וְעַתָּ֗ה שְׁלַ֤ח הָעֵז֙ אֶֽת־מִקְנְךָ֔ וְאֵ֛ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְךָ֖ בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה כָּל־הָאָדָ֨ם וְהַבְּהֵמָ֜ה אֲשֶֽׁר־יִמָּצֵ֣א בַשָּׂדֶ֗ה וְלֹ֤א יֵֽאָסֵף֙ הַבַּ֔יְתָה וְיָרַ֧ד עֲלֵהֶ֛ם הַבָּרָ֖ד וָמֵֽתוּ׃
A tak poszlij, schroń bydło twoje, i wszystko co masz na polu; na wszystkich ludzi i na bydło, które się znajdzie w polu, a nie będzie spędzone do domu, spadnie grad i zginą."
Shemot Rabbah
“You shall say to him: The Lord, God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying: Let My people go, and they will serve Me in the wilderness; and, behold, you have not heeded until now. So said the Lord: With this you will know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike with the staff that is in my hand on the water that is in the Nile, and it will be turned into blood” (Exodus 7:16–17).
“You shall say to him: The Lord, God of the Hebrews.… So said the Lord: With this you will know” – this is what is written: “Behold, God is exalted in His power, who is a teacher like Him?” (Job 36:22). It is the way of the world that when a human being seeks to bring harm to his enemy, he brings it upon him suddenly so he will not sense it [is coming]; but the Holy One blessed be He forewarned Pharaoh for each and every plague so he would repent; this is what is written: “With this you will know that I am the Lord”; “Behold, I will strike all your borders with frogs (Exodus 7:27); “send and gather” (Exodus 9:19).13This is the forewarning that preceded the plague of hail.
“On the water that is in the Nile, and it will be turned into blood” – why was the water afflicted first with blood? It is because Pharaoh and the Egyptians worshipped the Nile. The Holy One blessed be He said: I will smite the god first and then his people. This is a folk parable: Smite the gods and the priests will be afraid. Likewise it says: “The Lord will reckon with the host of the high heavens on high,” and after that, [“the kings of the earth upon the earth”] (Isaiah 24:21).
“You shall say to him: The Lord, God of the Hebrews.… So said the Lord: With this you will know” – this is what is written: “Behold, God is exalted in His power, who is a teacher like Him?” (Job 36:22). It is the way of the world that when a human being seeks to bring harm to his enemy, he brings it upon him suddenly so he will not sense it [is coming]; but the Holy One blessed be He forewarned Pharaoh for each and every plague so he would repent; this is what is written: “With this you will know that I am the Lord”; “Behold, I will strike all your borders with frogs (Exodus 7:27); “send and gather” (Exodus 9:19).13This is the forewarning that preceded the plague of hail.
“On the water that is in the Nile, and it will be turned into blood” – why was the water afflicted first with blood? It is because Pharaoh and the Egyptians worshipped the Nile. The Holy One blessed be He said: I will smite the god first and then his people. This is a folk parable: Smite the gods and the priests will be afraid. Likewise it says: “The Lord will reckon with the host of the high heavens on high,” and after that, [“the kings of the earth upon the earth”] (Isaiah 24:21).
Shemot Rabbah
“The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens, and there will be hail throughout the land of Egypt, upon man, upon animal, and upon all the grasses of the field, in the land of Egypt (Exodus 9:22).
“The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens” – that is what is written: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done…” (Psalms 135:6). David said: Even though the Holy One blessed be He decreed: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord and the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16) [it is to be understood in this way]. To what is this matter comparable? It is [comparable] to a king who decreed and said that Romans may not go down to Syria and Syrians may not go up to Rome. Similarly, when the Holy One blessed be He created the world, He decreed and said: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” When He sought to give the Torah, He cancelled the first decree and said: Those below will ascend to those above, and those above will descend to those below, and it is I who begins, as it is stated: “The Lord descended onto Mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:20), and it is written: “To Moses He said: Ascend to God” (Exodus 24:1). That is: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done, in the heavens and on the earth.”
Likewise, when He sought to , He said: “Let the waters be gathered” (Genesis 1:9), and when He sought to act, He made the dry land into sea and the depths, as it is stated: “Who summons the water of the sea” (Amos 5:8; 9:6), and it says: “All the fountains of the great deep burst” (Genesis 7:11). When He sought to do so, he made the sea and the depths into dry land, as it is stated: “And the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:29), and it says: “He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness” (Psalms 106:9). Likewise in Egypt, regarding Moses, who was on the land, He gave him license to control the actions of the heavens, as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens…”
Why did He bring hail upon them? It is because they [the Egyptians] set Israel to be planters of vineyards, gardens, orchards, and trees; therefore He brought hail upon them and broke everything. “Upon man, upon animal” – when the Holy One blessed be He saw that they did not heed His words that He had said to them: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field… will die]” (Exodus 9:19), the Holy One blessed be He said: They deserve that the hail shall fall upon everything.4Since they did not listen to God’s warning.
“The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens” – that is what is written: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done…” (Psalms 135:6). David said: Even though the Holy One blessed be He decreed: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord and the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16) [it is to be understood in this way]. To what is this matter comparable? It is [comparable] to a king who decreed and said that Romans may not go down to Syria and Syrians may not go up to Rome. Similarly, when the Holy One blessed be He created the world, He decreed and said: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” When He sought to give the Torah, He cancelled the first decree and said: Those below will ascend to those above, and those above will descend to those below, and it is I who begins, as it is stated: “The Lord descended onto Mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:20), and it is written: “To Moses He said: Ascend to God” (Exodus 24:1). That is: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done, in the heavens and on the earth.”
Likewise, when He sought to , He said: “Let the waters be gathered” (Genesis 1:9), and when He sought to act, He made the dry land into sea and the depths, as it is stated: “Who summons the water of the sea” (Amos 5:8; 9:6), and it says: “All the fountains of the great deep burst” (Genesis 7:11). When He sought to do so, he made the sea and the depths into dry land, as it is stated: “And the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:29), and it says: “He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness” (Psalms 106:9). Likewise in Egypt, regarding Moses, who was on the land, He gave him license to control the actions of the heavens, as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens…”
Why did He bring hail upon them? It is because they [the Egyptians] set Israel to be planters of vineyards, gardens, orchards, and trees; therefore He brought hail upon them and broke everything. “Upon man, upon animal” – when the Holy One blessed be He saw that they did not heed His words that He had said to them: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field… will die]” (Exodus 9:19), the Holy One blessed be He said: They deserve that the hail shall fall upon everything.4Since they did not listen to God’s warning.
Shemot Rabbah
“Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones” (Exodus 9:27).
“Pharaoh sent” – what he said: “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one [hatzaddik], and I and my people are the wicked ones.” Because the Holy One blessed be He had said to him: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field…will die]” (Exodus 9:19). He [God] acted righteously [tzedaka] with them by warning them, “and I and my people are the wicked ones,” as they disregarded the word of the Lord and left their people and their livestock in the field and they all died.
Entreat the Lord; there has been enough of this mighty thundering and hail, and I will let you go, and you will stay no longer. Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail; so that you will know that the earth is the Lord's (Exodus 9:28-29).
“Entreat the Lord… Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands…” From here [we learn] that Moses did not want to pray in Egypt because it was filthy with idols and abominations.
“And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God” (Exodus 9:30).
“And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” Do not think that I do not know what you are destined to do afterward. Rather, I know that you will not fear the Omnipresent afterward, just as you did not fear Him beforehand. Yet, I will do so [stop the hail], so you will acknowledge the greatness of the Holy One blessed be He.
“Pharaoh sent” – what he said: “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one [hatzaddik], and I and my people are the wicked ones.” Because the Holy One blessed be He had said to him: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field…will die]” (Exodus 9:19). He [God] acted righteously [tzedaka] with them by warning them, “and I and my people are the wicked ones,” as they disregarded the word of the Lord and left their people and their livestock in the field and they all died.
Entreat the Lord; there has been enough of this mighty thundering and hail, and I will let you go, and you will stay no longer. Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail; so that you will know that the earth is the Lord's (Exodus 9:28-29).
“Entreat the Lord… Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands…” From here [we learn] that Moses did not want to pray in Egypt because it was filthy with idols and abominations.
“And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God” (Exodus 9:30).
“And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” Do not think that I do not know what you are destined to do afterward. Rather, I know that you will not fear the Omnipresent afterward, just as you did not fear Him beforehand. Yet, I will do so [stop the hail], so you will acknowledge the greatness of the Holy One blessed be He.