9:24 “ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד, כבד מאוד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל מצרים מאז היתה לגוי”
“There was hail, and fire blazing inside the hail, very heavy such as had never been in the entire land of Mitzrayim, from the time it became a nation.” Rashi tells us that there was fire blazing inside the hail – this was a miracle within a miracle. The fire and hail were intermingled, and although the hail is made of water, and fire and water by nature do not coexist, yet to perform the will of their Creator, they made peace between themselves. What exactly was the miracle within a miracle, and why did Hakodosh Boruch Hu create this miracle within a miracle? The following Divrei Torah will expound on this topic, and support the P’shat offered in the closing paragraph.
חכמת התורה - 9:24
“ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד, כבד מאוד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל מצרים מאז היתה לגוי” – The Midrash says that the fire in the middle of the hail can be compared to two parts of the same army who are rivals to each other. When the king needs them to go to battle for him, they make peace and go do the king’s bidding. So too here, the hail and fire made peace with each other, and worked in tandem to fulfill the Ratzon Hashem. Hakodosh Boruch Hu performed this miracle to be Meramez that here Klal Yisroel were Zoche to this Makkah through two Middos; the Midas Harachamim and the Midas Hadin – the Midas Hadin turned to Rachamim for Klal Yisroel – the Mitzriyim were afflicted and Klal Yisroel were not. It is known that fire represents Din, and water represents Rachamim – they were working in tandem here. The fire and water made peace Above, representing that the Midas Hadin and Midas Harachamim were working together.
ר' יעקב קניזל - 9:24
“ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד, כבד מאוד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל מצרים מאז היתה לגוי” – “There was hail, and fire blazing inside the hail, very heavy such as had never been in the entire land of Mitzrayim, from the time it became a nation.” The Torah already said in the previous Posuk, “וד' נתן קולות וברד ותהלך אש ארצה”, thus what is the Torah adding in this Posuk by saying that there was hail and fire blazing inside the hail. Rashi answers this question and explains that this Posuk is telling us of a second miracle, as this was a miracle within a miracle. Not only was there hail and fire coming down from the heavens, but that the hail and fire were completely mixed together. This is completely contrary to nature, as the fire should melt the hail, and the hail should put out the fire.
ר' יצחק אייזיק חבר – 9:23,24
“ויט משה את מטהו על השמים וד' נתן קולות וברד ותהלך אש ארצה, וימטר ד' ברד על מצרים. ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד כבד מאוד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל ארץ מצרים מאז היתה לגוי” – This Makkah was to demonstrate that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is the Supreme Ruler over the entire world. There are many fools who believe that there cannot be one being that has the power over the two opposite powers, good and bad, and to utilize them simultaneously. This was proven through Makkas Barad, as the Posuk says, “ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד” –there was hail and fire within it. The fire and water were mixed together in their performance of the Rotzon Hashem. It is known that fire represents the Midas Hadin, and water represents the Midas Hachesed, and they both came to terms that they would serve Hakodosh Boruch Hu despite acting against their nature. The Makkah of Barad was Midah K’neged Midah against the Mitzriyim. Yaakov Avinu came down to Mitzrayim, and because of him the hunger stopped in Mitzrayim. Yosef Hatzaddik supported the Mitzriyim during the years of the great famine. The Mitzriyim then took their descendants and enslaved them. Thus, Midah K’neged Midah, the Makkos of Barad and Arbeh came and destroyed all of their grain, fruits, and fields, so that they were lacking in sustenance. (Just as the Mitzriyim were ungrateful to Yaakov and Yosef, and enslaved their descendants, so too, Hakodosh Boruch Hu took away their sustenance en-route to Klal Yisroel being redeemed from Mitzrayim).
ר' שמשון רפאל הירש – 9:24
“ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד, כבד מאד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל ארץ מצרים מאז היתה לגוי” – “There was hail, and fire self-contained in the middle of the hail. It was very severe, the likes of which had never been in the land of Mitzrayim since it had become a nation.” The fire remained self-contained within the hailstorm; otherwise, the hail would have melted.
ספורנו - 9:24
“ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד, כבד מאד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל ארץ מצרים מאז היתה לגוי” – “There was hail, and fire self-contained in the middle of the hail. It was very severe, the likes of which had never been in the land of Mitzrayim since it had become a nation.” The forceful thrust of the hail enflamed the atmosphere causing thunder. The forceful movement was so great that it damaged the soft as well as the hard, as the following Posuk says that the hail smote every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.
תוספות השלם – 9:23
“וד' נתן קולות” – The sound of the thunder was heard throughout the world, like the Gematria of the word “נתן” – 500. The Gemara in Pesachim 94b says that it would take 500 years to travel the world, thus when the Posuk says, “נתן קולות” – it is saying that the sound of the thunder went, “נתן” – through the 500 years – meaning that its sound was heard throughout the entire world.
ספורנו - 9:23
“ויט משה את מטהו על השמים וד' נתן קולות וברד ותהלך אש ארצה, וימטר ד' ברד על ארץ מצרים” – “Moshe stretched his staff toward the sky, and Hashem had already sent thunder and hail, and continuous fire ran down to the ground, Hashem caused hail to rain on the land of Mitzrayim.” And fire ran down to the ground – the enflamed air came down to the earth through the forceful thrust, movement, of the hail which pressed upon it as descended. Fire generally goes upward; however by Makkas Barad, the fiery air was forced downward by the impact of the strong hail.
גור אריה - 9:24
“ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד, כבד מאוד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל מצרים מאז היתה לגוי” – The water did not extinguish the fire and the fire did not evaporate the water. Rashi explains that this was the second miracle – the miracle within the miracle. The first miracle was the hailstorm itself, which was of unprecedented intensity. The second miracle was that the water did not extinguish the fire and the fire did not evaporate the water.
בעל הטורים – 9:24
“ואש מתלקחת” – This phrase can be found twice in the Torah, here and in Yechezkel 1:4 “ואש מתלקחת ונגה לו סביב” – “flashing fire and a brilliance surrounding it.” Here too, fire was within the hailstone, and sparks radiated from it and shone. This is the meaning of a brilliance surrounding it.
רש"י – 9:22
“ויאמר ד' אל משה נטה את ידך על השמים ויהי ברד בכל ארץ מצרים, על האדם ועל הבהמה ועל כל עשב השדה בארץ מצרים” – “And Hashem said to Moshe: Stretch out your hand toward the heavens and there will be hail in the entire land of Mitzrayim, on man and animal, and on all the grass of the field in the land of Mitzrayim.” ‘Towards the heavens” means in the direction of the heavens. The Midrash says that this means that Hakodosh Boruch Hu raised Moshe “על השמים” - above the heavens.
תרומת הדשן – 9:22
“ויאמר ד' אל משה נטה את ידך על השמים ויהי ברד בכל ארץ מצרים” – The Midrash Aggadah explains this to mean that Hakodosh Boruch Hu raised Moshe above the heavens. This means that Moshe Rabbeinu was given an added Ma’alah, that he ruled over the heavens. The previous Makkos showed strength through matters of land, water, and their legions. While they were great miracles, we know that “הארץ נתן לבני האדם” (Tehillim 115:6) the earth was given to man. Thus, those were miracles performed within the realm of what man was already given, the earth. However, this miracle, the Barad coming down from Shomayim, was a new level of showing control from Above.
רבינו מנחם – 9:24
“ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד, כבד מאוד אשר לא היה כמהו בכל מצרים מאז היתה לגוי” – The Posuk says that the Barad was, “כבד מאוד” – very heavy – meaning that there was more hail than fire.
רבינו אברהם בן הרמב"ם – 9:23
“ויט משה את מטהו על השמים וד' נתן קלת וברד ותהלך אש ארצה” – “קלת” – This is thunder, however it was a wondrous thunder that was not what thunder was known as – this was very different.
שמות רבה – 12:4
“וד' נתן קולות וברד” – “And Hashem sent thunder and hail.” Any place where the Posuk states, “And Hashem,” it refers to Hashem and His celestial court. In Bereishis 21:1 it says, “וד' פקד את שרה” – “And Hashem remembered Sarah” – which means that Hashem and His ministers remembered Sarah. So too here, “וד' נתן קולות וברד ” – “And Hashem sent thunder and hail,” means that Hashem and His ministers were responsible for the plague of hail.
אשד הנחלים – 12:4
“ובית דינו של מעלה” – The Midrash tells us that when the Posuk says, “וד'” – it means Hashem and His Bais Din. When the Midrash says, וד' – the ו' refers to “בית דין” - to the Midas Hadin of Hakodosh Boruch Hu, while the ד' - the Shem Havayah refers to the Midas Harachamim. Thus, when the Posuk says, “וד' פקד את שרה” that Hakodosh Boruch Hu remembered Sarah, it means that both the Midas Harachamim and according to the Midas Hadin, Sarah was deserving of having a child – Yitzchok. Similarly, when the Posuk says here, “וד' נתן קולות וברד” – that it was both the Midas Harachamim and Midas Hadin of Hakodosh Boruch Hu that the Mitzriyim should be afflicted with thunder and hail.
שמות רבה – 12:4
“ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד” – “There was hail, and fire flaming amid the hail.” The fire together with the hail constituted a miracle within a miracle. There is a Machlokes between Rebbe Yehudah and Rebbe Nechemia as to what it means that the fire was amid the hail. One said that it means that the hail encased the fire like a reddish translucent membrane of a pomegranate, whose seed can be seen from within. The other one said that the hail and the fire were mixed, like the lantern in which water and oil mix together, and the flame burns from within both of them. Moshol – There were two legions within the same army who were fierce rivals, and were perpetually fighting with each other. The time came for them to fight for the king’s war. The king made peace between them, and acting together, they carried out the king’s mission. So too, fire and hail are generally hostile to each other. However, once the time of war against Mitzrayim arrived, Hakodosh Boruch Hu made peace between them and they struck Mitzrayim together.
יפה תואר – Shemos Rabbah 12:4
“עשו הקב"ה שלום ביניהם” – The two parts of the armies that generally were rivals, they put aside their rivalry and fought together on behalf of the king, for they were both subservient to the king. Similarly, the fact that fire and ice put aside their natural conflict to fulfill the Ratzon of Hashem – to fulfill His mission, demonstrates their complete subservience to Him.
Now we can understand what the miracle within a miracle was, and why Hakodosh Boruch Hu performed it. There is something which we call nature. It is the system that Hakodosh Boruch Hu placed in this world, and there are basic laws which it follows. Hakodosh Boruch Hu created those laws, and He can go outside of those laws whenever He chooses. Fire and ice do not mix according to the laws of nature. However, when it comes to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, there are no restrictions of nature. The fire and ice came together for the Ratzon Hashem, which superseded their natural tendencies. The first miracle that occurred was that there was hail and fire that fell upon the land of Mitzrayim – that which was contrary to nature. Then, on top of that, the hail and fire fell together, the fire within the hail – and they worked in tandem and not against each other. This was a sign that Hakodosh Boruch Hu does not work within the confines of nature. There is also a deeper lesson which can be learned from here. The fire represents the Midas Hadin, and the water represents the Midas Harachamim. Many in the world believed that they were two separate powers, from two separate sources. In fact, we all know, that it is all one – it is all from Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Hakodosh Boruch Hu can unleash the Midas Hadin at the same time as the Midas Harachamim. While here, by the Makkah of Barad, it was more of a Remez, at Krias Yam Suf this became clear to all. While Hakodosh Boruch Hu was employing the Midas Harachamim and saving Klal Yisroel, simultaneously, He was employing the Midas Hadin and killing the Mitzriyim. Hakodosh Boruch Hu was showing Klal Yisroel His great love for them, that although the Midas Hadin was alive and active, He treated them with the Midas Harachamim and saved them. We must reciprocate that love to Hakodosh Boruch Hu and seek to truly be one with Him.
