וַאֲנִ֥י אַקְשֶׁ֖ה אֶת־לֵ֣ב פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְהִרְבֵּיתִ֧י אֶת־אֹתֹתַ֛י וְאֶת־מוֹפְתַ֖י בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
И я ожесточу фараона'сердце мое, и умножь знамения Мои и чудеса Мои на земле Египетской.
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Exod. 29:1:) AND THIS IS THE THING WHICH YOU SHALL DO TO THEM. To them you shall do it and not to others.43Tanh., Exod. 8:13. He began to teach them how they would keep <themselves> in a state of purity and eat the sacrifices, how they would immerse and eat the priestly share. (Ibid., cont.:) TO SANCTIFY THEM FOR SERVING ME (li) AS PRIESTS. R. Mani said in the name of R. Eliezer: Wherever TO ME (li) is stated, <it means> "forever and forevermore."44Cf. above, Exod. 7:3; below, Numb. 3:20; Tanh., Exod. 7:3. The first-born < remains > forever, since it is stated (in Numb. 3:13 = 8:17): FOR ALL THE FIRST-BORN ARE MINE (li). Silver and gold <remain> forever, since it is stated (in Hag. 2:8): THE SILVER IS MINE (li), AND THE GOLD IS MINE (li). The kingship <remains> forever, since it is stated (in I Sam. 16:1): FOR I HAVE CHOSEN A KING FOR MYSELF (li) AMONG HIS (Jesse's) SONS. The land <remains> forever, since it is stated (in Lev. 25:23): FOR THE LAND BELONGS TO ME (li). Israel <remains> forever, since it is stated (in Lev. 25:55): FOR TO ME (li) THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL <ARE SERVANTS>. The Levites <remain> forever, since it is stated (Numb. 3:12): AND THE LEVITES SHALL BE MINE (li). The priesthood <remains> forever, since it is stated (Exod. 29:1): FOR SERVING ME (li) AS PRIESTS.
Midrash Tanchuma
And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, etc. (Exod. 7:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: Moses, you shall speak, and I will bring the plague. Moreover, He stated, in this world I will obtain retribution from the Egyptians through the ten plagues, but in the future I will obtain retribution for you from Gog and Magog, as it is said: And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; I will cause to rain upon him, and upon his bands and upon the many peoples that are with him, an overflowing shower (Ezek. 38:22).
Shemot Rabbah
“The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron: Take for you handfuls of soot of the furnace, and Moses will throw it heavenward before the eyes of Pharaoh” (Exodus 9:8).
“The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron: Take for you handfuls of soot of the furnace” – a great miracle was performed with the boils, as both Moses and Aaron took their handfuls, and Moses’s hand held his handful and Aaron’s handful; from here, a small area can have a large capacity.6If God wills it.
This plague came upon them through the Holy One blessed be He, Moses, and Aaron, as both Moses and Aaron took the soot of the furnace, and Moses threw it heavenward, and the Holy One blessed be He transformed it into boils above, and it fell upon them.
“It will become dust over the entire land of Egypt, and will be boils erupting into blisters upon man and upon animal, throughout the land of Egypt” (Exodus 9:9).
“It will become dust over the entire land of Egypt” – why did He bring boils upon them? It is because they tasked Israel to heat hot water for them and to cool cold water for them;7The Israelites prepared water for them to bathe. therefore they were afflicted with boils so they would be unable to touch their bodies.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A great miracle was performed with the boils, as when a person shoots an arrow upward it does not travel one hundred cubits, and Moses threw a handful of the soot of a furnace, which lacks substance, and Moses threw it heavenward and it reached the Throne of Glory. Another miracle was performed with the boils, that what Moses’s hand held was two handfuls. Another miracle was performed with the boils: When a person scatters a kav of dust, it scatters only four cubits, but Moses took a handful8A handful is considerably less than a kav. and scattered it throughout the land of Egypt.
“The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron: Take for you handfuls of soot of the furnace” – a great miracle was performed with the boils, as both Moses and Aaron took their handfuls, and Moses’s hand held his handful and Aaron’s handful; from here, a small area can have a large capacity.6If God wills it.
This plague came upon them through the Holy One blessed be He, Moses, and Aaron, as both Moses and Aaron took the soot of the furnace, and Moses threw it heavenward, and the Holy One blessed be He transformed it into boils above, and it fell upon them.
“It will become dust over the entire land of Egypt, and will be boils erupting into blisters upon man and upon animal, throughout the land of Egypt” (Exodus 9:9).
“It will become dust over the entire land of Egypt” – why did He bring boils upon them? It is because they tasked Israel to heat hot water for them and to cool cold water for them;7The Israelites prepared water for them to bathe. therefore they were afflicted with boils so they would be unable to touch their bodies.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A great miracle was performed with the boils, as when a person shoots an arrow upward it does not travel one hundred cubits, and Moses threw a handful of the soot of a furnace, which lacks substance, and Moses threw it heavenward and it reached the Throne of Glory. Another miracle was performed with the boils, that what Moses’s hand held was two handfuls. Another miracle was performed with the boils: When a person scatters a kav of dust, it scatters only four cubits, but Moses took a handful8A handful is considerably less than a kav. and scattered it throughout the land of Egypt.