출애굽기 10:13의 주석

ורוח הקדים THE EAST WIND — It was an east wind that brought the locusts because that came (blew) from the direction opposite to it (to Egypt), since Egypt was in the south-west, relative to Palestine, as it is explained in another place (Numbers 34:3).

ורוח הקדים נשא את הארבה, “and this easterly wind carried the locusts.” Seeing that an east wind is a blast of hot air, as we know from Jonah 4,8, where the effect of this hot easterly wind on Jonah’s state of mind is described, and it is the custom of locusts always to make their appearance when it is hot, as we already know from the prophecy of Nachum 3,17 מנזריך כארבה וטפסריך כגוב גבי החונים בגדרות, ביום קרה שמש זרחה ונודד ולא נודע מקומו אים, “Your guards were like locusts, your marshals like piles of hoppers which settle on the stone fences on a chilly day; when the sun comes out, they fly away and nobody knows where they are.” When G’d would want the plague to disappear, all He had to do was to command a west wind to that region.

וה' נהג רוח קדים, “and G’d guided an easterly wind, etc.” As on previous occasions, the letter ו at the beginning of the name of G’d is an allusion to the celestial tribunal working together with G’d. An easterly wind is perceived as a forerunner to disaster striking on earth. We find that wind in evidence in 14,21 prior to the Egyptians drowning in the sea after the sea had been split to allow the Israelites to cross safely. Jeremiah 18,17 wrote concerning the surviving tribes of Yehudah and Binyamin “I will scatter them in front of the enemy like an easterly wind.” Concerning the other ten tribes (prior to their exile) Hoseah 13,15 writes: “a blast of the easterly wind from the Lord will come blowing up from the desert and it will dry up its fountain and his spring will be parched.” Describing Israel going into exile, Isaiah 27,8 writes: “assailing them wih fury unchained, His pitilesss blast of the easterly wind bore them off on a day of gale.” There are more such quotes to be found in the Bible pertaining to an association between an easterly wind and disaster.

V. 13. בארץ durch die Erde hin, um von überall her die vorhandenen Heuschrecken herbeizuführen.

רוח קדים, “an east wind.” It is called קדים, as this is where the sun begins its daily route; this is also why west is called אחור, “hindmost,” as this is where the sun completes its daily route.

Moshe stretched out his rod. Hashem honored Moshe by saying that the locusts would come through the extension of Moshe’s hand (see v. 12) and Moshe reciprocated the honor by extending the rod of Hashem.

הבוקר היה ורוח הקדים נשא את הארבה, “when it had become morning, the easterly wind had carried the locusts.” The easterly wind brought disaster with it, whereas a westerly wind removed disaster. This is why the Torah wrote (verse 19) Hashem turned back a powerful west wind; it carried the locusts away toward the sea and spewed it out there. The reason the Torah had spoken about “it was morning,” is an allusion to the fact that usually disaster strikes the wicked in the morning. We have scriptural support for this from Psalms 101,8: “each morning I (G’d) will destroy all the wicked of the land.” When Moses predicted the disaster which would strike Korach and his fellow rebels, he said (Numbers 16,5) “in the morning G’d will make known who is His and who is holy.” We also find that the salvation of the righteous occurs in the morning such as in Exodus 34,2 where G’d told Moses to be ready in the morning to ascend the mountain and to receive the replacement of the first set of tablets which he had smashed. Isaiah 33,2 also speaks of salvation for the righteous in the morning when he writes: ”be their arm every morning, also our deliverance in time of stress.” Lamentations 3,23 also refers to G’d’s mercies being renewed every morning and His grace being ample.