3 But the magicians did the same with their spells, and brought frogs upon the land of Egypt.
ג וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵן הַחֲרְטֻמִּים בְּלָטֵיהֶם וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶת־הַצְפַרְדְּעִים עַל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃
4 Then Pharaoh summoned Moshe and Aharon and said, “Plead with Hashem to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to Hashem.”
ד וַיִּקְרָא פַרְעֹה לְמֹשֶׁה וּלְאַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר הַעְתִּירוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה וְיָסֵר הַצְפַרְדְּעִים מִמֶּנִּי וּמֵעַמִּי וַאֲשַׁלְּחָה אֶת־הָעָם וְיִזְבְּחוּ לַיהֹוָה׃
5 And Moshe said to Pharaoh, “You may have this triumph over me: for what time shall I plead in behalf of you and your courtiers and your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses, to remain only in the Nile?”
ה וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לְפַרְעֹה הִתְפָּאֵר עָלַי לְמָתַי אַעְתִּיר לְךָ וְלַעֲבָדֶיךָ וּלְעַמְּךָ לְהַכְרִית הַצֲפַרְדְּעִים מִמְּךָ וּמִבָּתֶּיךָ רַק בַּיְאֹר תִּשָּׁאַרְנָה׃
6 “For tomorrow,” he replied. And [Moshe] said, “As you say—that you may know that there is none like Hashem our God;
ו וַיֹּאמֶר לְמָחָר וַיֹּאמֶר כִּדְבָרְךָ לְמַעַן תֵּדַע כִּי־אֵין כַּיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃
7 the frogs shall retreat from you and your courtiers and your people; they shall remain only in the Nile.”
ז וְסָרוּ הַצְפַרְדְּעִים מִמְּךָ וּמִבָּתֶּיךָ וּמֵעֲבָדֶיךָ וּמֵעַמֶּךָ רַק בַּיְאֹר תִּשָּׁאַרְנָה׃
9 And Hashem did as Moshe asked; the frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.
ט וַיַּעַשׂ יְהֹוָה כִּדְבַר מֹשֶׁה וַיָּמֻתוּ הַצְפַרְדְּעִים מִן־הַבָּתִּים מִן־הַחֲצֵרֹת וּמִן־הַשָּׂדֹת׃
10 And they piled them up in heaps, till the land stank.
י וַיִּצְבְּרוּ אֹתָם חֳמָרִם חֳמָרִם וַתִּבְאַשׁ הָאָרֶץ׃
11 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he became stubborn and would not heed them, as Hashem had spoken.
יא וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה כִּי הָיְתָה הָרְוָחָה וְהַכְבֵּד אֶת־לִבּוֹ וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֲלֵהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה׃
14 The magicians did the like with their spells to produce lice, but they could not. The vermin remained upon man and beast;
יד וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵן הַחַרְטֻמִּים בְּלָטֵיהֶם לְהוֹצִיא אֶת־הַכִּנִּים וְלֹא יָכֹלוּ וַתְּהִי הַכִּנָּם בָּאָדָם וּבַבְּהֵמָה׃
15 and the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of Hashem!” But Pharaoh’s heart stiffened and he would not heed them, as Hashem had spoken.
va-yo-m’-RU ha-khar-tu-MEEM el par-OH ETZ-ba e-lo-HEEM HEE va-ye-khe-ZAK layv par-OH v’-lo sha-MA a-lay-HEM ka-a-SHER di-BER a-do-NAI
טו וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַחַרְטֻמִּים אֶל־פַּרְעֹה אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים הִוא וַיֶּחֱזַק לֵב־פַּרְעֹה וְלֹא־שָׁמַע אֲלֵהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה׃
8:15 This is the finger of Hashem
The plague of lice had theological implications for the Egyptians, as it was the first time that Pharaoh’s magicians recognized the “finger of Hashem.” According to Rashi, this plague was also one of three reasons why Yaakov made his son Yosef promise to bury him in in the Land of Israel (Genesis 47:29-31). Yaakov did not want to be buried in the Egyptian soil which would crawl with lice, as described in verse 13. Rashi further explains that when Mashiach comes and the dead are resurrected from their graves, the remains of those buried outside Eretz Yisrael will need to painfully roll great distances to get to Israel. To avoid this, Yosef asks to be buried in the Holy Land. Finally, Rashi writes that Yaakov did not want to be deified by the Egyptians after his death. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, however, suggests a fourth reason. Though he had lived in Egypt for seventeen years, he longed to be back in his homeland and wanted to impress upon his descendants that the Land of Israel is where they really belong. To this day, there are many who follow Yaakov’s example. Appreciating the value and significance of the land, they ask their descendants to bury them in Israel even if they are unable to live there.2 comments
16 And Hashem said to Moshe, “Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh, as he is coming out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says Hashem: Let My people go that they may worship Me.
טז וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה הַשְׁכֵּם בַּבֹּקֶר וְהִתְיַצֵּב לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה הִנֵּה יוֹצֵא הַמָּיְמָה וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה שַׁלַּח עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי׃
17 For if you do not let My people go, I will let loose swarms of insects against you and your courtiers and your people and your houses; the houses of the Egyptians, and the very ground they stand on, shall be filled with swarms of insects.
יז כִּי אִם־אֵינְךָ מְשַׁלֵּחַ אֶת־עַמִּי הִנְנִי מַשְׁלִיחַ בְּךָ וּבַעֲבָדֶיךָ וּבְעַמְּךָ וּבְבָתֶּיךָ אֶת־הֶעָרֹב וּמָלְאוּ בָּתֵּי מִצְרַיִם אֶת־הֶעָרֹב וְגַם הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר־הֵם עָלֶיהָ׃
18 But on that day I will set apart the region of Goshen, where My people dwell, so that no swarms of insects shall be there, that you may know that I Hashem am in the midst of the land.
יח וְהִפְלֵיתִי בַיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת־אֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן אֲשֶׁר עַמִּי עֹמֵד עָלֶיהָ לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת־שָׁם עָרֹב לְמַעַן תֵּדַע כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃
19 And I will make a distinction between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall come to pass.’”
יט וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ לְמָחָר יִהְיֶה הָאֹת הַזֶּה׃
20 And Hashem did so. Heavy swarms of insects invaded Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his courtiers; throughout the country of Egypt the land was ruined because of the swarms of insects.
כ וַיַּעַשׂ יְהֹוָה כֵּן וַיָּבֹא עָרֹב כָּבֵד בֵּיתָה פַרְעֹה וּבֵית עֲבָדָיו וּבְכָל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם תִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵי הֶעָרֹב׃
כא וַיִּקְרָא פַרְעֹה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וּלְאַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר לְכוּ זִבְחוּ לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם בָּאָרֶץ׃
22 But Moshe replied, “It would not be right to do this, for what we sacrifice to Hashem our God is untouchable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice that which is untouchable to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us!
כב וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לֹא נָכוֹן לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן כִּי תּוֹעֲבַת מִצְרַיִם נִזְבַּח לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ הֵן נִזְבַּח אֶת־תּוֹעֲבַת מִצְרַיִם לְעֵינֵיהֶם וְלֹא יִסְקְלֻנוּ׃
23 So we must go a distance of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to Hashem our God as He may command us.”
כג דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים נֵלֵךְ בַּמִּדְבָּר וְזָבַחְנוּ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר אֵלֵינוּ׃
24 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to Hashem your God in the wilderness; but do not go very far. Plead, then, for me.”
כד וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה אָנֹכִי אֲשַׁלַּח אֶתְכֶם וּזְבַחְתֶּם לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר רַק הַרְחֵק לֹא־תַרְחִיקוּ לָלֶכֶת הַעְתִּירוּ בַּעֲדִי׃
כו וַיֵּצֵא מֹשֶׁה מֵעִם פַּרְעֹה וַיֶּעְתַּר אֶל־יְהֹוָה׃
When Yaakov lay on his deathbed in Egypt, he made his son Yosef promise to bury him in the Land of Israel (Genesis 47:29-31). Rashi cites three reasons for why he issued this command, the first of which is related to this plague. Yaakov did not want to be buried in the Egyptian soil which would crawl with lice, as described in this verse. In Rashi’s second answer, he explains that that when Mashiach comes and the dead are resurrected from their graves, the remains of those buried outside Eretz Yisrael will need to painfully roll great distances to get to Israel. To avoid this, Yosef asks to be buried in the Holy Land. Finally, Rashi writes that Yaakov did not want to be deified by the Egyptians after his death. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, however, suggests a fourth reason. Though he had lived in Egypt for seventeen years, he longed to be back in his homeland and wanted to impress upon his descendants that the Land of Israel is where they really belong. To this day, there are many who follow Yaakov’s example. Appreciating the value and significance of the land, they ask their descendants to bury them in Israel even if they are unable to live there.Comment