The first seven makkot inflicted on Mitzrayim are found in our Parsha. As we’ve discussed in previous weeks and years, the vav hachibur (connecting vav) at the start of Sefer Shemot plays a role here. At the Brit Bein Ha’betarim, Hakadosh Baruch Hu told Avraham Avinu that his children would be oppressed in a foreign land for four-hundred years. Throughout the rest of Sefer Bereshit, however, there was no such oppression and Bnei Yisrael were not servants nor oppressed. That opening act of Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s pledge only began in last week’s Parsha when the new Pharoah began to oppress the people and their suffering increased until the initial steps of Geula were triggered by their cries. In essence, Brit Bein Ha’betarim officially began in Sefer Bereshit, but was only put into enactment at the start of Sefer Shemot, thus connecting the two books. The next phase of the covenant – וֹי אֲ שׁ ֶ ר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּ ן אָ נֹכִ י וְ גַם אֶ ת הַ ג – begins in this week’s Parsha, with the introduction of judgement, via plagues, being executed on the oppressing nation.
Why were ten makkot chosen as their form of punishment? Why was a diverse array of punishments needed rather than one single infliction, and why a total of ten?
Chazal, in the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah, Tanchuma, Yalkut Shimoni, Tanna Debei Eliyahu Rabbah), go through the makkot, explaining their significance and why each was deserved by the Egyptians in a manner of מִ דָּ ה כְּ נֶ גֶ ד מִ דָּ ה – measure for measure. Tanna debei Eliyahu Rabbah explains:
- דָּם – Blood: Inflicted because the Egyptians did not permit the daughters of Bnei Yisrael to bathe and observe תּ ַ ה ֲ רַ ת ה ַ מּ ִ שׁ ְ פּ ָ ח ָ ה (family purity) fearing they’d have more children and Bnei Yisrael would quickly multiply.
- צְפַרְדֵּעַ – Frogs: Inflicted because the Egyptians forced Bnei Yisrael to collect shekatzim and sheratzim for them. They wanted frogs? Well, they received them with free home delivery!
- כִּ נִּים – Lice: Inflicted because the Egyptians forced Bnei Yisrael to sweep their streets and markets, and they were unable to bathe – leading to lice. The dust on the ground was thus turned into lice.
- עָרוֹב – Wild Beasts: Inflicted because the Egyptians instructed Bnei Yisrael to bring them bears and lions, tormenting them with these ferocious animals. They liked the wildlife so much that they each received a personal safari in their yards!
- דֶּבֶר – Pestilence: Inflicted because the Egyptians turned Bnei Yisrael into the keepers of horses, donkeys, and other animals.
- שְׁחִין – Boils: Inflicted because the Egyptians forced Bnei Yisrael to heat and cool their water, demanding they heat what was cold and chill what was hot.
- בָּרָד – Hail: Inflicted because the Egyptians compelled Bnei Yisrael to plant and maintain their trees, gardens, and vineyards. The hail then destroyed all their green possessions.
- אַרְבֶּה – Locusts: Inflicted because the Egyptians forced Bnei Yisrael to grow their wheat and crops, all of which served as feed for the incoming swarms.
- חֹשֶךְ – Darkness: This plague is less connected to the Egyptians and more to Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanting to punish those within Bnei Yisrael who did not wish to leave Egypt, but not in full view of the Egyptians. A cover of darkness was used as many died.
- מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת – Death of the Firstborn: Inflicted to demonstrate to the Egyptians who the beloved Firstborn of Hakadosh Baruch Hu was, as was told to Pharoah right from the get-go.
Each makka is explained in detail, and each relates back to a specific action the Egyptians took against Bnei Yisrael. This begs the question though – were these the definitive ten ways in which the Egyptians tormented Bnei Yisrael? Were there not other methods used, not listed in the rationale for the ten makkot we know? The Egyptians threw Jewish babies into the Nile and filled in the brick walls of their structures with babies – yet these two ruthless acts are not included in the reasoning behind any plague! Where is the middah k’neged middah for the rest of their cruel and oppressive acts? If you want to suggest the drowning of the Egyptians at Yam Suf was the parallel, how is that middah k’neged middah when the number of Egyptian soldiers drowned is a fraction of the children drowned (estimated as high as 600,000)? There must be more to the idea of ten total makkot, and these ten chosen, than simply mirroring the actions of the Egyptians.
Numerous commentators address this question, and I would like to briefly summarize one of the answers in order to open the doors to our main topic of the shiur.
In Parshat Naso, we find the korbanot offered by the twelve nesi’im at the inauguration of the Mishkan. Each offers the same gift as his peer, yet each is included in the Torah in its entirety, from start to finish, with each element repeated over and over. The Torah generally minimizes wording wherever possible, and we can learn vast amounts from a single word, so why is this section drawn-out with repetition? The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 14:12), along with the Zohar, says each nasi offered his korban with different thoughts, and because their intentions were unique, each gift is presented in full detail. The Midrash then provides examples of different meanings for the identical-looking gifts, and breaks down one particular element which ties us back to the number ten:
כַּף אַחַת עֲשָׂרָ ה זָהָב, כְּנֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָ ה מַאֲמָרוֹת שׁ ֶנִּבְרָ א בָּהֶם הָעוֹלָם, וּכְנֶגֶד עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת בְּלִימָה, וּכְנֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָה דוֹרוֹת מֵאָדָם וְעַד נֹחַ, וּכְנֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָ ה דוֹרוֹת מִנֹּחַ וְעַד אַבְרָ הָם, וּכְנֶגֶד עֲשֶׂרֶ ת הַדִּ בְּרוֹת, וּ ִיטִים כְנֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָ ה שׁ ַל שׁ ֶבָּאָדָם, וּכְנֶגֶד עֶשֶׂר תּוֹלָדוֹת שׁ ֶבַּתּוֹרָ ה, וּכְנֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָ ה נִסִּים שׁ ֶנַּעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם וַעֲשָׂרָ ה נִסִּים עַל הַיָם, וּכְנֶגֶד עֶשֶׂר בְּרִ יתוֹת הָאֲמוּרוֹת בְּפָרָ שׁ ַת מִילָה.
One spoon of ten gold shekalim – Corresponding to the ten utterances with which the world was created; the ten generations from Adam to Noach; the ten generations from Noah to Abraham; the Ten Commandments; the ten faculties in a person; the ten Toladot in the Torah; the ten plagues in Egypt; the ten miracles at the sea; and the ten covenants mentioned in the covenant of Brit Milah.
There is a common thread here between four sets of ten: עֲשֶׂ רֶ ת הַ דִּ בְּ רוֹת (Ten Commandments), עֲשֶׂ רֶ ת מַ אֲ מָ רוֹת (Ten Utterances), עֲ שֶׂ רֶ ת הַ מַ ק וֹ ת (Ten Plagues), and עֲ שֶׂ רֶ ת הַ סְ פִ ירוֹת (Ten Divine Attributes or Emanations). Chazal line up the Ten Utterances (Ma’amarot) with the Ten Commandments (Dibrot), and then line them both up with the Ten Plagues (Makkot). In making these alignments, they are explaining why ten Ma’amarot were used for the Creation rather than just one or any another number, which is the same question we just asked about the ten makkot. The answers to these questions are all interconnected. Below is a summary from the Pesikta Rabbati (21):
נֶאֶמְרוּ עֲשֶׂרֶ ת הַדִּ בְּרוֹת כְּנֶגֶד עֲשָׂרָ ה מַאֲמָרוֹת שׁ ֶבָּהֶם נִבְרָ א הָעוֹלָם... נֶאֶמְרוּ עֲשֶׂרֶ ת הַדִּ בְּרוֹת כְּנֶגֶד עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת שׁ ֶהֵבִיא הקב"ה עַל הַמִּצְרִ ים בְּ מִ צְ רַ יִם.
The Aseret HaDibrot were said in correspondence to the ten utterances through which the world was created... The Aseret HaDibrot were said in correspondence to the ten plagues brought by Hakadosh Baruch Hu on the Egyptians in Egypt.
Note: The full explanation can be found in the Endnotes.
דָּ םBloodיְ הִ י אוֹ ראָ נֹכִ י ה’ אֱ - לֹהֶ יך צְפַרְ דֵּ עַ
Frogsהַמָּיִם יְהִי רָ קִ יעַ בְּתוֹךלֹא יִהְיֶה לְך אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִ ים עַל פָּנָי כִּ נִּים
Liceיִ קָווּ הַ מּ ַ יִ ם מִ תּ ַ חַ ת הַ שׁ ּ ָ מַ יִ ם אֶ ל־מָ קוֹ ם אֶ חָ דלֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת שׁ ֵם ה’ אֱ - ל ַ שׁ ּ ָ ו ְ א עָרוֹב
Wild Animalsתַּדְ שׁ ֵא הָאָרֶ ץ דֶּשׁ ֶא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִ יעַ זֶרַעזָכוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּ שׁ וֹ דֶּ בֶר
Pestilenceיְהִי מְאֹרֹת בִּרְ קִ יעַ הַשָּׁמַיִםכַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיך וְאֶת אִמֶּך שׁ ְ חִ י ן
Boilsי ִ שׁ ְ רְ צ ו ּ ה ַ מּ ַ י ִ ם שׁ ֶ רֶ ץ נ ֶ פ ֶ שׁ ח ַ ילֹא תִּרְ צ ָ ח בּ ָ רָ ד
Hailתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶ ץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָה לְמִינָהּלֹא תִּנְ אָ ף אַ רְ בּ ֶ ה
Locustsהִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת־כָּל־עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵ עַ זֶרַעלֹא תִּגְ נֹ ב חֹשֶךְ
Darknessנַעֲשֶׂה אָדָ ם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְ מוּתֵנוּלֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵ עֲך עֵד שׁ ָ ק ֶ ר מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת
Slaying of Firstbornלֹא־טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָאָדָ ם לְבַדּוֹלֹא תַ חְ מֹד
We see here a connection between the Commandments, Utterances, and Plagues. All we have left is the ten Emanations. Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin addresses this final series and its alignment in a beautiful way, and we will get to that after a brief introduction.
The Sefat Emet says (Va’era 5636), last week’s Parsha concluded with Moshe asking Hakadosh Baruch Hu why he was sent, and why the suffering of Bnei Yisrael only intensified since his arrival. This week’s Parsha then begins with Hakadosh Baruch Hu responding to Moshe using ד ּ ִ ב ּ ו ּ ר ק ָ שׁ ֶ ה (harsh language). אֶ ל מ ֹ שׁ ֶ ה ל ֹהִ ים -אֱ וַיְדַ בֵּר – Hakadosh Baruch Hu opens with Midat HaDin – His attribute of Justice, but upon seeing Moshe was speaking up for the welfare of Bnei Yisrael, He closes with וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי ה', the name of Hashem representing Midat HaRachamin – His attribute of Mercy.
According to the Sefat Emet, the ten makkot were a tikkun (a correction) for the ten Ma’amarot of Bereshit, and a preparation for the Aseret HaDibrot that follow. When Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world, nobody was present to witness it. We fully believe what is written in the Torah, an account of events dictated by Hakadosh Baruch Hu to Moshe Rabbeinu after the fact. By the time man arrived on the sixth day, the table was set, creations were in place, and all that was left for man to do was daven for rain. Over two thousand years later, Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, “Until today, you haven’t witnessed a single utterance. Now, through the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians, you will see the creation of a new world.” Deep within Egypt, where the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu was unheard of and ridiculed – ל ֹא יָ דַ עְ תִּ י וְ גַם אֶ ת־יִשְׂ רָ אֵ ל לֹא אֲ שׁ ַ לאֶ ת ה ' – and where Pharoah claimed credit for creating the Nile and more, the truth would be put on full display. How would it be demonstrated to all that Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world? By bringing exactly ten makkot to parallel the ten Ma’amarot of Creation, with each plague corresponding to an utterance, and each pair sharing the same underlying strength (כֹחַ). This is why ten, and exactly ten, makkot were needed.
The Ma’amarot, Makkot, and Dibrot are three interconnected series, as explained by the Sefat Emet. First came the Ma’amarot, following which the Makkot were brought to prove them. Bnei Yisrael saw the koach within each makka and saw through them how Hakadosh Baruch Hu completed the Creation using these same strengths. The Dibrot were then used to reinforce this sight and firsthand belief, cementing the connection between the Ma’amarot and Makkot.
Sefer Raziel Hamalach explains the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, as revealed to Moshe Rabbeinu at the burning bush, based on this understanding. The name אֶ הְ יֶה אֲ שׁ ֶ ר אֶ הְ יֶה, commonly translated as I will be what I will be, appears in Parshat Shemot three times. This very mysterious Sefer brings forth the secret meaning of the name. It corresponds to the three sets we just reviewed: אֶ הְ יֶה for the עֲשֶׂ רֶ ת הַ דִּ בְּ רוֹת; אֶ הְ יֶה for the עֲ שֶׂ רֶ ת סְ פִ י ר וֹ ת; and אֶ הְ יֶה for the עֲ שֶׂ רֶ ת הַ מַ ק וֹ ת.
We can now turn to the ten Sefirot (Divine Emanations or Attributes). Everything that happens in the spiritual worlds takes place through the medium of these Sefirot. There are variations, but the general list is: Chochmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding), Da’at (knowledge), Chesed (kindness), Gevurah (strength), Tiferet (beauty), Netzach (victory), Hod (splendor), Yesod (foundation), and Malchut (kingship). They are commonly split into three groups: חג"ת נהי"ם חב"ד – Chabad, Chagat, Nehim.
Interestingly, when recalling the Pesach Haggadah and its listing of the Makkot, we read that Rabbi Yehuda gave them mnemonics: דְּ צַ"ךְ עַדַ"שׁ בְּאַחַ"ב. In fact, we find abbreviations for both the ten Makkot and ten Sefirot, whereas no such formulas exist for the Dibrot or Ma’amarot. We could have easily created them for the Dibrot: אל"ל זכ"ל ללל"ל. With a bit of practice these would have caught on just like the ones at the Seder, but we do not use employ such acronyms and instead, as kids, rely on studying the Aseret HaDibrot mounted above the Aron Kodesh in shul until we remember at least the first two of each. Why is that?
The Midrash Tanchuma says, the staff of Moshe that was in the house of Yitro, had דְּ צַ"ךְ עַדַ"שׁ בְּאַחַ"ב engraved on it. These series of letters were not just a visual cue or audible aid thrown into the mix hundreds of years later, so we’d have an easier time remembering all the plagues. It is not like the acronyms we hear way too frequently these days, such as כטב"ם – כְּלִי טַיִס בִּלְתִּי מְאֻיָשׁ (unmanned aerial vehicle – a drone). The staff of Moshe was quite long and had room for the full words; shortening the makkot into three acronyms had deeper significance than being a tool for man.
The Abarbanel, quoting the Kli Yakar in our Parsha, provides the answer to this question. There were three groups of kofrim (heretics) in Egypt when it came to believing in G-d. The first group believed in nothing. There was nothing, there is nothing, and the world is here because it created itself through some sort of wild event like an explosion. The second group believed that G-d created the world but then left it alone. Once all work was completed, the earth was left alone and there was no longer any interaction with it, or management of it, going forward. The third group took a small step forward, believing G-d created the world and manages it today, but with no ability to change nature. Everything – the sun, moon, seas, water, trees, etc. – works according to its routine as programmed during creation, and that is how it will always be without exception. Hakadosh Baruch Hu dealt with each group, sending the Makkot to represent the original Ma’amarot, split into tailored proofs for each set of heretics:
- דְּ צַ"ךְ were directed at the first group. Following this set of plagues, Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to the Egyptians: בְּזֹאת תֵּדַע כִּי אֲנִי ה' – By this you will acknowledge that I am Hashem. No longer was the Nile looked upon as god after seeing its water turn to blood and frogs obey commandments to jump out from the waters and into hot ovens. After the third plague of lice, even the magicians, the staunchest heretics, recognized the Hand of G-d at play (אֶ צְ בַּע אֱ-לֹהִים הִוא) and gave up their practices.
- עַדַ"שׁ were directed at the second group, with the first plague in that series being accompanied by Hakadosh Baruch Hu declaring: לְמַעַן תֵּדַע כִּי אֲנִי ה' בְּ קֶ רֶ ב הָ אָ רֶ ץ – So that you will know that I am Hashem in the midst of the earth. He was letting them know that He still oversees the world today, sending wild animals everywhere but Goshen so that they punish all but His children.
- בְּאַחַ"ב were directed at the final group who denied Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s ability to change nature. Water and fire came together and coexisted in the hail, and following the plague of locusts, even the dead locusts – gathered and stored in sealed containers – came back to life and flew away. Needless to say, the Egyptians didn’t experience any light from the sun for three straight days shortly thereafter.
With that introduction, I would now like to focus on one plague in particular, one I have not spoken about at length in the past: כִּ נִּים – lice. There are two reasons I’d like to focus on it. Firstly, it still exists today, and secondly, it is the only plague that also affected Bnei Yisrael in Egypt. It was present around them even if they were not harmed. They had immunity and were protected from all the other Makkot, but lice hit them as well, according to most Rishonim (the Ibn Ezra says Bnei Yisrael suffered from all the plagues of דְּ צַ"ךְ but to a limited degree compared to the Egyptians). The Rambam and Rabbeinu Yona both learn this from the pasuk itself:
וַיֵּט אַהֲרֹן אֶת־יָדוֹ בְּמַטֵּהוּ וַיַּךְ אֶת־עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ וַתְּהִי הַכִּנִּים בָּאָדָם וּבַבְּהֵמָה כָּל־עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ הָיָה כִנִּים בְּכָל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃
They did so. Aharon extended his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and there was lice on man and beast. All the dust of the earth turned into lice throughout the whole land of Egypt.
We are told that the lice was present throughout the whole land of Egypt (בְּכָל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם), which includes the area of Goshen as well.
The plague of lice was not the equivalent of the tiny, annoying, crawlers we see running around in the hair of our neighbors’ kids. Chazal say (Tanna debei Eliyahu Rabbah, Yalkut Shimoni), there were fourteen species of kinim unleashed on Mitzrayim, with some upping that number to twenty-four. Their names are all listed in the Midrash for those fascinated by Entomology, but of note, the Yalkut Shimoni says the smallest of the species was the size of a hen’s egg and the largest resembled the size of a goose egg. Hardly what we are familiar with today! Interestingly, I saw in a commentary on Tanna Debei Eliyahu Rabbah, called Zachor L’Avraham, that for this reason – i.e., remembering the plague and turning point of kinim – there is a custom to eat an egg at the Pesach Seder, and there is a preference to us a goose egg.
With that quantity of lice all over, one can ask how many lice each individual Egyptian received. The Chida says (Zeroah Yamin on the Haggadah), the spelling of kinim in the Torah reflects this answer. It is spelled once as כנם, without the yud, and immediately afterwards with the yud – כנים. The difference between them is ten – the number of how many lice each Egyptian received. In modern measurements, each received a surprise shipment of lice weighing in at 14.4 kgs!
Chazal ask why lice were included in the makkot. What element of middah k’neged middah is at play here? As explained earlier, Tanna debei Eliyahu says this punishment was in response to the Egyptians humiliating Bnei Yisrael, forcing them to sweep the streets and marketplaces, and sending men to the houses of women and vice versa. This resulted in Bnei Yisrael being perpetually dirty and attracting lice to their bodies. Since it was dust from the earth that triggered the lice, the same dust was now transformed into punishing lice. A similar answer is provided by Midrash HaGadol – namely, the Egyptians forced Bnei Yisrael to work in the fields (עֲבֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶהוּבְ כׇ ל), resulting in them being covered by dust and dirt, thus attracting the lice. The Shach al HaTorah says, it was only dust and dirt of land that had been worked by Bnei Yisrael which transformed into lice, with untouched land being spared. This helped the Egyptians draw the connection between cause and punishment. He adds, this is also why Yaacov Avinu was adamant about not being buried in Egypt, as the earth dug up (and filled back in) would be included in the dust-to-lice miracle. The Yalkut Shimoni adds another explanation (182:3) based on the intent of the Egyptians and the promised future of their intended victim:
אָמַר הקב"ה יָבוֹא דָּבָר שׁ ֶנִּבְרָא מֵעָפָר וְיִפְרַ ע מִמִּצְרַיִם שׁ ֶבִּקְשׁ וּ לְאַבֵּד אֻמָּה מְשׁ וּלָה לֶעָפָר שׁ ֶנֶּאֱמַר וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת זַרְ עֲך כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶ ץ
Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, "Let something that was created from dust come and punish the Egyptians who sought to destroy a chosen nation to the dust, as it is said, 'And I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.'"
I’d like to explore a beautiful idea from Likutei Ritzbah, the Tosafist R’ Yitzchak ben Avraham. A quick introduction is in order though, based on a parable from Rav Simcha Flam (Doresh Tov). A question commonly asked is why the need for the first two makkot of blood and frogs. If, after the plague of lice, the Egyptians recognized אֶ צְ בַּע אֱ-לֹהִים הִוא, why not cut to the chase and lead with this plague that delivers the goods? The answer to this question lies in a story.
There was once a talented artist who lived in a small village where everyone worked exclusively with animals and crops. In his spare time, he would sit on his porch and create beautiful artwork. People in the village admired his work and would often compliment him. Some even offered to buy his art, and he’d let them suggest a price and initiate the bartering. The offers he received were meager, such as three eggs or a chicken on loan for a week, or perhaps some milk. This was the only payment system that the villagers understood, based on what they saw and interacted with every day.
Frustrated with these low offers, the artist decided to take his work to the nearby big city. He stood in the town square, displaying his art for all to see. A passerby immediately took...
