Parasha: Vaera · Aliyah: Fourth (Netzach)

-9. לאמור…כי ידגר אלכם פרעה, to say: "when Pharaoh will say to you, etc." The reason the Torah adds the word לאמור is to inform us that they had been allowed to inform Pharaoh that they would perform the miracles in G'd's name. Unless such permission had been granted explicitly, they would have been forbidden to reveal this even in response to a question by Pharaoh. We have learned in Yuma 4 that under normal circumstances one is not to reveal the source of one's information unless specifically authorised to do so. The first time the Torah writes לאמור here it is to give Moses and Aaron permission to reveal this information. The Torah repeats the word לאמור once more in order to show that G'd ordered Moses and Aaron to reveal this information.

Another piece of information contained in this verse (according to Torat Kohanim is 1) is that wherever the Torah writes: "to Moses and Aaron," the meaning is that Moses should tell Aaron to carry out G'd's instructions. This piece of exegesis is derived from the very word לאמור here. It means that unlike your impression that G'd spoke to both Moses and Aaron simultaneously, the truth is that G'd spoke to Moses to relay the information to Aaron. The reason that the Torah makes it appear as if G'd had spoken to both of them simultaneously is only to tell us that the commandment performed by Aaron in relaying the information to Pharaoh was equal in importance to Moses having performed his part of the commandment.

פרעה לאמור, תנו לכם מופת, Pharaoh saying: "perform a miracle for your accreditation," the reason the Torah inserts the word לאמור in addition to already having quoted Pharaoh as כי ידבר, was to tell Moses not to volunteer a miracle until Pharaoh actually asked for it. At that point they were to perform the miracle described in our verse. Alternatively, if Pharaoh challenged Moses and Aaron about the authenticity of their mission Moses would also be entitled to tell Aaron to demonstrate the miracle described here.

ויעשו כן כאשר צוה, They did as G'd had commanded, etc. The reason the Torah writes the words כן כאשר, i.e. repeating basically the same word is, because it tells us that Moses and Aaron a) did what G'd had told them to, b) did not do so until Pharaoh had requested the miracle from them.

The Torah also wanted us to know that though anyone who performs miracles immediately raises his own image in the eyes of the onlookers, Moses and Aaron had no such considerations. They did what they did only at the behest of G'd. It is the mark of the truly righteous not to perform their own will but to perform what they perceive to be G'd's will.

ויאמר ה׳ אל משה כבד לב פרעה, G'd said to Moses: "Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, etc." What did G'd tell Moses here that he did not already know? Perhaps Pharaoh had not refused the request to let the Israelites go in so many words, but had merely remained silent after watching Aaron's demonstration. G'd informed Moses that the meaning of this silence was that Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites and did not even think it necessary to say so.

ואמרת אליו ה׳..שלחני אליך, "Say to him: G'd.. has sent me to you, etc." This entire verse appears to be superfluous. Verse 17 would have been quite adequate. Pharaoh did not need to be told that G'd had sent Moses! Perhaps the Torah wanted to tell us that Pharaoh had objected to being met by Moses at a time when he performed his morning ritual. Moses was to explain that he had not intended to invade Pharaoh's privacy but had been commanded by G'd to do so. Moses was to imply that instructions from the Supreme G'd must be carried out immediately.

G'd may have intended another lesson for Pharaoh, one which is alluded to in Shemot Rabbah 8,1 based on Ezekiel 29,3 where Pharaoh is described as claiming that he had made the river Nile and that he owned it. Since Pharaoh had thus elevated himself to the level of a deity, he had to leave the palace every morning and answer a call of nature where he would not be seen in order that he could maintain the myth of being a god. G'd exploded this myth by sending Moses to him at the time and place Pharaoh had reserved for his very human needs. Moses first told Pharaoh that the G'd of the Hebrews was well aware of his whereabouts and wanted him to know this and embarass him with this knowledge. Pharaoh was now under threat that his myth might be shattered if Moses were to tell his servants of their master's weakness. When G'd added that so far Pharaoh had not listened to him, He wanted Pharaoh to know that though the latter had not specifically refused Moses' latest demand, G'd could read his thoughts.

The words "the G'd of the Hebrews has sent me to you," may also be a way of telling Pharaoh that the demand to release the Israelites need not be repeated before Moses would strike the river Nile and turn it into blood. The word כה was quite enough to show us that the plague that follows was the result of the demand to let the Israelites go which Pharaoh had thus far ignored. After all, Moses had previously identified himself and Pharaoh had ignored the demand to dismiss the Israelites. If Pharaoh thought that the fact that he had not yet been smitten for his refusal was a sign that G'd's threats were not to be taken seriously, he would find out immediately how wrong he had been.

בזאת תדע כי אני ה׳, "In this you shall know that I am י־ה־ו־ה." The reason G'd used the plague of blood to prove to Pharaoh that He was who He said He was, is understandable when we consider Shemot Rabbah 9,9 according to which the Egyptians looked upon the Nile as a benevolent deity. By striking this deity first and turning it into a source of curse instead of a source of life, G'd demonstrated that He owned the Nile. According to the Zohar volume 3 page 297 the tetragram implies the eternity of G'd. He had preceded the river Nile just as He had preceded every other phenomenon in the world.

G'd also hinted at His attribute of Mercy when He smote the river. He wanted to give Pharaoh a chance to repent when the latter realised His awesome power as manifested by His turning the river into blood. If not for the attribute of Mercy as represented by the tetragram, G'd would have already killed Pharaoh outright at this stage. The words בזאת תדע therefore refer to G'd's attribute of Mercy.

ויעשו כן משה ואהרן, Moses and Aaron did so precisely, etc. This means that when Moses and Aaron smote the river the result was that G'd's will was done and the result was the same as if G'd Himself had struck the river. Please read what I have already written on verse six concerning such expressions in the Torah, as well as what I shall be writing on the verse following.

לעיני פרעה ולעיני עבדיו, before the eyes of Pharaoh and the eyes of his servants. Although Moses issued the warning to Pharaoh when the latter was unaccompanied because he hid his need to answer calls of nature, the Torah tells us that G'd delayed implementing the plague until it could be done publicly in the presence of Pharaoh's servants. While it is true that the text does not mention this, it is most likely that G'd had mentioned this to Moses for reasons of maximum effect. It is even possible that the words כן כאשר צוה, "exactly as He commanded," refer to words G'd had told Moses but which were not spelled out in our text.

והדגה…מתה, and the fish…died; the Torah reports this detail to show that the Egyptians realised that the plague was not just a sleight of hand, i.e. make-believe. The blood would kill the people who drank it (in quantities). The fact that the river stank proved that the plague was for real. When the Torah adds ויהי הדם בכל ארץ מצרים, "the blood persisted throughout the land of Egypt," the reference is to bath-houses, bathtubs, etc. Perhaps the Torah wanted to tell us that the Egyptians took the "blood" from one location to another. If the "blood" had been the result of witch-craft it would have reverted to water as soon as it had been removed from the sphere of the sorcerer who had performed the trick (compare Zohar volume 2 page 192). The Torah tells us that the Egyptians realised that this phenomenon was something over and above the kind they were used to see their own sorcerers perform.

ויעשו כן חרטומי מצרים, The Egyptian sorcerers did likewise, etc. If we follow the sages in Shemot Rabbah 9,11 according to whom all the waters in Egypt were struck, where did the Egyptian sorcerers practice their art and convert water into blood? Perhaps only visible sources of water had been turned into blood, whereas subterranean water had remained in its original state. This would explain why the Torah described the Egyptians as digging for water in verse 24.

It is also possible that the sorcerers used the water which the Israelites had sold to the Egyptians according to Shemot Rabbah 9,10. Although we have explained that the average Egyptian had already realised that the miracle performed by Moses and Aaron was real, Pharaoh's attitude remained obstinate and he refused to see a qualitative difference between the magic of his own magicians and that of Moses and Aaron. This is why he did not examine if what his magicians had done was more than make-believe.

ויפן ..ולא שת לבו, He turned…and did not take due notice of this, etc. The Torah is careful not to write that Pharaoh expressly refused to let the Israelites depart; Pharaoh was very anxious not to expose himself to additional retribution. We will explain on 8,4, why Pharaoh had not asked Moses and Aaron in this case to pray on his behalf and to remove the plague.

וימלא שבעת ימים, Seven days went by, etc. The word וימלא, "became full," refers to the pre-arranged length G'd had ordained for the plague. After that period had elapsed, G'd told Moses to go and see Pharaoh again (verse 26). The Torah tells us this detail to show us the obstinacy of Pharaoh who could let an entire week go by without making an effort to somehow have this plague terminated. All of this is in accordance with an opinion expressed in Shemot Rabbah 9,12 that Moses spent 24 days warning Pharaoh of the impending plague whereas once the plague materialised it remained in effect for seven days. According to the opinion that it was the other way around, i.e. that Moses warned Pharaoh of the impending plague for seven days running, whereas once the plague materialised it lasted for 24 days, the seven days mentioned here refer to the period of warning. The plague then would have remained in effect for the remainder of the month. The problem with this explanation is the plague of darkness which is described as being intense for three days (10,22). Perhaps both the plague of darkness and the plague of blood were exceptions and the author of the opinion that the plagues remained in effect for 24 days agrees that the water in the river did not remain blood for 24 days on end. This would account for the fact that the Torah mentions a time frame only in the case of those two plagues. I believe that even though G'd had set a time-limit for each plague, Moses' prayer would have sufficed to terminate the plague sooner.

ואם מאן אתה, "if you should refuse, etc." We learn from here that for a warning to be legally valid it must be delivered immediately preceding the sin.

העתירו אל ה׳, "Implore G'd, etc." Why did Pharaoh not simply go to his home as he had done during the first plague? After all, his magicians had demonstrated in both instances that they were able to duplicate Moses' and Aaron's magic? Actually, we should interpret Pharaoh's beliefs as reflected by his reactions. He would not have called in Moses and Aaron to pray for him unless he had been afraid of the deathly effect of the plague in question.

The plague of blood did not represent a threat to life as people could still their thirst by either digging for water in the vicinity of the river or buying same from the Israelites. As a result, Pharaoh did not become overly agitated at that plague.

The plague of frogs contained two elements. 1) It was accompanied by an overpowering noise orchestrated by all those frogs; 2) the frogs invaded people's entrails as we know from 7,29 "and the frogs shall come upon you, etc." This plague was very frightening, no one being certain of his survival. These considerations are what prompted Pharaoh to implore Moses to remove this plague accompanied by a promise that he would release the Israelites to offer sacrifices to their G'd. When he said: ממני, he referred to his entrails, which was the most frightening aspect of the plague.

Pharaoh did not ask Moses for removal of the third plague, the insects, even though he had watched his magicians' impotence and admission that this plague was indeed a "finger of G'd;" his heart remained obstinate as the plague, painful though it was, did not constitute a danger to life.

The fourth plague, that of wild animals invading Egypt's urban areas was truly fear-inspiring and resulted in Pharaoh instructing Moses and Aaron to go and take the Israelites to sacrifice to their G'd within the country. For the first time, Pharaoh was prepared to negotiate where this could take place. At any rate, he pleaded with Moses to pray on his behalf.

The plague of pestilence did not move Pharaoh particularly as its main effect was on the animals, though none of the livestock owned by the Israelites died. Pharaoh remained obstinate, did not release the Israelites and did not ask Moses to pray to stop the plague.

The sixth plague, painful boils on the skin, also did not move Pharaoh to prayer as it was not a life-threatening situation although for the first time even his magicians did not remain immune.

The plague of hail was a major spectacle not only ruining the crops but killing people who had not heeded G'd's warning. For the first time Pharaoh reacted by admitting that he and his people had sinned against G'd. He pleaded with Moses to pray and not only promised to release the Israelites but did so without attaching conditions.

During the eighth plague, the locusts, the Torah quotes Pharaoh's alarm when, for the first time, his servants move him to negotiate the Israelites' release before the onset of the plague. Negotiations having broken down, the plague does occur and Pharaoh pleads for G'd "to remove this death."

We do not find that Pharaoh asked Moses to pray on his behalf during the plague of darkness; perhaps this was due to his attempt during the first three days of that plague to counter it by lighting all kinds of lanterns, etc. During the following three days when no one could even rise from his seat, Pharaoh was incommunicado and could not send a messenger to call Moses to intercede on his behalf. After the seven days of darkness were complete, Pharaoh immediately sent for Moses to tell him that he and his people could leave and that they only had to leave their livestock behind as insurance that they would return. Moses immediately refused the condition. Seeing that the plague of darkness was already over, there was no point in asking Moses to pray for its removal.

התפאר עלי, "have this glory over me, etc." What exactly did Moses mean by the expression התפאר עלי? If what he meant was that even if Pharaoh would ask for an immediate removal of the frogs this would constitute his glory, the result of Pharaoh asking that the frogs be removed only on the morrow would indicate that he was not interested in besting Moses; Moses' confirmation: "as you have said," would make little sense in that scenario. We also need to analyse why Moses did not say מתי אעתיר לך which we would have expected, but said למתי וגו׳?

I believe Moses wanted to demonstrate that G'd tries to oblige those who are dear to Him so that it was beyond his imagination that G'd would forsake him (not do what he promised). He did this by contrasting the relationship between man and G'd with that of slave and master. When a slave asks a favour from his master he will be happy if his master grants the favour at all and it would not occur to him to attach conditions as to the time when such a favour has to be granted. He will be even less likely to ask for the date of such a favour to be advanced or delayed, but will await the time when he judges his master to be in a favourable frame of mind to grant his request. He will be most happy if his request is granted at the time it pleases his master. Not so the relationship between Moses and G'd. Moses was anxious to demonstrate to Pharaoh that a) he could offer a prayer at any time; b) his prayer would not only be granted but that he could attach conditions as to the "when" of G'd's response. This is why he asked Pharaoh what time or day he wanted him to pray that the frogs should disappear. Pharaoh was to prove himself superior in that he could determine when Moses should pray.

It is difficult to understand why Pharaoh wanted the frogs to be removed only on the following day. Although we know from Proverbs 21,10 that wicked people harbour a death wish (unconsciously), this applies only in the abstract. No wicked person deliberately opts for continued flagellation when given a chance to escape the pain involved. Why then did Pharaoh ask Moses to make his prayer effective only on the following day? At first glance one may be tempted to conclude that Pharaoh misinterpreted Moses' offer as proof of his awareness that the plague was about to come to an end, and that he wanted to take the credit for this by appearing to pray for the removal of the frogs at once. Pharaoh therefore wanted to show up Moses as a fraud. He interpreted Moses' use of the word התפאר as a trick designed to induce him to ask for the immediate removal of the frogs. This is why he decided to suffer a little longer if only he could expose Moses as a fraud.

What is wrong with this theory is that if Pharaoh wanted to unmask Moses as a fraud he did not really have to extend the period of his suffering at all by asking Moses not to pray until the following day. Besides, Pharaoh had never heard of a prayer that is offered up at one time and is not to be effective until the following day. This is why he wanted Moses to demonstrate that though he prayed now and his prayer would be accepted, the removal of the frogs would not be implemented until the morrow. This was the challenge Pharaoh presented to Moses when he said: למחר. He wanted proof that Moses prayed immediately though the frogs would not disappear until the morrow. When Moses told Pharaoh: כדברך, "as you said," he meant that he had accepted Pharaoh's challenge. Moses did not leave the city to offer his prayer (as he did on other occasions) but prayed inside the city in order for everyone to be aware precisely when he had prayed. This is why the Torah writes: "Moses and Aaron left the presence of Pharaoh and Moses cried out to G'd concerning the frogs G'd had brought on Pharaoh, etc." Moses prayed concerning two matters. 1) Removal of the frogs. 2) Not to remove the frogs until the following day. This is why the Torah states על דבר הצפרדעים, "concerning the matter of the frogs," instead of להסיר הצפרדעים, "to remove the frogs."