Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Midrashim are ideas or stories that explain the Torah. They often come from listening very carefully to what the Torah says and how it says it. Here, we will look for what clues this midrash sees in the Torah's words, and try to understand its messages.
Before the plague of hail, God tells Moshe to tell Pharaoh:
וְעַתָּ֗ה שְׁלַ֤ח הָעֵז֙ אֶֽת־מִקְנְךָ֔ וְאֵ֛ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְךָ֖ בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה כׇּל־הָאָדָ֨ם וְהַבְּהֵמָ֜ה אֲשֶֽׁר־יִמָּצֵ֣א בַשָּׂדֶ֗ה וְלֹ֤א יֵֽאָסֵף֙ הַבַּ֔יְתָה וְיָרַ֧ד עֲלֵהֶ֛ם הַבָּרָ֖ד וָמֵֽתוּ׃
“Now, your animals and everything you have out in the open should be brought under shelter. Every man and beast that is found outside, not having been brought indoors, shall die when the hail comes down!”
Moshe hadn’t given Pharaoh such a long and detailed warning before any of the other plagues. A midrash comments on this warning:
בְּכָל הַמַּכּוֹת לֹא אָמַר פַּרְעֹה: "ה' הַצַּדִּיק" אֶלָּא בְּמַכַּת בָּרָד בִּלְבַד. לָמָּה?
אָדָם שֶׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ לְהִלָּחֵם עִם חֲבֵרוֹ וּלְנַצֵּחַ אוֹתוֹ, פִּתְאוֹם הוּא בָּא עָלָיו וְהוֹרְגוֹ וְנוֹטֵל כָּל מָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ.
אֲבָל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לְפַרְעֹה: "וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח הָעֵז אֶת מִקְנְךָ..."
בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אָמַר פַּרְעֹה: "ה' הַצַּדִּיק."
In none of the plagues did Pharaoh say “God is righteous” except for the plague of hail. Why?
A person who is fighting and trying to beat someone else might surprise them and kill them and take all that they have.
But God said to Pharaoh: “Your animals and everything you have out in the open should be brought under shelter...”
At that moment, Pharaoh said, “God is righteous.”
Following the destruction that the hail causes, Pharaoh praises God, saying !ה' הַצַּדִּיק (HaShem ha-tzaddik! God is righteous!; Shemot 9:27). This midrash links the unusual warning before the plague to the unusual response to the plague, explaining that, in this moment, Pharaoh learned that God is fair. God shows more care and compassion for the Egyptians than God is expected to, even when God is sending plagues to hurt them.
- What is fair and unfair in a fight?
- Do you think it’s important that the warning before the hail was about protecting animals out in the fields?
- What do you think was the purpose of the plagues? Does this midrash add anything or change the way you understand that purpose?
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