Makos Musings

There is a machlokes between the Rishonim if the makah of blood actually turned the water to blood or the water merely looked like blood. The Riva cites the Bechor Shor assumed it was just a color change and assumes that's not such a makah, so he explains the change to blood was just to kill the fish and the stench was the makah. The Sforno on the other hand, says that is the difference between them makah and the act of the magicians. They could only make water appear like blood but the makah actually turned it to blood. The Netziv says it was two stages, first just looked like blood, the turned into blood. On the torah forum someone raises all sorts of questions if the Nile during dam could be used as a mikvah. 

Rashi comments on the arov that the makos were based upon a pattern of how an army operates in war. Why does he comment this is the context of arov and he doesn't explain the function of the arov? The Rebbe explains (Likutay Sichos volume 11) that Rashi is bothered why the makah is called for the name of the multitude of animals and not just called wild animals? Rashi explains part of the makah was the loud noises and pure confusion associated with a swarm of  animals. This he illustrates by explaining that part of the  processes of war is to scare the enemy with loud noises. It is specifically in this makah that the Torah says there will be division between Egyptians and Klal Yisrael since this makah involved the breakdown of the natural seder of the world in which animals moved to attack people. Therefore, there was a need to assure that for Klal Yisrael the order was still in place. For the geulah to happen there had to remain seder for Klal Yisrael. There has to be boundaries in place to protect between kedusha and the opposite (Rav Shmuel Eliyahu.) 

The All Important Staff

The Yalkut Shimoni Chukas (763): קח את המטה. זה שאמר הכתוב מטה עוזך ישלח ה' מציון זה המטה שהיה ביד יעקב אבינו שנאמר כי במקלי עברתי. והוא המטה שהיה ביד יהודה שנאמר חותמך ופתילך ומטך אשר בידך. והוא היה ביד משה שנאמר ואת המטה הזה תקח בידך. הוא היה ביד אהרן שנאמר וישלך אהרן את מטהו. והוא היה ביד דוד שנאמר ויקח מקלו בידו. והוא היה ביד כל מלך ומלך עד שחרב בית המקדש. וכן עתיד אותו המטה לימסר למלך המשיח, וכן עתיד לרדות בו את אומות העולם לכך נאמר מטה עוזך ישלח ה' מציון.  Why is the matteh so central that it always keeps on appearing?  Why is the opening miracle Aharon's staff turning to a snake and then turning back and eating the other staffs?  

The Alter Rebbe (who's hilulah is today, Friday) says that the word מטה means turning to, drawing down, for G-d gives life even to the those that rebel against Him such as Egypt, represented by the תנין.  That is what is represented by the staff of Aharon, representing the source of life coming into the world, is given even to Egypt, the תנין.  However, in the end, even the תנין is turned back into a snake for everything will eventually returned back to kedusha.  

This was the essence of the message of the maakot.  As the Alter Rebbe translated וידעו מצרים כי אני ה, when the Egyptians are broken, when the kelipa of Egypt is broken that the kedusha will be revealed.  That is why this is the opening salvo of Moshe and Aharon.  It came to establish the point and nature of the miracles.  This is why the staff must appear at such important junctions.  It is the symbol of the great tzaddikim that have won over evil.     

Reward/ Punishment For Animals

Revisiting the issue of reward/ punishment for animals touched on in the Divrei Chaim blog.  One of the sources that would seem to indicate the concept of reward/ punishment is from the forgs.  The Midrash on Tehillim (Ch. 28) says the frogs that jumped into the ovens were rewarded and didn't die but those that didn't did die.  This proof is cited by Rav Yosef Engel (Beis Haotzer Klal 55.)

Rav Yosef Engel cites a Midrash Berashis (26:6) in which it is clear that it is a three way machlokes

דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אֵין לְךָ שֶׁהוּא מִתְחַיֵּב בָּאָדָם הַזֶּה אֶלָּא אָדָם כַּיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ. רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר אֲפִלּוּ זְאֵב וְכֶלֶב. רַבִּי הוּנָא בַּר גּוּרְיוֹן אָמַר אֲפִלּוּ מַקֵּל אֲפִלּוּ רְצוּעָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ישעיה ט, ג): כִּי אֶת עֹל סֻבֳּלוֹ וְאֵת מַטֵּה שִׁכְמוֹ שֵׁבֶט הַנֹּגֵשׂ בּוֹ הַחִתֹּתָ כְּיוֹם מִדְיָן, כְּיוֹם הַדִּין. אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא אַף אִילָנֵי סְרַק עֲתִידִין לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן. רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי מֵהָכָא (דברים כ, יט): כִּי הָאָדָם עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה, מָה הָאָדָם נוֹתֵן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, אַף עֵצִים נוֹתְנִין דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן.

R' Elazar only assigns punishment to mankind.  R' Nassan assigns it even to animals and R' Huna even to inanimate objects.  While one may be able to argue for some form of limited bechira for animals, it is hard to hear that for inanimate objects.  Rav Yosef Engel further points to a Yalkut in Koheles that learns the punishment for a stick from the possuk in Noach (9:5-6) שופך דם האדם which says the punishment of the inanimate object is death.  What does that mean?  Rav Engel explains based upon the principle of the Kabbalists that everything has a spark of kedusha that gives the item its existence and death means that spark of holiness is extinguished.    

It is possible in light of this to argue that reward and punishment of the Midrash just means if this holy spark will keep on going or will be extinguished.  It is not a real punishment but due to the fact that a negative effect happened due to an animal of object, it loses its right to be elevated, וצ"ע. 

See also end of letter 90 in אגרות ראי"ה where he touches upon the concept of a זכות for animals: ומה שכתבת בענין ד' רש"י, שזכר הקב"ה לבע"ח זכות שלא קלקלו. ענין הזכות הוא היסוד מפני מה אלו ראויים לקיום ולא אחרים, ומפני שהם לא נתקלקלו בנטייתם המוסרית ע"כ הם ראויים לישב העולם על ידם, ואין זה נוגע כלל לבחירה חפשית, כמו שיש ענין זכות אבות שאינו נוגע לבחירה. אמנם עיקר שלילת הבחירה מבע"ח לגמרי אין לה יסוד, ודאי אינם כ"כ רחבים בבחירה כהאדם, אבל יש לכל חי לפי מדת כשרונו ג"כ חלק בבחירה, וזהו יסוד השתלמותו בעתיד, עד אשר "לא ירעו ולא ישחיתו בכל הר קדשי". ומחקרי בע"ח שנתחדשו מראים יותר את האמת הזאת, שכבר אמרה תורה, וקדמום נביאים, בהרחבה, ודבר אלקינו יקום לעולם 

There is an article discussing some of the points about reward/ punishment for animals on animallaw.info

Holiday Of Speaking

Moshe Rabbenu says to Hashem in the beginning of Vaerah, הן בני ישראל לא שמעו אלי ואיך ישמעני פרעה ואני ערל שפתים.  Why is Moshe saying he can't talk due to his speech impediment if he already said in Parshat Shemos לא איש דברים אנכי גם מתמול גם משלשם גם מאז דברך אל עבדך כי כבד פה וכבד לשון אנכי and Hashem responded,ועתה לך ואנכי אהיה עם פיך והוריתיך אשר תדבר  ויאמר ה אליו מי שם פה לאדם או מי ישום אלם או חרש או פקח או עור הלא אנכי ה, Hashem already responded that he Moshe's lack of proper speech would not be an issue?  Furthermore, why did Moshe say in Shemos כבד פה וכבד לשון and here he says ערל שפתים?  And what is the ק"ו if Klal Yisrael won't listen, for sure Pharaoh won't, he doesn't have the קוצר רוח? 

The Zohar Vaerah (25b) asks the question of what is Moshe asking about now and answers (translated into Hebrew) אלא סוד הוא; משה - קול, והדיבור, שהוא המלה שלו, היה בגלות, והיה הוא סתום מלפרש דברים. ובשל כך אמר "ואיך ישמע אלי פרעה" - 'בעוד שהמילה שלי נמצאת בגלות, שהרי אין לי מילה, הרי אני קול בלי מילה, שהיא בגלות'. ועל כן שיתף הקב"ה את אהרן איתו.  The dibbur was in galus in Egypt and therefore Moshe could not speak.  How does the Zohar answer the question, it was the same golus as before and Hashem already told Moshe that he would not have a problem?  And how does adding Aharon help if the dibbur is in golus? 

One of the reasons Chazal give for the golus in Egypt is that Abraham Avenu said בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה (Nedarim 32a.)  Avraham misspoke and that led to the golus.  The golus in Egypt started due to the chain of events of the lashan harah spoken by the brothers about Yosef.  Again, a misuse of speech.  And Moshe feels the golus in justified after he experiences the lashon harah of Dasan and Aviram where he sees speech is misappropriated.  The Sfas Emes (5632) says that is what the Haggadah means אנוס על פי הדיבור.  How was it אנוס, Yaakov wanted to go see Yosef?  He cites the above Zohar and reads Yaakov was forced to fix up dibbur (a reference to Yosef, in his words ופי הדיבור הוא יוסף והמש"י, presumably because Yosef is yesod and the ברית הלשון והמעור מכוונים זה לזה.)  The golus had to happen to fix the miscues in speech.  The golus was into Egypt, the land controlled by פרעה which is the letters פה רע, a bad mouth.  He was the epitome of bad speech. 

The Midrash says וּבַיּוֹם שֶׁיָּרְדוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, בּוֹ בַּיּוֹם עָלוּ, וּבוֹ בַּיּוֹם יָצָא יוֹסֵף מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין, לְכָךְ הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה שִׂמְחָה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֵיל שִׁמֻּרִים הוּא לַה.  The same day of the start of the golus is the say of redemption.  Hence, on the day of going into golus because of speech, is the day of the tikkun where we have a mitzvah to speak about the miracles.  Hence Klal Yisrael leaves passing פי החירות, the mouth of freedom, now their mouths were opened.  בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז, when we left Egypt we were redeemed from the nation of strange tongue, out mouths became opened.  אנכי ה אלקיך הַ֖מַּֽעַלְךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַרְחֶב־פִּ֜֗יךָ וַֽאֲמַלְאֵֽהוּ, since you left Egypt your mouth is now open to receive divrei Torah (see Berachos 50a.)  The Sefer Yetzirah says about the month of Nissan המליך אות ה' בשיחה כו.  Nissan is the month of speech (the ה is connected with תורה שבעל פה, as Rav Tzaddok (Rosh Chodesh Nissan 1) elaborates about.)  

Rav Tzaddok notes that the berachot were received by Yaakov on Pesach.  The beracha of הקול קול יעקב, the power of the voice of Yaakov was established on Pesach.  The ammunition of Klal Yisrael to stand through the golus is the power of speech which becomes established on Pesach.  

When Hashem directs Moshe to speak it is not to speak empty words.  The words of Moshe have an effect on the world.  In order for that effect to be actualized there has to be a recipient.  If the words fall on deaf ears they don't have any effect.  The Be'ar Moshe explains the קל וחומר of Moshe.  The sense of speech and hearing go hand and hand.  One learns to talk by listening to others.  He reads מקוצר רוח, the רוח as a reference to the רוח ממלא of a person, the power of speech was removed from Klal Yisrael and hence they did not have the power to listen to the message of Moshe Rabbenu.  (The Midrash attributes the lack of Klal Yisrael listening to their sins, in other words it is not the work in a physical sense that made their ears dull to the message but they were so lost in the golus they could not envision Hashem taking them out, they were incapable of absorbing words of freedom.)  The Sfas Emes (previous piece) continues, כמ"ש במ"א פי' זוה"ק הנ"ל שדיבור שהוא הכרת מלכותו ית' בכל הדברים. זה הי' נסתר בגלות. וע"י גאולת מצרים נודע גבורתו ית.  The word for thing and speech in lashon hakodesh is דבר for all things are composed of the words of Hashem which is their life force (as explained in the Tanya Shaar Hayichud Ve'emunah,) and  Klal Yisrael lost their ability to see the Divine in everything.  They lost the understanding of dibbur and required the 10 maakot to bring it back.

The ק"ו of Moshe is Bnei Yisrael who are closer to Hashem are so lost in the golus that they can't hear the message of freedom, for sure פרעה, the פה רע himself, will not be able to absorb anything I am telling to him.  This is what the Moshe is asking Hashem.  Beforehand, my speech was כבד, it was difficult, but there was somewhere for the words to 'land' because Klal Yisrael may have absorbed the message.  However, now, after Pharaoh said תכבד העבודה and removed the day of rest of Shabbas, that little bit of spiritual respite in which the ears of Klal Yisrael may be slightly opened, now I am totally ערל שפתיים, I am closed entirely, there is no room for words to be able to have an effect.  The golus of the dibbur has totally removed my capabilities to say anything.  Hashem says that I will provide with Aharon.  Since Aharon is a man of the people, the אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, he is able to provide the people with a message of Hashem that will uplift them (based upon Rav Tzaddok Vaerah 6,7.)      

The Evan Era (14:4) says והנה המצורע והבית המנוגע וטמא מת קרובים, והנה גם הם כדמות פסח מצרים.  The taharah process of the metzorah with the  עץ ארז ושני תולעת ואזוב parallels the blood put with the עץ ערז on the doorpost and the bird is akin to the korban pesach.  The tahara of the metzorah resembles what Klal Yisrael did at makkas bechorot.  Why?  Because the sin of the metzorah is for misusing his/her speech.  They go into a mini golus like the golus of mitzraim to fix the problem and they need a mini yitzias mitzraim in order to rehabilitate their power of speech.

Fear The Barad

The possuk says כִּ֣י | בַּפַּ֣עַם הַזֹּ֗את אֲנִ֨י שֹׁלֵ֜חַ אֶת־כָּל־מַגֵּֽפֹתַי֙ אֶל־לִבְּךָ֔ וּבַֽעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ וּבְעַמֶּ֑ךָ, why is this makkah called כָּל־מַגֵּֽפֹתַי֙ more than any other?  Rashi says מִתְלַקַּחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד: נֵס בְּתוֹךְ נֵס, הָאֵשׁ וְהַבָּרָד מְעֹרָבִין, וְהַבָּרָד מַיִם הוּא, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן קוֹנָם עָשׂוּ שָׁלוֹם בֵּינֵיהֶם.  This was the only makkah in which the makkah itself contained a miracle inside of it.  The  miracle within a miracle demonstrates that another level or dimension of control that Hashem has over creation in that not only does he change nature to His will but he does not have to follow the rules at all.  This dominion is further enhanced by the destruction wrought by this plague which destroyed everything, plant life, animals and humans.  The previous makkot had a focus on an area where the plague took hold, whether it be in the people, the land or animals, barad had elements of all three.  This is the מגפתי.  

In the warning of the makkah of barad it says הִנְנִ֤י מַמְטִיר֙ כָּעֵ֣ת מָחָ֔ר בָּרָ֖ד כָּבֵ֣ד מְאֹ֑ד.  Rashi says שרט לו שירטא בכותל, למחר כשתגיע חמה לכאן, ירד הברד.  Why specifically for this makkah does Moshe give an exact time?  This makkah is a makkah of joining opposite forces, fire and water, din and rachamamim, giving people an ability to bring their animals inside.  So too, the makkah was an out of nature experience but tied to the measure of an exact time (see Likutay Sichos volume 31.)  

Why specifically for this makkah is there a special dispensation for the ירא דבר ה to be able to save their animals?  It is only after this makkah that Pharaoh utters a true statement of vidduy, וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֖ם חָטָ֣אתִי הַפָּ֑עַם י״י֙ הַצַּדִּ֔יק וַאֲנִ֥י וְעַמִּ֖י הָרְשָׁעִֽים.  What inspires him here to utter this statement? The Tanchuma says since Hashem gave advice to avoid the animals dying, as opposed to humans that fight that try to wipe out the opponent, this inspired Pharaoh to do teshuva.  The Ramban adds that this shows the point of  the makkah was not to merely cause destruction but to inspire teshuva.  The barad is like the Gemarah Berachot (59a) says אמר ר' אלכסנדרי אמר ר' יהושע בן לוי: לא נבראו הרעמים אלא לפשוט  עקמומית שבלב, thunder is placed in the world to awaken one to do teshuva.  The darkness, banging and sound of the barad was meant to inspire fear.  That's why there was a "way out" for the ירא דבר ה in this makkah because the goal of this makkah was not pain but fear and that was accomplished is one felt יראה enough to bring their animal inside.  This awe inspiring show led even Pharaoh to feel true feelings of repentance.  However, afterward it says  וַיַּ֣רְא פַּרְעֹ֗ה כִּֽי⁠־חָדַ֨ל הַמָּטָ֧ר וְהַבָּרָ֛ד וְהַקֹּלֹ֖ת וַיֹּ֣סֶף לַחֲטֹ֑א וַיַּכְבֵּ֥ד לִבּ֖וֹ ה֥וּא וַעֲבָדָֽיו.  Here Pharaoh was יוסף לחטוא because he really felt an internal stirring but he pushed that aside, that is the יוסף לחטוא.  Pharaoh had a real opportunity after this makkah to due teshuva and he would not be ignored.  However, once he removed the feelings of remorse, then Hashem hardened his heart to not send away Bnei Yisrael (last Sforno in the parsha.)  

Why the uniqueness of barad?  Possibly because it is the culmination of the makkos of this week's parsha.  It is the end of a set.  It is the 7th makkah, כל השביעין חביבין, in other words like Shabbat, etc. the totality of everything before it.  Rav Wolfson adds based upon the Chiddushay HaRim that the 10 maakot correspond to the 10 utterances used to create the world, barad corresponds to Shabbat.  שבת is connected to yirah as the Tikkunay Zohar says בראשית is ירא שבת.  He cites the Tanchuma says that the barad is suspended in the air waiting to fall on גוג ומגוג.  In other words, the barad remove the final push of מרידה against the malchus of Hashem (7th sefirah, machus.)  He explains that is why Moshe had to exit the city to pray for this makkah to be removed, why was it different from the earlier makkot?  Since this prayer was not to make the makkah removed from the world, instead to merely suspend it in the heavens, Moshe had to be completely removed from the tumah of Egypt in order for this level of tefillah to be accepted.    Hence, the design of barad was to strike fear in Pharaoh.  

What's Bad Is Good

Why does the possuk open וידבר אלקים and then switch to name יקוק?  What is the connection between Hashem keeping His bris with the avot and hearing the cries of Klal Yisrael? 

The Tiferes Shlomo says derech derush והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים is telling us the key to leaving Egypt is סבלות to have סבלנות through any situation one is put in.  When one accepts the situation without complaint, that will lead one to be able to get out of the situation. 

Moshe complained that after Hashem sent him, far from getting better, things just got worse.  Hashem responds that the middat hadin represented by the name of אלקים really is the same as the name יקוק, that which represents the name of rachamim.  The increased harshness of the labor is necessary to make the exodus occur sooner. Hashem is telling Moshe I also hear the cries of Bnei Yisrael.  However, that itself is the reason to make the work harder so that they can get out earlier.  Klal Yisrael recognize this, they act with סבלנות and hence they will be reddemed. 

Two Paths

Rashi says at the beginning of the parsha וארא אל האבות.  The meforshim on Rashi ask what is Rashi adding to what it says in the possuk, אל אברהם יצחק ויעקב and what is Rashi coming to teach us?  There is a story of a Slonimer chassid who was sent by his Rebbe, the Divrey Shmuel, to the Rebbe Reshab.  After they discussed the message the Rebbe Reshab asked him to repeat a vort from the Slonimer Rebbe.  He said over that the Slonimer said that אבות is from the word אבא, a desire.  Hashem appears, is revealed (וארא,) according to a person's desire to come close to Him.  The Rebbe Reshab liked the vort.  

The Lubavitcher Rebbe takes the opposite approach.  He says that Rashi is teaching us that Hashem appeared to the Avot, not to them specifically because of their abilities but it passes down as an inheritance to their children. 

These are two different relationships and connections one forms with Hashem.  One is natural, built in to the DNA of a person as a descendent of the Avot.  The other is one's one own avodah to find their own personal path to connect to Hashem.  As the Shla says, there is זה קלי, my G-d, my own path and אל'י אבי, that wich is an inheritance.  Both are necessary components of ones' service of Hashem.  One builds upon the וארא that one receives merely by having an innate connection to the Avot and one builds upon that further according to the אהבה that one develops upon their own.

Golus And Geulah Of Daas

The Me'or Einayim says the golus in Egypt was a golus of daas and he discussed this in great detail.  What does this mean that there was a golus of daas? Moshe tells Pharoh the makkot are וידעו מצרים כי אני ה.  The Degel brings from his grandfather asked why would G-d do such great miracles changing the rules of the world just to teach the Egyptians a lesson?  The Degel answers it refers to the Jews who became like Egyptains, שבאמת קאי על ישראל אותם שהם בחי' מצרים שעושים מעשה מצרים שנטבעו בשקר ר"ל וכל עבודתם שעובדים הש"י הכל היא בשקר והוא שאמר הש"י שכל כך יהיה התפשטות אור השכינה והתגלות אלוהות עד שאפי' הם יכירו וידעו כי אין שום דבר מבלעדו יתב' רק אני ה' ומבלעדי אין אלקים.  We can add to his words that everyone by dint of being surrounded by Egyptian culture for so long has a little Egypt edge to them that had to be convinced through the makkot.  וידעו, there had to be a tikkun of daas.  What is this tikkun?  

The Yalkut Shimoni (Hoshau 519) says בזכות האמונה נגאלו אבותינו ממצרים.  How could Klal Yisroel have emunah if the Rambam (laws of Avodah Zarah 1:3) describes the time of being in Egypt as a period when the Jews served avodah zarah?  Deep down Klal Yisroel never relinquished their hope in redemption.  They retained their emunah.  However, as time passed and the servitude in both ruchni and gashmi whore on and on they were forgot about their emunah and it sat odrmat in their souls.  Externally things appeared as the Rambam describes וְכִמְעַט קָט הָיָה הָעִקָּר שֶׁשָּׁתַל אַבְרָהָם נֶעֱקַר וְחוֹזְרִין בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב לְטָעוּת הָעוֹלָם וּתְעִיּוֹתָן.  But internally their were embers of hope hidden under layers of soot.  This disconnect between the inner workings of the depth of their souls and their actions was the golus of daas that Klal Yisroel was in.  They internally knew that Hashem ran the world and they would be redeemed but it didn't impact their actions.  There was a lack of daas, of connection between their inner thoughts and their everyday lives.  The maakot helped shock Klal Yisroel into waking up and internalizing that which their souls had been telling them all along.  Maybe that is what Chazal mean (Sanhedrin 97a) אין משיח בא אלא בהיסח הדעת.  Even when there is a lacking of daas, as long as deep inside there is a emunah, that is enough for Moshiach to come. 

From 4 to 5

A few thoughts which I don't know if they are even close to being right. There are 5 terminologies of geulah, yet we only drink four cups of wine on Pesach, why?  

The Sifsay Tzaddik says the 4 terminologies of geulah correspond to the 4 levels of the soul, נפש, רוח, נשמה, חיה.  Even if multiple levels of the soul were shoved down into golut, it was still taken out out the golut.  But there are 5 levels to the soul, so there should have been 5 levels? 

The Maharal Derech Chayim (5:1) says that the world was composed with a ה because the number 4 is the spreading of the world  into the 4 dimensions and the additional י  that makes up the foot is  the ruchnious in this world (עוה"ב was created with a י.)  The golut in Egypt had all of the 4 goliot bundled into it.   Each one of the 4 galiot corresponds to an attack on a different level of the neshama.  The neshema gets suken further into the golut.  If so, how is there redemption?  Because the fifth level of the neshama, the יחידה is able to shine forth.  It is by awakening the יחידה that the dust gathered through the long years of the exile can be shaken off.  This is what 10 maakot in Egypt came to do.  The 10 maakos came to restore the spiritual foot into this world that had slowly been losing the foot into the ד of the העלם of this world.  The completion of the 'ה relit the יחידה of the soul. 

Although this accorded in the geulah from Egypt, it did not have a lsting effect and hence we went into further galiot and only celebrate 4 leshonot of geulah.  The fifth terminology will ultimately only be fulfilled in its fully sense in the ultimate geulah.

Why Daven Late

 The Sifsay Tzaddik on this weeks parsha:

Most people need to be on the straight and narrow path but there are those that can take side roads.  He may have also have been "justifing" why he did not follow in the ways of his Rebbe, the Kotzkor to ignore zmanaei tefillah.

Lice

Before the plague of ערב,  Moshe warns Pharaoh וְשַׂמְתִּי פְדֻת בֵּין עַמִּי וּבֵין עַמֶּךָ לְמָחָר יִהְיֶה הָאֹת הַזֶּה. As mentioned on this blog last year there is a debate in the Rishonim was this separation between between Klal Yisroel and the Egyptians only introduced in the fourth plague or existed by the first three plagues as well.  The Ramban explains all the plagues didn't affect Klal Yisroel but only regarding the wild beasts which naturally would spread throughout the entire land, the Torah needs to emphasize that they didn't enter the land of Klal Yisroel.
The Mishna in Avos (5:4) says עשרה נסים נעשו לאבותינו במצרים.  The Rambam explains the miracles are that Klal Yisroel was saved from the plagues.  He shows that for every plague it is at least מדיוק in in the possuk that it wasn't affecting Klal Yisroel except for the plague of כינים.  For that we must rely upon the tradition of Chazal that it didn't affect Klal Yisroel that it didn't harm Klal Yisroel however, he says the lice were among Klal Yisroel.  In his words: לשון התורה בכל מכה ומכה מהם שהביא הקב"ה על המצריים מלבד מכת הכנים שלא באר זה אלא שהוא ידוע שלא ענש ישראל אבל היו נמצאים אצלם ולא היו מצערים אותם וכן בארו החכמים.  This would argue with the Ramban that says all of the first three plagues didn't enter the land of the Jews.  However, the opinion of Rambam needs an explanation; why would the lice be found where Klal Yisroel lived if they weren't affected by any of the plagues?
We see that there are two aspects to the plagues of the lice.  One aspect was if one's body becomes attacked by lice it hurts.  However, there was another aspect as well.  Many of the Rishonim explain that the lice covered the entire country of Egypt.  There wasn't an inch of land that was lice free.  According to one interpretation of the Chizkuni, that's why the sorcerers couldn't reproduce the plague.  In order to tap into their magic powers they had to be attached to the ground and they couldn't because there was lice crawling over every inch of turf.  דבר אחר: ולא יכלו – לפי שכל עפר הארץ היה כנים ולא היו רגליהם נוגעות לארץ וכל זמן שרגליו של מכשף אין נוגעות אין כשופו מצליח.  This aspect of the plague wasn't meant as a punishment to the Egyptians, rather to Egypt.  They were being separated from the land itself to demonstrate that they aren't even in control of where their feet are standing.  This message of detachment from the land was meant for Klal Yisroel as well.  You aren't attached to the land under your feet, this isn't Jerusalem, its Berlin , I mean Goshen and you don't belong here.  You will be taken out of this land and brought to where you belong.  Don't feel settled here.

Another explanation from the אזנים לתורה:

Makkos Of Chesed

The end of last week's parsha ends with Moshe asking a question of why things got worse and our parsha opens with Hashem telling Moshe how the Avos never complained despite the fact that they didn't see promises fulfilled, yet Moshe is complaining.  That may be, but why not answer the question?  Furthermore, the possuk opens with the name of דין, אלקים and concludes with the name of 'רחמים, אני ה, why switch in the middle?
The fist piece in the Maggid on this week's parsha in Or Torah sheds light on these questions.  The following is based upon what he says.  The answer Hashem was alluding to Moshe is that  the strengthening of the servitude is necessary to expedite the exodus.  That which appears to be דין is really חסד.  That is why the name of דין and רחמים are found in the same possuk for the דין leads to רחמים.  In order for the world to be able to exist there was must a הגבלה on the chesed so that the world wouldn't become enveloped completely in the אור א"ס.  Hashem tells Moshe until now that was the הנהגה of the world.  That is the הנהגה of שקי, שאמר לעולמו די.  However, for the Exodus to occur, the rules will be broken and there will be a התגלות של שם הויה.  What does that mean?  The makkos weren't acts of דין meant to break the Egyptians, they were brought about by a revelation of chesed.  How could a revelation if chesed bring about such destruction?  Because one must be on the right frequency to be in order to be able to receive the chesed of Hashem.  If one isn't capable of receiving the chesed then the great potential that Hashem is extending forth turns into destruction.
The possuk in Tehillim (94:1) says קל נקמות ה קל נקמות הופיע.  The Baal Shem Tov translates, Hashem is the G-d of vengeance by revealing Himself.  It is the revelation of Hashem, a tremendous act of chesed that wreaks havoc on those that aren't fit to receive such light.  It is akin to a person that has been sitting in a dark room that suddenly receives a tremendous light where instead of seeing now, s/he becomes blind.       
The Zohar in Bo (36a) says תָּנָא רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה, כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו י״ט:כ״ב) וְנָגַף יְיָ' אֶת מִצְרַיִם נָגוֹף וְרָפֹא. נָגוֹף לְמִצְרַיִם, וְרָפֹא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.  I understand that the plagues afflicted the Egyptians and not the Jews but what does it mean that it was a רפואה for Klal Yisroel?  Because the plagues were actually a light of God that one had to be able to receive, if one is able to, it is a רפואה, if not, its a מכה.  A similar thing will occur in the future according to Chazal in Nedarim (8b) הקב"ה מוציא חמה מנרתיקה – צדיקים מתרפאין בה ורשעים נידונין בה.

Three Pessukim Of פדות

The possuk (8:19) says: וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י פְדֻ֔ת בֵּ֥ין עַמִּ֖י וּבֵ֣ין עַמֶּ֑ךָ לְמָחָ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה הָאֹ֥ת הַזֶּֽה.  The Baal Haturim notes ג׳ במסורה דין חסר וב׳ מלאים – פדות שלח לעמו. והרבה עמו פדות כי זה לא היה פדות שלם אלא מפני הערוב. אבל כשיצאו ממצרים היה שלם, וזהו פדות שלח לעמו, ולעתיד הרבה עמו פדות ויהיה גאולה שלימה.  We see that the letter 'ו is connected with the final geulah.  It is missing here for it wasn't the final geulah. This point has been discussed on this blog previously here and here.  The Ben Eish Chai in his intro. to year 2 on this week's parsha gives a different explanation which you can read here.
The Belzor Rav (Yissocher Dov) gave a different explanation of the Baal Haturim.  He understands the different pessukim are different levels of golus and there are corresponding different levels of geulah.  Golus from Mitzraim requires a small פדת.  If one is in golus by another Jew than a greater geulah, פדות is required. If one is in the golus of his own mind or body that is the greatest golus and requires הרבה פדות.

The Choice of Non-Humans

A couple of week's ago, here we discussed how one could learn from frogs if they presumably don't have bechira.  My father shlita has a post here about this same idea focused on last week's parsha.  Chazal say the dogs were rewarded for not barking at Klal Yisroel as they exited Egypt by receiving the meat of a trefa animal.  How could dogs be rewarded if they didn't have a choice in there actions?  Rashi cites Unklus that translated (14:8) נערמו מים as לשון ערמימות, the water tricked the Egyptians to enter into it.  Does water have a brain to trick the Egyptians?  Rav Shwab on the verse in this week's parsha tackles many of maamarei Chazal of this ilk with the same yesod.  There were two creations that happened in Berashis.  There was the individual creation of each item, and there was the creation of it all coming together to form a world.  When each item specifically was created, it had a form of intelligence.  However, when all was complete and done, there was the unit of the world created with the different levels of דצמ"ח.  At a time of a נס, the collective order of the world, nature is broken and everything reverts back to its original form of having intelligence.  It is at such a time that Chazal attribute decisions and intelligence to non-humans.

Fixing The Brain

Anyone following the storyline will be amazed at the seemingly random break between Vaerah and Bo.  Why is there a break in the middle of the makkos?  Why is it split into two parshios, one recounting the tale of the first seven plagues, and the second telling us the story of the final three plagues?  Everyone asks it shouldn’t have said bo el Pharaoh, it should say lech el Pharaoh, Moshe is going to Pharaoh, not coming toward him?  The Zohar explains that Moshe was afraid of Pharaoh and Hashem said come with me to Pharaoh, to subside his fears.  Moshe had already met Pharaoh many times, he had performed many miracles causing him great pain and trouble, why is Moshe all of a sudden afraid to the extent that Hashem must come with him?  At the end of the parsha, Klal Yisroel receive the mitzvah of teffilin.  Why is this mitzvah received as the Jews are leaving Egypt, how does it bear the message of the Exodus?

 As an introduction, we must understand that in Egypt, Klal Yisroel became so absorbed into the fabric of society, that the possuk (Vaeschanan 4:34) refers to yitzias mitzraim as “taking one nation from out of another.”  The midrash (Tehillim 107, cited in Gevuros Hashem Ch. 3) elaborates that we were stuck in Egypt like a baby animal within the womb of its mother, and Hashem had to pry us out.  We were complete swallowed up, in terms of our thoughts, actions and desires we were like an Egyptian.   Rav Tzaddok Hakohen (Pri Tzadikk #2) explains based upon the idea of the kabbalists that the ten plagues correspond to the ten sefiros.  It is well known the idea of the Zohar that the makkos were both an affliction for the Egyptians and healing for Klal Yisroel.  According to this approach, the first seven plagues are sent to fix the middos, the hearts of Klal Yisroel.  The first plagues served to instill into the hearts of Klal Yisroel the fear of the Lord.  The Egyptian heart was lost, and it was replaced by a Jewish heart. 

However, the last three plagues are of a different level.  That is why it is a separate parsha, it isn’t a continuation of the same makkos, the makkos in this week’s parsha are a different quality than the one’s preceding them.   They correspond to the three mochan, they are coming to fix the brains of Klal Yisroel, to give them a yiddeshe kup.  To reach that level, Moshe had to combat against the mochim of Pharaoh, to fight against the inner core and drive of Pharaoh.  Such a mission, to go up against the core of the evil of Egypt frightened Moshe.  That’s why it is in our parsha that he requires the assurance of God that He will watch out for Moshe.

 

The midrash in last week’s parsha, on the verse (7:14) כבד לב פרעה says that the heart of Pharaoh became a liver (כבד.)  What is the intent of Chazal?  Rav Shlome Fischer explains based upon what we discussed in the past, here, that מלך stands for the three prisms of human existence, the liver representing the animal side, the heart ,לב)) representing the emotions and the brain ((,מוח representing the brain.  Pharaoh had the evidence in front of his eyes, it was obvious who was boss, yet he misused his brain and ignored the obvious.  Because of this, he loses his control of his brain and instead of the normal order of a מלך that a king like himself should have, he is controlled by his animalistic inclinations he is lead by his כבד.  As we are gaining our “brains” Pharaoh is losing his.  Based upon this, we understand why we receive the commandment of tefillin as we exit Egypt.  The mitzvah of tefillin is to use your brain and heart to serve Hashem. It was after the exiting of Egypt that Klal Yisroel received their brains and hearts.  In order to channel it in the right manner, Klal Yisroel needed to receive tefillin (based upon Shiveley Pinchas 5767.)

A New Translation

(7:5) 'וידעו מצרים כי אני ה. The simple translation of the verse is that Egypt shall know that I am God.  We find the same expression used right before the Egyptians chased Klal Yisroel into the Yam Suf (14:18.)  How will Egypt know that Hashem is God if they all drowned in the sea?  Who will know that Hashem is God, you don’t need to know anything if you’re dead?  The Even Ezra and Sforno both interpret the verse to mean that the Egyptians back in Egypt will hear the news and know Hashem is God.  The Sforno adds that this will cause them to do teshuva.  This is a theme the Sforno maintains throughout the makkos that the point of the plagues is to cause repentance.  The Alter Rebbe suggests (at least in the “inner dimension”,) a different translation.  He says the word דעה  means to break and destroy (as we see in the Targum Shoftim 8:16.)  According to this interpretation, there is a new meaning to the verse.  It now means, through the breaking of the Egyptians via the plagues, it will be revealed that I am God.  It is by breaking the klippah of the Egyptians that the kedusaha, the Godliness that exists within Egypt, will be revealed.  [It is unclear to me what is the relationship between the various meanings of the word דעה?  My father cleverly said that in order to understand something, you must break your head over it.  Possibly, sometimes Hebrew words mean the opposite so since דעת  means a connection (תניא פ"ד,) therefore it means to break as well.  וצ"ע.]

A Mixture and Division (4th plague)

This is post number 101, (which is special as we know from Chagiga 9; see Tanya Ch. 15, and Toras Menachem volume 2, this week's parsha letter 5, here, translation into English here (#4 on that pg.)  Thanks to all those that offer their criticism or praise of the posts, it gives me the encouragement to continue posting.

Rashi (8:17) comments in regard to מכות ערוב that there was a logical procession to the makkos following the order of making war.  Why does Rashi wait until the 4th מכה to tell us this principle?  And he cites his source from the Tanchuma, why do we need to know his source? And why does he only mention in specific how the frogs exemplified this way of waging war?  I found these questions and a bunch of others asked in Likutay sichos volume 11.  The approach developed there is that there is an interesting phenomenon and difference between ערוב and the previous מכות.  All the other plagues, the name of the plague is a description of the plague, blood, frogs, lice etc.  However, how does the word ערוב, a mixture describe the plague over here, a mixture of what?  Therefore, we must conclude that the main thrust of the מכה was indeed the mixture, the confusion, noise and turmoil that goes along with the mixture.  Why is this part of the plague emphasized?  Rashi explains that part of waging war is to cause the enemy to be confused and scared  therefore, explains this principle is seen in the plague of the frogs.  However, why is the name of the plague borrowed from this aspect and not the danger of the wild beasts?  Rashi points you to the Tanchuma, for it is there, not in the Rabbeh that it says that what bothered the Egyptians about the frogs was the noise, not the their presence.
It could be this difficulty of the name of the plague being non-descriptive caused the Rashbam to say that ערוב isn't related to the word mixture, rather the word ערב, evening, and explains the plague was wolves that attack at night (see article about the approach of Rashi vs. Rashbam here.)  And a third approach is that of  Rav Hirsch, who suggests ערוב comes from the word ערבה, wilderness, meaning that the plague consisted of wild animals.
The meforshim ask why only at the plague of  ערוב that the Torah stresses that it affected only the Egyptians and not Klal Yisroel, why doesn't it say this already at the first מכה.  There are various approaches (for the witch hunters, see what the Ridvaz (volume 1 #813) says about the Even Ezra, who says the first three plagues did affect Klal Yisroel.) .
In terms of the "inner dimensions" of the Torah, the Rebbe says that it is specifically in regard to ערוב, where the natural boundaries of the world are being broken, there must be an emphasis, a strengthening of the differences and separation of Klal Yisroel from the other nations.  The lesson is that it is especially nowadays, when people think that they are smarter and more humain than thousands of years of human existence and want to make a complete mixture of everyone in the world, to step over the boundaries of gender, race and culture, that we must build the wall between kedusha and the opposite, להבדיל בין ישראל לעמים.

Highlights from the Briskers

1. The תנא דבי אליהו זוטא (Ch. 14) says that Klal Yisroel were redeemed only in the merit of the Torah.  The midrash understands the possuk (6:5) ואזכר את בריתי to be a reference to Torah.  Asks the midrash, we didn't have Torah yet?  It answers עשו תורה כל ימיהם.  What does the answer of the midrash mean?  Rav Dovid Solevetchik explains based upon a letter of the Rambam to Rav Chasdai Halevi that the point of Torah is 'להתקין הנפש במדותיה ובאמוהת הבורא ית.  Based upon this we can understand this existed even before the giving of the Torah, and that is the intent of the midrash.  Interesting take from a Brisker, suggesting that the essence of Torah is a focus on one's character, not just an intellectual study.

2. The only מכה that's called 'יד ה is the plague of דבר.  This is reflected in the haggadeh as well where we cite this verse as proof that יד חזקה refers to דבר. Why is it this plague that merits this title?  The Briskor Rav explains that all the plagues were brought about by Moshe and Aharon doing an act with the staff etc. This plague however, came by itself as did the wild animals, therefore it says there (8:20) ויעש ה' כן.  However, if that's the case why is דבר called the hand of God more than ערוב?  Rav Eliyahu Baruch Finkel suggests a different approach.  He says that this plague was the first one to be done by Hashem without a median, hence it's called the hand of God.  It is interesting to note that it is the fifth plague corresponding to the five fingers of the hand.
   
3. Rav Dovid wonders why at the conclusion of some of the plagues we are told that Pharaoh asked Moshe to remove the plague, but some plagues we don't see this request?  The Or Hachaim (8:4) already points this out and explains that Pharaoh asked the plague to be removed only when he thought there was a threat to his life (עיי"ש.)  However, Rav Dovid touches on an interesting point.  The Yalkut indicates that there was a pattern to every plague, the same length of time for the warning, the plague, and the removal.  If that's the case what did the prayers of Moshe accomplish, it would've been removed anyway.  The Or Hachaim (7:25) suggests that even though there was a set time for the makkos, prayer helped to get rid of the plague earlier than the scheduled time. It is intresting to note that despite the fact that the makkos would have gone away anyway, Moshe's had to pray in an intense, meaningful manner in order to expedite the remoal.  Why was such intense besseching required just to hasten the process? See Sifsai Chayim.

4. The following point is stolen from the Divrei Chaim, from a piece entitled Brisker Rav on the dual purpose of the Makkos.
Rashi explains the pasuk "Re'eh nesaticha Elokim l'Pharoah" (7:1) to mean that Moshe was appointed as a dayan, a judge, over Pharoah. The Brisker Rav explains that the makkos were not just a means to force the Egyptians to free the Jewish people, but were necessary to fulfill the promise to Avraham of "V'gam es hagoy asher ya'avodu dan anochi", the promise to judge the nation who would enslave the Jewish people. Therefore, Moshe had to act as a judge to impose the necessary punishment on Pharoah, on his servants, and on the Egyptian nation, each according to what was deserved.I do not understand this insight of the Brisker Rav. The implication is that the judgment on Pharoah and Mitzrayim is a "chiddush din" which warranted the makkos even if the Jewish people could be freed in some other way. But what kind of new din is this? We know that there is a principle of schar v'onesh, reward and punishment, which means good people eventually reap their just rewards and evildoers get punished. If the punishment of the Egyptians was warranted under the principle of schar v'onesh, then why do we need a new pasuk of "v'gam es hagoy...dan anochi" to tell us that G-d will judge and punish them? And if the punishment of the Egyptians was not warranted under the normal rules of schar v'onesh, why did they deserve makkos at all? (See Ramban to Beraishis 15:14 who explains why the Egyptians deserved to be punished despite the fact that G-d had predestined the Jewish people for enslavement. Perhaps that is the chiddush here, but I am still not satisfied -- why would that necessitate the appointment of a judge as part of the process, a concept not implicitly part of the usual schar v'onesh pattern?) 

It is noteworthy that the Brisker Rav assumes like the simple read of the possuk that the makkos were a punishment for the Egyptians as Rashi says in Lech Lecha and Yishayeh (23:5.)  However, the Seforno in this week's parsha beginning of Ch. 7 says that the makkos were meant to cause the Egyptians to do teshuva.  It could be that the possuk of ודן אנכי is only referring to בכורות, which the Seforno agrees in a punishment (see midrash 15:27) (there are many more מקורות בהענין, תן לחכם וכו.)

It is also noteworthy that part of the message of the מכות was that Klal Yisroel should see the greatness of Hashem (see the pessukim in the beginning of parshas Bo and Rashi in our parsha, (7:3.)  Why must the makkos be a message to Klal Yisroel and not just a punishment?  The Rebbe (Likutay Sichos volume 36) explains that everything that happens is for the sake of Klal Yisroel, so we must find in the makkos a lesson for Klal Yisroel.   

The Great Frog

The past few posts we have discussed the frogs.  What is so great about the frogs, why are they the one’s to mete out punishment to the Egyptians?  What is unique about the frog?

The Gemorah Sanhedrin (67b) brings a debate between Rebbe Akivah and Rebbe Elazer ben Azaryeh.  The possuk says ותעל הצפרדע, there were many frogs, not one?  Rebbe Akivah says it was one frog and many frogs came out of it.  Rebbe Elazer ben Azaryeh says don’t busy yourself with aggadeh, stick to the (difficult – Rashi) laws of negaim and ohalos.  He says that there was one frog that whistled to announce all the other frogs should come.  Why is Rebbe Elazer so animated about this point and tells Rebbe Akivah quit the derush and stick to halacha? 

The Tanna D’ve Eliyahu Ch. 7 tells us that the wordצפרדע  is a contraction of the wordsציפור  andדעה  for the frogs alert the birds to know which waters they can drink from.  As we know from the Nefesh Hachaim and the Tanya, the wordדעת   means a connection, וידע אדם את חוה אשתו .  It is the frogs that bear the secret of unity between the heavens and the depths of the earth.  They are the one’s who proclaimברוך שם  as we cited earlier this week, from Perek Shirah, here.  They bear the message that all the things in the world that seem to be many, have one source.  The Egyptians believed that there are many sources of power in the world.  This belief in the “the many” is especially represented by the frog.  

Heqet (Egyptian ḥqt, also ḥqtyt "Heqtit") is an Egyptian goddess of fertility, identified with Hathor, represented in the form of a frog.  To the Egyptians, the frog was an ancient symbol of fertility, related to the annual flooding of the Nile. Heqet was originally the female counterpart of Khnemu, or the wife of Khnemu by whom she became the mother of Heru-ur. It has been proposed that her name is the origin of the name of Hecate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft (from here.)  The fertility is ריבוי, which indeed is a characteristic of the frog like other שרצים, see Malbim Genesis (1:21.)  However, as opposed to the Egyptians who believed there was no single source controlling all the forces in the world, the frogs teach us that there is a connection, the many is an extension of the One.  The many forces of nature come from One.  That’s why it is the frog that is chosen to teach this lesson.

The Tanaim are arguing how to to view this yichud.  Rebbe Elazer is of the opinion that indeed there are many frogs, there seem to be things in this world that don’t come together, there is good and evil, tammeh and tahor.  It is behind this mask of seemingly contradictions that there is the one whistler, One source.  Rebbe Akiva says no, there is no evil, no tammeh.  The evil, tammeh can also be transformed into good and taharah.  The many frogs all emanate from one frog.  This debate isn’t just about frogs, it’s about two entirely different weltanschauungs.  That is why Rebbe Elezar gets agitated about Rebbe Akiva’s view.  He feels that is only a message for the future days, it is not a truth that can be understood currently (based upon the teachings of Rav Tzvi Einfeld.)

Aharon = Moshe

Rashi (6:26) says that the Torah in this instance places Aharon before Moshe in order to teach us that they are equal.  Everyone asks what does Rashi mean, of course Moshe was greater that Aharon, he gave us the Torah, there is noone equal in level of prophecy to Moshe?  There are many interpretations given for this Rashi.  I have always thought the simple peshat is as follows.  The Rambam tells us one of the great principles of faith is that there can't be a greater prophet than Moshe.  However, in his introduction to Pirkey Avos, the Shemoneh Perakim, and in the Laws of Teshuva (5:2) he says that everyone can be as great as Moshe?  Rav Elchonen Wasserman (Kovetz Maamarim pg. 56) explains that we can't reach the level of Moshe, but we can be like Moshe in terms of maximizing our potential.  Just as Moshe realized his full potential, so too we can maximize our capabilities.  That may be the intent of Chazal over here, yes Aharon didn't reach the same heights as Moshe, but he fulfilled his potential such as much as Moshe did.