plagues

“The Subtle Secrets of the 10 Plagues”
(updated and revised from Bo 5763-2003)

Nothing in the Torah is arbitrary. Everything is well thought out and is there for a purpose. The Divine accounting system often operates on the basis of midah kineged midah, that no act is ever unaccounted for, no good deed is ever uncompensated, and no evil deed ever goes unpunished. A careful study of the Ten Plagues with which the Egyptians were struck, uncovers an purposeful sense of balance, underscoring how the plagues were direct retribution for specific acts of persecution that the Egyptians visited upon the Israelite slaves.

“There is But No Fear of G-d in this Place”

What did Abraham mean when he concluded that Gerar was a city that possessed no fear of G-d?

“The Decline and Collapse of the Egyptian Magicians”

The Bible reports that the Egyptian magicians encourage Pharaoh’s resistance by replicating several of the Ten Plagues. Soon, however, we learn of the precipitous decline and collapse of the Egyptian magicians.

"Messages from the Nile"

As the central feature of Egypt, it was logical that the Nile would be the first object of G-d’s wrath. Hence, the first two plagues, blood and frogs, are visited upon the Nile. But, there is much more that the Nile represents.

"Why Didn't the Egyptians Rebel Against Pharaoh?"

Egypt had already suffered through seven plagues. The Egyptian people were down on their knees. Why didn't the citizens rebel against Pharaoh? Why did they allow their storied civilization to be destroyed before their very eyes?

"Learning by Teaching"

The Al-mighty tells Moses to approach Pharaoh so that He may show His wonders to Pharaoh and to the people of Egypt. Scripture tells us however that another important purpose of Moses' encounter with Pharaoh is that the Jewish people will know that the Lord is G-d, so that they will be able to communicate their faith to future generations. There is no more effective method of learning than through teaching.

"The Subtle Secrets of the Ten Plagues"

Nothing in the Torah is arbitrary. Everything is well thought out and there for a purpose. The Divine accounting system often operates on the basis of midah kineged midah, that no act is ever unaccounted for, no good deed is ever uncompensated, and no evil deed ever goes unpunished. A careful study of the Ten Plagues with which the Egyptians were struck, uncovers an uncanny sense of balance, underscoring how the plagues were direct retribution for specific acts of persecution that the Egyptians visited upon the Israelite slaves.