SNL's Mubarak recalls the Jewish struggle for freedom in Egypt

"Mubarak": "Egyptians are not great with signs. Read the bible. We needed 10 plagues before we let the Israelites go. Ten!"

(via Shiloh Musings)

A flood on one nation

the cover of the sefer Kishutei Kallah,
from hebrewbooks.org

The following is taken from the sefer Kishutei Kallah ('Decorations of the Bride') of Rabbi Nathan Neta of Shinyiva zt"l on Parashat Beshalach:

וישובו המים על מצרים, כי לפי שנשבע ה' שלא יביא מבול לעולם, אבל על אומה אחת מביא. או שיביאם אל תוך המים (על זה לא נשבע) - סוטה יא ע"א

'That the waters may come back upon the Egyptians', for יהוה swore He would not bring a flood on the world [again], but on one nation He would bring it; or, He would bring them into the water (on this He did not swear). (Sotah 11a)


Sources:

שמות י"ד, כ"ו: וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, נְטֵה אֶת-יָדְךָ עַל-הַיָּם; וְיָשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם עַל-מִצְרַיִם, עַל-רִכְבּוֹ וְעַל-פָּרָשָׁיו

Exodus 14:26: And יהוה said unto Moses: 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.'

Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sotah Page 11a:

This section of the Babylonian Talmud collects commentaries of the sages (200-500 CE) on the Biblical story of the Jewish people under Egyptian slavery, as told in the first chapters of the book of Exodus. The text is composed of quotations from the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), followed by interpretations of the sages, whose views are grounded in the quotations themselves, or in quotations from other parts of the Torah:

"A new king arose..." (Exodus 1:8) Rav and Shmuel [differed in their interpretation]: One said [the Pharoah was] actually new and one said his decrees were new. He who said actually new [based his view on the verse] as it is written 'new'; and he who said his decrees were new, as it is not written 'And he died and he reigned.'

[Note: Brazil and Australia have new leaders, who come in the footsteps of a past leader who was infamously anti-Israel. Brazil's Lula recently established the first Palestinian embassy in Brazil. Australia's Rudd left a deep diplomatic divide between Australia and Israel.]

"Who knew not Joseph" — he was like one who did not know [Joseph] at all.

"And he said unto his people, Behold the people of the children of Israel." A Tanna [sage who lived prior to 200 CE] taught: He originated the plan first, and therefore was punished first [referring to Pharoah]. He originated the plan first, as it is written: 'And he said unto his people' (Ex 1:9); therefore he was punished first, as it is written: 'Upon you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants.' (Ex. 7:29)

"Come, let us deal wisely with him" — it should have been "with them" [plural, not singular] — Rabbi Chama in the name of Rabbi Chanina said: [Pharaoh meant,] 'Come and let us outwit the Saviour of Israel. With what shall we afflict them? If we afflict them with fire, it is written: "Behold יהוה will come in fire" (Isaiah 66:15) and it is written "יהוה will judge by fire". [If we afflict them] with the sword, it is written: 'And by His sword all flesh." No, let us afflict them with water, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has already sworn that he will not bring a flood upon the world; as it is said: "For this to Me is like the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor will I rebuke you." (Isaiah 54:9) They were unaware, however, that He would not bring a flood upon the whole world, but upon one people He would bring it; or alternatively, He would not bring [the flood] but they would come and fall into it. Thus it says: "And the Egyptians fled towards it" (Exodus 14:27)...

Rabbi Chiya son of Abba said in the name of Rabbi Simai: There were three in that plan: Balaam, Job, and Yitro. Balaam who devised it was slain; Job who silently acquiesced was afflicted with sufferings; Yitro, who fled, merited that his descendants should sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.

 בבלי מסכת סוטה דף י"א ע"א

ויקם מלך חדש וגו

רב ושמואל חד אמר חדש ממש וחד אמר שנתחדשו גזירותיו מאן דאמר חדש ממש דכתיב חדש ומאן דאמר שנתחדשו גזירותיו דלא כתיב וימת וימלוך

אשר לא ידע את יוסף דהוה דמי כמאן דלא ידע ליה כלל

ויאמר אל עמו הנה עם בני ישראל

תנא הוא התחיל בעצה תחילה לפיכך לקה תחילה הוא התחיל בעצה תחילה דכתיב ויאמר אל עמו לפיכך לקה תחילה כדכתיב ובכה ובעמך ובכל עבדיך

הבה נתחכמה לו להם

מיבעי ליה א"ר חמא ברבי חנינא באו ונחכם למושיען של ישראל במה נדונם נדונם באש כתיב כי הנה ה' באש יבא וכתיב כי באש ה' נשפט וגו' בחרב כתיב [(ישעיהו סו, טז) ובחרבו את כל בשר] אלא בואו ונדונם במים שכבר נשבע הקב"ה שאינו מביא מבול לעולם שנאמר (ישעיהו נד, ט) כי מי נח זאת לי וגו' והן אינן יודעין שעל כל העולם כולו אינו מביא אבל על אומה אחת הוא מביא אי נמי הוא אינו מביא אבל הן באין ונופלין בתוכו וכן הוא אומר (שמות יד, כז) ומצרים נסים לקראתו והיינו דא"ר אלעזר מאי דכתיב (שמות יח, יא) כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם בקדירה שבישלו בה נתבשלו מאי משמע דהאי זדו לישנא דקדירה הוא דכתיב (בראשית כה, כט) ויזד יעקב נזיד
א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר סימאי שלשה היו באותה עצה בלעם ואיוב ויתרו בלעם שיעץ נהרג איוב ששתק נידון ביסורין יתרו שברח זכו מבני בניו שישבו בלשכת הגזית שנאמר (דברי הימים א ב, נה) ומשפחות סופרים יושבי יעבץ תרעתים שמעתים סוכתים המה הקנים הבאים מחמת אבי בית רכב וכתיב (שופטים א, טז) ובני קיני חתן משה וגו'

Three critical Shabbatot

Fire on Mount Carmel, Dec. 2, taken from Kibbutz Harduf (Uri Barakat)

1. Friday, December 3, 2010 (25 Kislev): Israel enters Shabbat while the Fire on Mount Carmel continues to roar. The fire began Thursday, Dec. 2nd, on the eve of the first Night of Chanukah, 5771. It claimed 44 lives and burned 55,000 dunams. Many have drawn a connection between the 2010 Carmel fire and the biblical account Elijah the prophet bringing fire down on Mt. Carmel, especially since Elijah the prophet features prominently in accounts of the final redemption. Elijah's display of fire served as a demonstration of God's power in reaction to the people's tendency "waver between two sides."

2. Friday, December 31, 2010 (25 Tevet): Just before midnight US Central time, 500 Birds fall mysteriously from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas just before New Years' Eve. In Israel, this occurred during the morning prayer of Shabbat, Parashat Va'era, the portion of the Torah which recounts the Ten Plagues. In the next 24 hours, 100,000 fish were found dead in a river nearby in Arkansas, and thousands of birds fell from the sky in Bio Bio, Chile. Sudden, mass animal deaths ensued worldwide.

3. Friday, January 14, 2011, 1 p.m. US Central time (9/10 Shevat): 200 cows die in Wisconsin. As another blogger noted, this is the first incidence in which larger animals are affected by the animal deaths phenomenon. In Israel, this incident occurred during the evening meal of Shabbat, during which beef is traditionally eaten, Parashat B'Shalach.

Update: The Japan tsunami and the French attack on Libya also occurred on the Shabbatot, March 12th and March 19th.

The Ten Plagues

The Seventh Plague (John Martin, 1789-1854)

In this week's Torah Portion, we read about the last three of the ten plagues that befell Egypt in the context of trying to free the Jews of slavery. According to the New Bible Dictionary, the goal of the plagues were to clearly demonstrate the reality of the Israeiltes' one God, in contrast to the impotence of Egypt's gods.

Summary of the Ten Plagues (adapted from Wikipedia): 

1. Nile turns to blood, fish die, Egypt fills with an awful stench. Pharoah's magicians too show they can also turn water to blood.

2. Extremely large frogs fill all of Egypt, all the way into people's homes, even in their beds. Pharoah's magicians can mimic the plague but cannot stop it, pushing Pharoah to agree to let the Israelites go. After the frogs die, Pharoah changes his mind.

3. Deadly lice infect people and livestock of Egypt. Egyptian magicians fail to reproduce the effect, and declare the act as "the finger of God".

4. Herds of wild animals invade Egypt. Pharoah asks Moses to remove the plague and promises to let the people go. Yet again as soon as the plague ends, Pharoah "hardened his heart" and rescinds his promise.

5. An epidemic exterminates Egyptian livetsock. Pharoah makes no concessions.

6. Moses and Aaron take handfuls of soot from a furnace, throw it into the sky, inducing boils on people and livestock. Egypt's magicians were among the victims and were unable to heal themselves.

7. Moses warns Pharoah to let the Israelites go, lest God unleash the full force of the plagues against Egypt. Pharoah is warned, and God sends thunder, hail and lightning in the worst storm of Egypt's history, with many victims and damage of property and livestock. In a plea to stop the storm, Pharaoh says: "This time I have sinned; God is righteous, I and my people are wicked." As soon as Moses begins to pray to God, the hail stops. Pharoah again "hardened his heart" and goes back on his word.

8. Locusts: Locusts began on the first day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, which this year fell on Thursday, January 6th. Before the plague, God warns Moses that He Himself will "harden Pharoah's heart" so as to fully demonstrate the power of God throughout the entire world. Moses warns Pharoah of the plague, and Pharoah's ministers beg him to give in and spare them of the plague of locusts. Pharoah offers to let the men go alone, but Moses repeats the demand for the entire people, which Pharaoh refuses. A locust storm casts a shadow over Egypt and consumes all the remaining Egyptian crops, leaving not one tree standing.

9. Darkness: Egypt was consumed by darkness for three days. Light remained in the homes of the Israelites. Some say this plague was an attack on Pharoah's sun god Ra.

10. Death of the firstborn: Before the plague, God commands Moses to inform all Israelites to mark their doorposts with lamb's blood, so as to spare them from the plague. At midnight, all first-borns of Egypt, from Pharoah's own son, to the first-born of the cattle, perish. Pharoah, fearing his own life, finally succumbs and orders the Israelites to go and to take whatever they wanted. Fearing Pharoah will again change his mind, the Israelites make flatbread and pack quickly, eager for their redemption after four centuries of knowing nothing but suffering.

Animal deaths = tenth plague?

What if the animal deaths this week are a huge chesed (act of lovingkindness) of Hashem, an enactment of only the animal toll of makat bechorot (death of the first-borns)?

וְעָבַרְתִּי בְאֶרֶץ-מִצְרַיִם, בַּלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה, וְהִכֵּיתִי כָל-בְּכוֹר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, מֵאָדָם וְעַד-בְּהֵמָה; וּבְכָל-אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים, אֲנִי יְהוָה

And I will pass through the land of Egypt on this night, and smite all firstborns in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.

After the carmel fire, Rabbi Uri Shreki, head of the Israeli division of Machon Meir, said the Carmel fire was the attribute of judgment taking its toll, in what could have been a much greater disaster. Considering what could have been, the way things happened derived from the "total kindness of Hashem".

It is also worth noting that Uri Shreki, whose article was brought to my attention last month by Yeranen Yaakov, did not take the view that am yisrael 'deserved' the fire, h"v. Rather, he said the fire was in the category of 'yissurim shel ahava', or 'sufferings of love', where Hashem sends ordeals to his favorites, the heavy price which is only worth it in light of what's ahead.

And the river turned to...animal fat?

Beef Tallow floating on the Houston Ship Cannal (AP/US Coastal Guard)

HuffPost reports:

Workers with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Texas General Land Office used pitchfork and fishnets Wednesday to pierce, corral and remove chunks of beef fat clogging the Houston Ship Channel, shutting down nearly a mile of one of the nation's busiest marine arteries...

Some 15,000 gallons of animal fat poured into the channel through a storm drain on Tuesday after an onshore storage tank owned by agricultural company Jacob Sterns and Sons leaked 250,000 gallons of the greasy substance, Brahms said...

"When it hit the water it instantly thickened," Brahms said. "It turned into a thick pattie, which is pretty much what we're cleaning up now."

In the first of the Ten Plagues, Moses turns the main Egyptian waterway to blood:

This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water. (Exodus 7:17-18)