and all these servants of yours will be coming down to me, etc.” According to Rashi, this is a form of courtesy to Pharaoh, as the King. Moses had in mind that Pharaoh would come down to where he lived, but he used a euphemism in order not to sound as if he meant to insult him. Although the Torah had described Moses’ as leaving Pharaoh for the last time in a state of “burning fury”, meaning that he had slapped Pharaoh so that at that point Moses certainly did not treat Pharaoh deferentially, we may accept the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish who says that instead of replying to Pharaoh’s insolent refusal, he slapped Pharaoh. [there are numerous explanations as to what Resh Lakish meant with his statement. Ed.] Others say that Pharaoh had slapped Moses prior to his leaving. [the basic problem is that the Talmud feels that every expression of anger must have a tangible symbol, and here none such has been spelled out. Ed.]

צא אתה וכל העם אשר ברגלך , “leave! You and all the people that follow you.” Moses predicted that prior to his and Israel leaving the land of Egypt Pharaoh himself would have to issue the order to do so. Our verse tells us that when this point would be reached the Israelites would cease being subjects of human masters, i.e. Pharaoh, and begin to become subjects of a higher power, i.e. G’d. This is the reason why this verse is invoked to help women about to become mothers who experience difficulty in giving birth. The power of this verse is very strong. The baby struggling to exit from its mother’s womb is considered like a prisoner in a cell in need to be released from its prison in order to enter the world and study Torah. [If I understand it correctly, the whole verse is part of the name of G’d just as the whole Torah is an elongated name of G’d. By isolating this name (verse) and invoking it on behalf of the baby and its mother G’d is likely to respond to the difficulty experienced by both parties concerned. Ed.]

Together with all the people. Rashi is answering the question: Why should Pharaoh care if only Moshe leaves? Furthermore, even if he leaves with all the people, but they only leave the city to worship and then return, [why should Pharaoh care]? Therefore Rashi [further] explains, “From your land.”

וירדו כל עבדיך, "and all your servants will come down, etc." This was a promise by G'd that the servants referred to would all survive this plague. Perhaps this was because none of them were firstborns and Moses knew this through his prophetic vision. Alternatively, even though some of these servants may have been firstborns, Moses exempted them from the effects of this plague. This was not because of their righteousness but so that they would get their deserts for having been present and silent when Pharaoh used abusive language against Moses and Aaron. The principle of the punishment fitting the crime demanded that these servants would themselves be demeaned when they would beg Moses and Aaron to leave the land in order that not all the Egyptians would die. They would have to ask public forgiveness for their previous conduct. We know that Moses had felt insulted by their behaviour since the Torah told us at the end of this verse that Moses left the palace in a very angry frame of mind. Actually, Moses included Pharaoh himself in his warning that all his servants would get up at night, etc.; he only maintained a degree of respect for Royalty and that is why he did not refer to Pharaoh by name.

V. 8. צא. Auch dieser Ausdruck weist mehr auf ein definitives Fortziehen als auf eine Wiederkehr voraussetzendes in die Wüste gehen, um ein Fest zu feiern.

אשר ברגליך (lit., who are at thy feet) — who go after (follow) thy counsel and ways.

But only after concluding his words. Moshe left after concluding the whole section of “About the time of midnight. . .” Although Pharaoh had told Moshe to leave [earlier], Moshe did not leave.

והשתחוו לי לאמור, "they will bow down to me saying, etc." The reason that Moses said לאמור instead of ויאמרו לי, was that he implied that the mere fact they would prostrate themselves would convey their intent to beg Moses to leave the country with his people. Inasmuch as Moses was superior to them why would he need their permission to leave altogether?

ואחרי כן אצא AND AFTER THAT I WILL GO OUT, with all my people, from thy land.

Because Pharaoh had said to him, “Do not see my face again!” Rashi is answering the question: On the contrary, should not Pharaoh have been angry with Moshe, for warning him and speaking harshly to him? Therefore Rashi explains, “Because he had said to him. . .”

In addition the Torah tells us that the servants treated Moses like a king. Just as it is not customary for a citizen to approach the king and begin to speak without having received permission, Pharaoh's servants prostrated themselves as a sign that they asked for permission to speak. The Torah makes this plain by quoting Moses as saying: "they will bow down to me to say, etc;" the bowing was a form of asking permission to speak. While it is true that the Torah does not report these details as having occurred when the events of that night are described in chapter twelve, the fact that the Torah does report that Pharaoh himself arose during that night is sufficient proof that whatever Moses had predicted did in fact occur.

ויצא מעם פרעה AND HE WENT OUT FROM PHARAOH — After he had concluded his words he went forth from his presence.

בחרי אף IN FIERCENESS OF WRATH because he (Pharaoh) had said to him, (Exodus 10:28) “Do not again see my face.

למען רבות מופתי SO THAT MY WONDERS MAY BE MULTIPLIED (more lit., so that my wonders may be many) — referring not to one wonder alone (the slaying of the firstborn) but to the slaying of the firstborn, the division of the Red Sea and the overthrowing of the Egyptians in it.

AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO MOSES: PHARAOH WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO YOU. It was to be expected that Pharaoh and his servants should dread the plague of the firstborn and be in consternation thereof moreso than for anything that had happened to them — indeed they had previously seen all the words of Moses fulfilled. G-d therefore informed Moses that it is He Who is hardening his [Pharaoh’s] heart, so that His wonders would be multiplied through the plague of the firstborn in both man and beast and the judgments He will execute against their gods.⁹⁴Further, 12:12.
Rashi commented: “So that My wonders may be multiplied. This refers to the slaying of the firstborn, the division of the Red Sea, and the overthrowing of the Egyptians in it.” This explanation is not possible, because of the verse after that which states, And the Eternal hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.⁹⁶Verse 10. This indicates that the expression, that My wonders may be multiplied, which was mentioned in Verse 9, refers only to those wonders which took place before the exodus, as Verse 10 clearly indicates that on account of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart he did not let the people go. It thus cannot refer to the division of the Red Sea and the overthrowing of the Egyptians in it, as these wonders happened after the exodus (Mizrachi).

ויאמר ה' אל משה לא ישמע אליכם פרעה, G’d told him that the reason why Pharaoh would not react positively to Moses’ warning was simply that He, G’d, had stiffened his heart in order to be able to demonstrate more miracles. This was designed to teach both the Egyptians and the Israelites the multi-faceted power of G’d, as well as His goodness, as He had said: “you will know that I am Hashem.” (10,2) Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles in order to fulfill what G’d had wanted to demonstrate through human messengers. Now, that the time had come to punish the Egyptians, not to demonstrate miracles, and to save the Israelites, i.e. at least the ones that deserved being saved, and also to destroy the Egyptian deities, G’d introduces the part the Passover was to play in this end-game. This portion commences with 12,12-13. G’d wanted that the command-ment of the Passover be communicated to the people by both Moses and Aaron so that just as Moses and Aaron both had had a part to play in their confrontation with Pharaoh, they should also have a similar part to play in getting the Israelites to perform the two commandments which would qualify them to take advantage of Pharaoh’s downfall, i.e. their own salvation, the Exodus. Only in this way would Moses and Aaron reap the reward of all their efforts so far.

ויאמר ה׳ אל משה לא ישמע אליכם פרעה, G'd said: "Pharaoh will not listen to you, etc." Perhaps G'd answered a privately held belief by Moses that after Pharaoh would experience this dreadful plague he would not only free the Israelites but not pursue them even when he became aware that they had no intention of returning. This would also explain the use of the future tense by G'd. The reason that Pharaoh would remain obstinate was to give G'd an opportunity to perform still more miracles in the land of Egypt. Compare Mechilta 14 which explains why the word ארץ was needed and it was not enough to speak about מצרים.

לא ישמע אליכם פרעה. This was a refrain which G’d repeated to Moses and Aaron before every plague except the last one.

למען רבות מופתי, “in order to increase the number of My miracles.” Seeing that there was only one plague left to be performed in Egypt, Rashi understands the plural mode moftay” as applying to both the killing of the firstborn and the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and the Egyptians being poured into that sea and drowning. Nachmanides claims that this could not be the meaning here, seeing the Torah concludes by “and he did not release the Israelites from his land.” He explains the meaning of מופתי as meaning that although the plague of the killing of the firstborn was the plague most feared by Pharaoh, and we would have expected him to humiliate himself rather than to maintain his posture, G’d explains that Pharaoh’s attitude was only due to His having strengthened his heart, giving him this unbelievable fortitude. G’d explains to Moses that this will provide Him with the justification to orchestrate more miracles. The plural mode is justified because the plague of killing the firstborn also resulted in the Egyptian deities being destroyed and their livestock similarly experiencing the death of the firstborn.

לא ישמע אליכם פרעה, “Pharaoh is not going to listen to you.” G’d meant that Pharaoh would not even be moved by this warning until the plague would strike him personally.

The killing of the first-born. . . This raises a difficulty: It is written, “In the land of Egypt,” but these wonders were outside of Egypt. (Nachalas Yaakov)

V. 9 u. 10. Diese beiden Verse setzen die Erzählung wieder in den Moment zurück, in welchem die Wundertaten Gottes noch nicht ihr Ziel erreicht hatten und die endlich eintretende Erlösung noch nicht angekündigt war, um, nachdem die Erzählung den Zyklus der Gott offenbarenden Zeichen und Überführungstaten mit seinen Einwirkungen auf Pharao und sein Volk zu Ende geführt, nun auch in den Kreis des jüdischen Volkes einzutreten und die dort geschehenen Vorbereitungen auf die Erlösungsnacht zu berichten. Es ist der Moment nach der Heuschreckplage vor Eintritt der Finsternis, in welchen die Erzählung zurückgreift. Pharao hatte sich endlich zu dem Geständnis gedrungen gefühlt: הטאתי לד׳ אלקיכם ולכם. Allein mit dem Aufhören der Plage war auch diese bessere Regung geschwunden. Pharao blieb in der alten Starrheit und entließ das Volk nicht. Da,

לא ישמע אליכם פרעה, “Pharaoh will pay no heed to you.” You might argue that this contradicts what we read in verses 3031, where Pharaoh and his servants are described as rising in the middle of the night, showing that he certainly did not ignore Moses’ warning. We therefore have to understand our verse here as referring to the entire period during which Moses was “negotiating” the release of the Jewish people. G-d had told Moses already at the burning bush that Pharaoh would not pay heed to his demands or threats. (Exodus 3,19) He had told him at that time that the reason for the lengthy negotiations was to demonstrate to him and his people G-d’s power by orchestrating the plagues.

למען רבות מופתי, “in order to multiply My miracles.” This was a reference to the dying of the firstborn. The reason G’d used the plural, i.e. מופתי, was to include the splitting of the Sea of Reeds which was still to follow.

G'd may also have told Moses that Pharaoh had not yet understood the impact of Moses' prediction, namely, that as of the moment that he and his servants would urge Israel to leave they would be subject to Moses' authority and not to his. G'd did not want him to understand this yet so as to bring more plagues upon Egypt.

Another exegesis of the line: לא ישמע אליכם פרעה. Since I knew in advance that Pharaoh would not heed your warnings I should have smitten him and his people with the last plague at once in order to make good on what you told him that you were afraid that any delay would result .in the Israelites being punished by Me. The reason why instead of you being punished with the sword and pestilence, as you had warned him, is that now I am entitled to punish him with what he had not minded that you would be punished. His obstinacy enabled me to demonstrate My power.

ומשה ואהרן עשו וגו׳ AND MOSES AND AARON DID etc. — It (Scripture) has already written this in the description of all the preceding wonders, and it repeats it here only in order to connect it with the chapter which comes after this (as giving a reason why the commands in the next chapter were given to Aaron as well as to Moses; cf. Rashi’s comment on the following verse).

AND MOSES AND AARON DID ALL THESE WONDERS. These are the wonders mentioned above. Scripture states this now because it completes [the narrative of] all the deeds they did [before Pharaoh], including the decree of the plague of the firstborn of which they already informed Pharaoh, for in the actual slaying of the firstborn, Moses and Aaron had no part.

ומשה ואהרון עשו…ויחזק ה׳ את לב פרעה, Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles in Pharaoh's presence….but G'd hardened the heart of Pharaoh, etc. This verse tells us that in spite of all the miracles Moses had performed, Pharaoh was still not willing to let the Israelites leave, not even conditionally, such as had been proposed in 5,3.

'ויחזק ה, every single time.

ומשה ואהרן עשו את כל המופתים האלה, “and Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles. This verse refers to the miracles which have already been described in detail. The reason this is mentioned here is because Moses and Aaron had completed the task of warning the Egyptians of what would befall them if they did not heed the warnings. Ibn Ezra writes that in light of the fact that G’d had told Moses at the outset that Pharaoh would not respond to warnings or plagues until the last one, and this stage had now been reached, seeing that he had received all the warnings he would ever receive, the Torah reports that Moses and Aaron had carried out all the instructions they had received. If not for the need to write the Passover legislation prior to the Israelites performing those rites, the Torah would have continued with reporting the killing of the firstborn and the departure of the Israelites immediately.

ומשה ואהרן עשו את כל המופתים האלה, “Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles.” This refers to the ten plagues which have been enumerated thus far. They have been summarized under the letters דצ'ך עד'ש באח"ב in the chronological order in which they occurred. They are actually divided into four groups consisting respectively of the four basic raw materials the earth is made of. Blood and Frogs are basically related to water. Actually, seeing that earth had been the most recently created raw material it should have been struck first. Seeing that the earth “drinks” water, G’d decided to produce first plagues which emanated from the water. When water is struck by a plague then indirectly all the four raw materials suffer. The fish in the water which really are an independent detail died as a result of their habitat being stricken. Lice and the wild beasts were manifestations of the earth being struck, the earth being “stronger” (more substantive) than the water. The Torah had reported that earth itself was ruined by the wild beasts roaming all over (8,20). Seeing that Pharaoh remained obstinate, G’d also brought upon him plagues originating in the atmosphere, plagues which attacked people’s bodies. The pestilence attacked primarily the animals, whereas the boils originating in the element fire attacked the humans. The hail and locusts originated in the atmosphere, “air.” The locusts attacked vegetation whereas darkness originated in the atmosphere. The loss of life, i.e. the loss of נשמת רוח חיים occurred as a result of the plague of מכות בכורות.
When the Torah wrote that Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles, how do we reconcile this with the fact that neither Moses nor Aaron had done anything to bring about the plague of wild beasts, the plague of pestilence, or the dying of the firstborn? The word כל, both here and elsewhere does not really mean “all, each one,” but means “most.” The expression “inclining the hand” occurs in connection with seven of the ten plagues; only the three plagues just mentioned did not involve such use of either Moses’ or Aaron’s hand. Even after all the ten plagues had occurred Pharaoh was still not humbled so that G’d was obliged to continue to strengthen his heart as we know from Pharaoh’s pursuit of the Israelites (14,8).

את כל המופתים האלה, “all these miracles.' This refers to the nine plagues that had preceded the killing of the firstborn. G-d’s performing the 10th plague, however, would result in Pharaoh finally heeding all the warnings he had ignored previously. After the dying of the firstborn he will discharge the whole people and their portable belongings.