Pensamento Judaico sobre Êxodo 7:28

The explanation of this is that it was difficult to them that the singular form, "and the frog rose," was written with the frogs. But why, "and there was a louse" (Exodus 8:13), was written with the lice was not difficult to them. As it is the way of lice to gather together; but the way of frogs is not like that. Hence Rabbi Akiva reasoned that they were referred to in the singular because of [their] power to engender frogs and have them swarm. It is about this power that it states, "and the frog rose." But Rabbi Eliezer reasons that it is the power that gathers them together that is called, frog, in the singular. And according to the opinion of Rabbi Akiva, that which is stated (Exodus 7:28), "And the River swarmed frogs" - which implies that the River had the frogs swarm (and not their own power to do so) - that is to say that the River also had them swarm. For if there was no River, this power [intrinsic to the frogs] would not act. And the river is to the frogs like what the ground is to seeds put out by fruit. For if the ground did not give its bounty, the seed could not grow. Here too, the River swarms frogs; nevertheless this thing is through an intermediary power. And it is about [that power intrinsic to the frogs] that it states, "and the frog rose." But according to the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer, "and the frog rose," is said about the power that connects and gathers them together to rise onto the land.

So behold, the first three plagues, blood, frogs, and lice, are in the lower realms. As this is [the case] when the Nile turns into blood (Exodus 7:20); when the Nile swarms with frogs (Exodus 7:28), and the land with lice (Exodus 8:3). Whereas the plague of the mix of animals, the pestilence, and the boils were not at all in the lower realms, but rather with those that dwell on the earth’s surface. For example, the mix of animals dwells on the earth’s surface, as opposed to the frogs and lice which are in the water and the ground. But the mix of animals, which are dangerous wild animals, and the pestilence upon the domesticated animals (Exodus 9:3), and the boils upon man and domesticated animals (Exodus 9:9-10), were all upon animals which are on the earth’s surface. But this is not the case with the first ones, their habitat is not on the [its] surface. As the frogs only live in the water, and the lice only live in the ground, and not on the world’s surface. For swarming creatures that swarm upon the earth (alluding to Genesis 7:21) are not considered living on the earth’s surface; only animals and man, which are not from those which swarm on the earth. But even if the lice were considered as if they were on the Earth’s surface – which is not at all the case – it is inappropriate to call the plague of lice something on the earth’s surface. For behold, the plague was upon the ground, as it is written: Hold out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, etc. (Exodus 8:12)! And the next three are in the sky. For the hail is in the sky, as it is written in the verse (Exodus 9:23); the locusts are from those that surely fly (alluding to Genesis 1:20) in the firmament of the sky; and the darkness was so that the Egyptians could not use the luminaries of the sky. So you see that the next three plagues were in the sky. And afterwards was the plague of the firstborn, which was above everything. For behold, it was upon man’s supernal soul, and the soul has a greater value than the sky. Hence there is an order unique to the plagues of blood, frogs, and lices; an order unique to the plagues of the mix of animals, pestilence, and boils; and an order unique to the plagues of hail, locusts, darkness, and the firstborn.