Comentário sobre Êxodo 9:29

כצאתי את העיר — This is the same as מן העיר [AS SOON AS I AM GONE OUT] FROM THE CITY. But he did not pray within the city because it was full of idols (Exodus Rabbah 12:5).

AS SOON AS I AM GONE OUT OF THE CITY, I WILL SPREAD FORTH MY HANDS UNTO THE ETERNAL. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, it is possible to say that [on other occasions] Moses prayed in his house, [which was within the city]. However, this time He saw fit that his hands be spread heavenward so that the thunders and the hail cease immediately, and that was impossible to be done in the city [because it was replete with idols]. Hence he said, As soon as I am gone out of the city. And so it is said further on, And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread forth his hands.²²²Verse 33. But at first, [i.e., during the plague of swarms], Moses said to Pharaoh, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the Eternal,²²³Above, 8:25. [for as soon as he left the palace he went to his house in the city and prayed].
But our Rabbis have said²²⁴Mechilta Introduction, and quoted further on (12:1) by Rashi. that Moses “did not pray within the city because it was full of idols, and all the more He did not converse with him except outside the city.” If so, we must say that since Pharaoh now pleaded with Moses that he remove the hail immediately,²²⁵Verse 28. Moses found it necessary to explain to him that he must go out of the city first and after that he will spread forth his hands to the Eternal, and He will remove it on account of his prayer. This is the true explanation.

כצאתי את העיר, even though you have said to me that you have endured already enough of this the plague will not cease until I have left the boundaries of the capital and only then הקולות יחדלון והברד לא יהיה עוד למען תדע כי לה' הארץ, all of these phenomena will occur simultaneously, in contrast to the natural order of things. This will not happen as a result of My thinking that you have already become a penitent, regretting his sins; on the contrary your education has not yet been completed, ידעתי כי טרם תיראון, I am fully aware that you still do not relate to the Creator with reverence and awe.

The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail: However it didn't say about the thunder that it will be no more, because it will be by matan torah.

והברד לא יהיה עוד, "and the hail will cease to be, etc." No new hail will fall, whereas the hail which had descended already will cease to be. Moses' promise was essentially what is described in verse 33, i.e. that the hail and rain stopped in mid-air. According to an aggadah in Berachot 54 the function of that hail which was arrested in mid-air was completed in the days of Joshua when the latter was engaged in the conquest of the land of Canaaan (Joshua 10,11) when hail stones fell on Israel's adversaries.

כצאתי את העיר, “when I will leave the city, etc.” According to Nachmanides, normally Moses prayed in his house when calling upon G’d to stop the plague. Seeing that on this occasion he wanted to spread out his hands in prayer towards heaven imploring G’d to stop the hail, the thunder and rain immediately, this kind of prayer could not have been offered inside the city which was so full of the abominations that the Egyptians worshipped. Our sages say that Moses always prayed outside the city, period. The only reason that the Torah mentions this specifically at this point was that Pharaoh demanded an immediate prayer with immediate consequences. The Torah therefore had to explain that all of this could not occur immediately, in the strict meaning of the term, as Moses first had to leave town in order to pray to G’d. Some commentators understand the words כצאתי את העיר as meaning: ”when I leave your presence in order to go back to the city, etc.”

Because it was full of idols. [A question arises:] During the plagues of frogs and wild beasts, Egypt was also full of idols. Assumedly, Moshe did not pray in the city. Why did it not say there, “When I leave the city”? The answer is: With those plagues, Moshe was praying for [it to stop] the next day. Since he had plenty of time, it was not necessary to tell Pharaoh, “When I leave the city.” But here Pharaoh said, “There has been enough of Hashem’s thunder and hail,” and requested that the hail stop before reaching earth. Thus Moshe should not have tarried, and needed to explain to Pharaoh: “[I will pray] when I leave the city,” but not in the city. (Nachalas Yaakov)

V. 29. כף: die gebogene, etwas fassende Hand. Die ausgebreitete Hand ist stets der Ausdruck der Hilfslosigkeit, die nichts zu fassen und sich an nichts zu halten hat. — כצאתי: die Stadt war voller Götterbilder, darum hat wohl Mosche immer nur außerhalb derselben Gott für Pharao angerufen, damit es nicht scheine, er wende sich an einen der ägyptischen Götter. Auch das הנה אנכי יוצא מעמך Kap. 8. 25 heißt wohl: zur Stadt hinaus. Allein dort, wo das Aufhören der Plage erst den andern Tag eintreten sollte, war es nicht nötig, dies ausdrücklich zu bemerken. Hier aber, wo Pharao das sofortige Aufhören wünschte, musste ihm Mosche bemerken, dass er erst zur Stadt hinausgehen werde. Pharao konnte daher die dazu erforderliche Zeit berechnen und erkennen, dass sofort auf Mosche Bitte das Wetter aufhöre. Bemerken wir, dass nicht nur und nicht so sehr das Kommen der Plage, als deren Aufhören nach göttlichem Willen das bedeutendste אות der göttlichen Allmacht bildet. Die allgewaltigste Offenbarung der produktiven, schaffenden Macht dürfte auch jetzt noch den Völkern die reine Vorstellung des jüdischen Gottes nicht bringen, dürfte ihn höchstens als höchste Kraft aller Kräfte, höchste Macht aller Mächte offenbaren. Der jüdische Gottesgedanke ist der, der Gott als freien Herrn über sein Werk erscheinen lässt, dem sein Werk nicht über den Kopf wächst. In der Nichtfortdauer der Plage auf Gottes Geheiß, in ihrer Negation und angewiesenen Geschiedenheit zwischen Ägypten und Goschen, darin vor allem zeigt sich Gott. Kein anderes Wesen kann die einmal entfesselten Elemente wieder bezwingen. Der Jude feiert so den letzten Schöpfungstag, den Schabbat, die nichtjüdische Welt in gedankenlosem Gegensatz den Sonntag, den ersten. Die Anschauung, die die Welt aus Naturkräften hervorgehen lässt, kann wohl vielleicht den Sonntag, nie aber den tatsächlichen Schabbat der Schöpfung erklären. Warum dauert die Schöpfung neuer Geschöpfe nicht fort? Es sind ja dieselben schaffenden Kräfte noch vorhanden? Darum den Schabbat, wo שבת, mit welchem das Schaffen aufhörte, und nicht die Tage der Schöpfung hat Gott zum Denkmal des Schöpfers gesetzt. —

כצאתי את העיר, “as soon as I leave the capital, etc.” The reason why Moses had to pray more in order to stop the plague of hail than any of the other plagues, that the Torah had written that the G–d fearing people had taken his advice (verse 20) and had been saved. The Torah had stated that the capital was full of beasts which served the Egyptians as deities. Had Moses raised his hands in prayer in the capital this might have been misunderstood as his praying

כצאתי את העיר, “as soon as I leave the boundaries of the city;” seeing that earlier the Torah had written (verse 19) that anyone who will still be found outdoors will become a target for the hail, now, at the time when the plague was in full swing, the people might say that Moses was afraid to venture outside on account of that hail, Moses announces that he will open his hands in prayer as soon as he is beyond the borders of the city, and that the hail will not stop him from leaving the city. An alternate explanation for this phrase: Moses announces that as soon as he leaves the palace to go into the city, he will spread out his hands in prayer while inside the city. This is also what the Torah reports in verse 33: ויצא משה מעם פרעה את העיר וגו', “as soon as Moses left the presence of Pharaoh and went into the city, etc;”Yet another explanation: according to the plain meaning of the text the plague of hail was far stronger in the fields than in the city, [as there were no trees and grain fields inside the city to destroy, Ed.]. Moses said that he would leave the city to observe the damage caused by the hail and will then begin his prayer as necessary.

למען תדע, "so that you will realise, etc." Moses told Pharaoh that he did not pray for Pharaoh in order that he should release the Israelites from bondage, he did not believe Pharaoh's assurances. The only reason he prayed was so that Pharaoh would acquire greater respect for the power of G'd.

חדל יחדלון, verwandt mit חתל: Bewegung hemmendes Einwickeln, daher חדל: eine Tätigkeit, Bewegung, unterlassen: aufhören.