Midrash su Esodo 9:16

And it came to pass in the middle of the night, that the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt (Exod. 12:29). The Creator of the night divided the night precisely. The Lord smote all the first born. It was the Lord Himself who smote the firstborn and not His emissary (Moses). In fact, even though a man was elsewhere, and his firstborn was in Egypt, he died. How do we know that the firstborn of the Cuthites, Puthites, and Ludites were also slain? It is said: And smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham (Ps. 78:51).⁸Ham was the ancestor of Cush, Put, and Lud (Gen. 10:15). Only the firstborn of the Pharaoh remained alive in fulfillment of the verse However, it was for this that I raised you up (Exod. 9:16). And Ba’al Saphon was the only idol remaining, to mislead them, in fulfillment of the verse He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them (Job 12:23). Unto the firstborn of the captives (Exod. 12:29). Why were the firstborn of the captives punished? Because they had rejoiced in the decrees promulgated against Israel. Hence it is written: He that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished (Prov. 17:5). You must not be of the opinion that only the captives reacted in that manner, for the slaves and handmaidens did likewise, as is said: Even unto the firstborn of the maidservants that is behind the mill (Exod. 11:5); that is, even those who were legally bound to the millers. Even their firstborn cattle were destroyed lest the people assert: “Our deities are powerful, and that is why punishment was imposed upon them (and not upon us).”

(Exod. 31:18:) WHEN HE HAD FINISHED <SPEAKING WITH HIM ON MOUNT SINAI, > HE THEN GAVE UNTO MOSES. Rav Huna said: Resh Laqish said: Just as the bride adorns herself in twenty-four ornaments; so a wise student needs to be versed in twenty-four books (of the Bible).³¹Tanh., Exod. 9:16; Exod. R. 41:5. R. Levi said: What (in Exod. 31:18) is the meaning of WHEN HE HAD FINISHED (rt.: KLH)? Just as the bride (KLH) secludes herself all the time that she is in her father's house so that no one knows her, <and only> when she is about to enter the wedding canopy, does she reveal her face, saying: Whoever knows of testimony against me, let him come and testify against me; so a wise student must be modest like a bride and be famous³²mefursemet, rt.: PRSM; cf. Gk.: parresia (“outspokenness”). through his good deeds like the bride who is famous. (Exod. 31:18:) AS UNTO HIS BRIDE,³³So the midrash interprets WHEN HE HAD FINISHED (KKLWTW). HE THEN GAVE UNTO MOSES.

[(Exod. 31:18:) WHEN HE HAD FINISHED <SPEAKING WITH HIM ON MOUNT SINAI,> HE THEN GAVE UNTO MOSES <THE TWO TABLETS OF THE TESTIMONY>.] R. Abbahu said: The whole forty days that Moses spent on high, he was learning Torah and forgetting it.³⁴Tanh., Exod. 9:16; Exod. R. 41:6; Ned. 38a. Moses said to him: Sovereign of the World, here I have <spent> forty days, and I do not know anything! What did the Holy One do when he had completed the forty days? He gave him the Torah as a gift. HE THEN GAVE UNTO MOSES.