“The Lord said to Moses: Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him: So said the Lord, God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, and they will serve Me. For this time, I will send all My plagues against your heart and upon your servants and against your people, so that you will know that there is none like Me on the entire earth” (Exodus 9:13-14). “The Lord said to Moses: Rise early in the morning” – that is what is written: “Behold [hen], God is exalted in His power, who teaches like Him?” (Job 36:22). Rabbi Berekhya said: Hen means one, as in the Greek language, one is called hen. In other words, our God is one. “Exalted in his power” – He increases the strength of the righteous to perform His will. And “who teaches like Him?” – as He teaches the path of repentance. So you find with Moses, whom the Holy One blessed be He strengthened to go on His mission and perform His commands. He taught the wicked Pharaoh to repent because He did not want to send the plague until he forewarns him to [allow him to] repent, as it is written: “Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh.” He would give Moses strength to rise early and stand before Pharaoh, and he taught the wicked Pharaoh about the path of repentance, as it is written: “And say to him: So said the Lord, God of the Hebrews…. For this time…” “Why isn’t it stated here “behold, he is going out to the water” (Exodus 8:16)?1This was the previous place where Moses was instructed to “rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh.” Once Pharaoh saw that when he would go out to the water, Moses would precede him on the path, he refrained and did not go out, so that Moses would not encounter him. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: Go to him early, before he leaves his house. “For I could have now extended My hand and afflicted you and your people with pestilence, and you would be eliminated from the earth” (Exodus 9:15). “For this time (Exodus 9:14)…For I could have now extended My hand…” The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Woe, wicked one, do you believe that I am unable to eradicate you from the world? Learn from the plague of pestilence. When I sent that pestilence, had I sent it upon you and on your people, you would have been eradicated from the land. However, I only sent it upon you in order to show you the power of My might, and so that you would tell of My strength throughout the land.’ That is what is written: “However, for this I have sustained you [in order to show you My power, and so that My renown will be told of throughout the earth]” (Exodus 9:16). “You continue to oppress My people, not letting them go” (Exodus 9:17). “You continue to oppress [mistolel]2The word mistolel is obscure. The midrash understands it to be derived from the root s-l-l, and thus it means literally to cause to be crushed, i.e., in the manner that a road is levelled. Others understand it to be derived from the root s-l-s-l, with mistolel therefore meaning “exalt oneself.” My people.” He would make them like a road [mesila] on which everyone treads, as you say: “…who said to your soul: Bow down, so we may pass, and set down your body like the ground” (Isaiah 51:23).
“Behold, I will rain down tomorrow at this time very severe hail, that there has not been like it in Egypt since the day it was founded until now” (Exodus 9:18). “Behold…tomorrow at this time…very severe hail.” Zavdi ben Levi said: He scratched a mark on the wall. He said to him: ‘When the sun reaches here, the hail will fall tomorrow.’ “That there has not been like it in Egypt” – to tell you that there had not been like it in the world and not in Egypt. It does not say that there will not be like it, like it said about the plague of the firstborn: “Nor will be like it any more” (Exodus 11:6). “That there has not been like it” – in other words, in the past there has not been, but there is destined to be in the future. When? In the days of Gog and Magog; that is what is written: “Which I have reserved for a time of trouble, for a day of battle and war”3The previous verse concludes with a mention of storehouses of hail. (Job 38:23), and so it says: “Torrential rain and hailstones” (Ezekiel 38:22). “Now, send and gather your livestock and everything that is yours in the field; every man and animal that will be found in the field and will not be gathered into the house, the hail will fall upon them and they will die” (Exodus 9:12). “Now send, and gather your livestock” – come and see the mercy of the Holy One blessed be He; even at the time of His anger, He had mercy on the wicked and on their animals, as He did not send the plague of hail upon them, but only on the crops of the land. He cautioned them that they preserve themselves and their animals, so they would not be stricken with the hail. He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh drove his servants and his livestock into the houses. And he who disregarded the word of the Lord, he left his servants and his livestock in the field (Exodus 9:20-21). “He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh.” Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: That was Job; “and he who disregarded,” that was Pharaoh, and his people.
“The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens, and there will be hail throughout the land of Egypt, upon man, upon animal, and upon all the grasses of the field, in the land of Egypt (Exodus 9:22). “The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens” – that is what is written: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done…” (Psalms 135:6). David said: Even though the Holy One blessed be He decreed: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord and the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16) [it is to be understood in this way]. To what is this matter comparable? It is [comparable] to a king who decreed and said that Romans may not go down to Syria and Syrians may not go up to Rome. Similarly, when the Holy One blessed be He created the world, He decreed and said: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” When He sought to give the Torah, He cancelled the first decree and said: Those below will ascend to those above, and those above will descend to those below, and it is I who begins, as it is stated: “The Lord descended onto Mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:20), and it is written: “To Moses He said: Ascend to God” (Exodus 24:1). That is: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done, in the heavens and on the earth.” Likewise, when He sought to , He said: “Let the waters be gathered” (Genesis 1:9), and when He sought to act, He made the dry land into sea and the depths, as it is stated: “Who summons the water of the sea” (Amos 5:8; 9:6), and it says: “All the fountains of the great deep burst” (Genesis 7:11). When He sought to do so, he made the sea and the depths into dry land, as it is stated: “And the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:29), and it says: “He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness” (Psalms 106:9). Likewise in Egypt, regarding Moses, who was on the land, He gave him license to control the actions of the heavens, as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens…” Why did He bring hail upon them? It is because they [the Egyptians] set Israel to be planters of vineyards, gardens, orchards, and trees; therefore He brought hail upon them and broke everything. “Upon man, upon animal” – when the Holy One blessed be He saw that they did not heed His words that He had said to them: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field… will die]” (Exodus 9:19), the Holy One blessed be He said: They deserve that the hail shall fall upon everything.4Since they did not listen to God’s warning.
“Moses extended his staff toward the heavens and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt” (Exodus 9:23). “Moses extended his staff toward the heavens.” These plagues – three by Aaron, three by Moses, three by the Holy One blessed be He, and one by means of all of them. Blood, frogs, and lice, which were on the earth, were by Aaron. Hail, locusts, and darkness, by Moses, because they were in the air, as Moses had control over the earth and the heavens. Swarms, pestilence, and the plague of the firstborn by the Holy One blessed be He. And boils were by all of them.5See above, Shemot Rabba 11:5. “And the Lord [vaY-H-V-H] sent thunder and hail.” Every place that vaY-H-V-H is stated, it is He and His heavenly court, as it is stated: “And the Lord [vaY-H-V-H] remembered Sarah” (Genesis 21:1), He and His advisory council. And the Lord [vaY-H-V-H] sent thunder and hail, He and His advisory council. “And fire ran down to the ground.” They were sentenced to the judgment of the wicked in Gehenna. If he was sitting, he was burned by the hail;6There was“fire flaming within the hail” (Exodus 9:24). if he was standing, he was burned by the fire. “There was hail, and fire flaming within the hail, very severe, that there had not been in Egypt since it became a nation” (Exodus 9:24). “There was hail, and fire flaming within the hail” – a miracle within a miracle. Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, one said: Like the seed of a pomegranate, whose pit can be seen from the outside; and one said: Like that lantern in which water and oil are mixed as one, and the fire burns within. To what is this matter comparable? To two hardened legions that were fighting each other. Eventually, the time arrived for the king’s war, and the king made peace between them, and they performed the king’s mission together. Fire and hail are hostile to each other, but when the time for the war with Egypt arrived, the Holy One blessed be He made peace between them and they struck Egypt. That is: “There was hail, and fire flaming [mitlakaḥat] within the hail.” What is mitlakaḥat? It means “to take the dead [met lakaḥat].” After the hail would strike him, the fire would take him and burn him. “The hail struck throughout the land of Egypt, everything that was in the fields, both man and animal; and the hail struck all the vegetation in the fields, and broke every tree of the fields” (Exodus 9:25). “The hail struck throughout the land of Egypt.” The hail fell and it was arranged in piles surrounding their livestock, so they were unable to go out. An Egyptian would come with a knife and slaughter [one of] them and a bird would descend upon it from above and eat it, as it is stated: “He consigned [vayasger]7Vayasger can also mean to hand over to be imprisoned. their cattle to the hail, and their livestock to fiery bolts [lareshafim]” (Psalms 78:48). What is “and their livestock lareshafim? These are birds, as it is stated: “As the sparks [uvnei reshef] fly upward” (Job 5:7). “And the hail struck all the vegetation in the fields, and broke every tree of the fields” Midrash Tehilim.> “He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost [baḥanamal]” (Psalms 78:47). Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shalom said: What is baḥanamal? It came [ba], rested [ḥana], cut [mal]. Rabbi Pinḥas said: It would descend like an axe and would hew the trees. “Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail” (Exodus 9:26). “Only in the land of Goshen” – why was it spared? It is because its patron protected it; that is what is written: “Where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.”
“Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones” (Exodus 9:27). “Pharaoh sent” – what he said: “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one [hatzaddik], and I and my people are the wicked ones.” Because the Holy One blessed be He had said to him: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field…will die]” (Exodus 9:19). He [God] acted righteously [tzedaka] with them by warning them, “and I and my people are the wicked ones,” as they disregarded the word of the Lord and left their people and their livestock in the field and they all died. Entreat the Lord; there has been enough of this mighty thundering and hail, and I will let you go, and you will stay no longer. Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail; so that you will know that the earth is the Lord's (Exodus 9:28-29). “Entreat the Lord… Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands…” From here [we learn] that Moses did not want to pray in Egypt because it was filthy with idols and abominations. “And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God” (Exodus 9:30). “And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” Do not think that I do not know what you are destined to do afterward. Rather, I know that you will not fear the Omnipresent afterward, just as you did not fear Him beforehand. Yet, I will do so [stop the hail], so you will acknowledge the greatness of the Holy One blessed be He.
The flax and the barley were stricken, as the barley was ripe, and the flax was in stalk. But the wheat and the spelt were not stricken; for they ripen late (Exodus 9:31–32). “The flax and the barley were stricken, as the barley was ripe, and the flax was in stalk. But the wheat and the spelt were not stricken; for they ripen late [afilot hena].” Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Shalom, Rabbi Pinḥas said: What is afilot hena? The Holy One blessed be He performed wonders [pela’im] with them.8The hail should have destroyed them, but God miraculously spared them. Rabbi Yehuda says: They were late [to ripen].9Wheat and spelt ripen later than barley and flax. At the time of the hail the stalks of the former were still green and not fully grown and therefore less vulnerable to the hail. Rabbi Pinḥas said to him: But isn’t it written: “And the hail struck all the vegetation of the field” (Exodus 9:25), and you say that [it was] because they were small and were not stricken? Rather, the Holy One blessed be He performed wonders with them.
“Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh, and spread his hands to the Lord; the thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth” (Exodus 9:33). “Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh” – he was still in the vicinity of the city; he did not delay praying on their behalf, but rather, he immediately “spread his hands to the Lord,” and the Holy One blessed be He accepted his prayer. “The thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth.” He suspended it [the hail] loosely. When did it fall? In the days of Joshua, upon the Emorites, as it is stated: “It was as they fled…the Lord cast upon them great stones from the heavens” (Joshua 10:11). The rest is destined to fall in the days of Gog and Magog. “Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thundering had ceased, and he continued to sin, and he hardened his heart, he and his servants” (Exodus 9:34). “Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thundering had ceased, and he continued to sin.” The wicked are thus – as long as they are in distress, they subjugate themselves; when the distress passes, they return to their corruption. Likewise Nebuchadnezzar, when he was in distress, he would laud the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, extol, and honor the King of the heavens, as all His works are truth…” (Daniel 4:34). When he saw himself in his greatness, he began boasting: “The king spoke, and said: Isn’t this great Babylon, which I have built as a royal residence, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:27). Pharaoh, too, did the same: “Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thundering had ceased, and he continued to sin…”
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל משֶׁה הַשְׁכֵּם בַּבֹּקֶר וגו', הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (איוב לו, כב): הֶן אֵל יַשְׂגִּיב בְּכֹחוֹ מִי כָמֹהוּ מוֹרֶה, אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה הֶן אֶחָד, שֶׁכֵּן בְּלָשׁוֹן יְוָנִי קוֹרִין לְאֶחָד הֶן, כְּלוֹמַר אֶחָד אֱלֹהֵינוּ יַשְׂגִּיב בְּכֹחוֹ, מַעֲצִים כֹּחַ הַצַּדִּיקִים לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנוֹ, וּמִי כָמֹהוּ מוֹרֶה, שֶׁהוּא מוֹרֶה דֶרֶךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה. וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּמשֶׁה שֶׁהִשְׂגִּיב הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כֹּחוֹ לָלֶכֶת בִּשְׁלִיחוּתוֹ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת צִוּוּיוֹ, וְהָיָה מוֹרֶה לְפַרְעֹה הָרָשָׁע שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁלֹא חָפֵץ לִשְׁלוֹחַ הַמַּכָּה עַד שֶׁיַּזְהִירֶנּוּ שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁכֵּן כְּתִיב: הַשְׁכֵּם בַּבֹּקֶר וְהִתְיַצֵּב לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה, הָיָה נוֹתֵן כֹּחַ בְּמשֶׁה לְהַשְׁכִּים וּלְהִתְיַצֵּב לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה, וְהָיָה מוֹרֶה דֶרֶךְ לְפַרְעֹה כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁכֵּן כְּתִיב: וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים. כִּי בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת וגו', לָמָּה לֹא נֶאֱמַר כָּאן (שמות ח, טז): הִנֵּה יוֹצֵא הַמָּיְמָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה פַּרְעֹה שֶׁבְּעֵת שֶׁהָיָה יוֹצֵא הַמַּיְמָה משֶׁה מַקְדִּימוֹ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, נִמְנַע שֶׁלֹא לָצֵאת כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹא יִפְגַע בּוֹ משֶׁה, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֵךְ אֶצְלוֹ בְּהַשְׁכָּמָה עַד שֶׁלֹא יֵצֵא מִבֵּיתוֹ. כִּי בַּפַּעַם הַזֹּאת וגו', כִּי עַתָּה שָׁלַחְתִּי אֶת יָדִי וגו', אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אִי רָשָׁע סָבוּר אַתָּה שֶׁלֹא אוּכַל לְהַכְחִידְךָ מִן הָעוֹלָם, לְמֹד מִמַּכַּת הַדֶּבֶר בְּעֵת שֶׁשָּׁלַחְתִּי אוֹתוֹ הַדֶּבֶר אִלּוּ הָיִיתִי מְשַׁלְּחוֹ עָלֶיךָ וְעַל עַמְּךָ הָיִיתָ נִכְחַד מִן הָאָרֶץ, אֲבָל לֹא שְׁלַחְתִּיו עָלֶיךָ אֶלָּא כְּדֵי שֶׁאַרְאֲךָ כֹּחַ גְּבוּרָתִי וּתְסַפֵּר כֹּחִי בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמות ט, טז): וְאוּלָם בַּעֲבוּר זֹאת הֶעֱמַדְתִּיךָ. עוֹדְךָ מִסְתּוֹלֵל בְּעַמִּי, שֶׁהָיָה עוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָם כִּמְסִילָה שֶׁהַכֹּל דָּשִׁין עָלֶיהָ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה נא, כג): אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ לְנַפְשֵׁךְ שְׁחִי וְנַעֲבֹרָה וַתָּשִׂימִי כָאָרֶץ גֵּוֵךְ.
“The Lord said to Moses: Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him: So said the Lord, God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, and they will serve Me. For this time, I will send all My plagues against your heart and upon your servants and against your people, so that you will know that there is none like Me on the entire earth” (Exodus 9:13-14).
“The Lord said to Moses: Rise early in the morning” – that is what is written: “Behold [hen], God is exalted in His power, who teaches like Him?” (Job 36:22). Rabbi Berekhya said: Hen means one, as in the Greek language, one is called hen. In other words, our God is one. “Exalted in his power” – He increases the strength of the righteous to perform His will. And “who teaches like Him?” – as He teaches the path of repentance. So you find with Moses, whom the Holy One blessed be He strengthened to go on His mission and perform His commands. He taught the wicked Pharaoh to repent because He did not want to send the plague until he forewarns him to [allow him to] repent, as it is written: “Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh.” He would give Moses strength to rise early and stand before Pharaoh, and he taught the wicked Pharaoh about the path of repentance, as it is written: “And say to him: So said the Lord, God of the Hebrews…. For this time…”
“Why isn’t it stated here “behold, he is going out to the water” (Exodus 8:16)?1This was the previous place where Moses was instructed to “rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh.” Once Pharaoh saw that when he would go out to the water, Moses would precede him on the path, he refrained and did not go out, so that Moses would not encounter him. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: Go to him early, before he leaves his house.
“For I could have now extended My hand and afflicted you and your people with pestilence, and you would be eliminated from the earth” (Exodus 9:15).
“For this time (Exodus 9:14)…For I could have now extended My hand…” The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Woe, wicked one, do you believe that I am unable to eradicate you from the world? Learn from the plague of pestilence. When I sent that pestilence, had I sent it upon you and on your people, you would have been eradicated from the land. However, I only sent it upon you in order to show you the power of My might, and so that you would tell of My strength throughout the land.’ That is what is written: “However, for this I have sustained you [in order to show you My power, and so that My renown will be told of throughout the earth]” (Exodus 9:16).
“You continue to oppress My people, not letting them go” (Exodus 9:17).
“You continue to oppress [mistolel]2The word mistolel is obscure. The midrash understands it to be derived from the root s-l-l, and thus it means literally to cause to be crushed, i.e., in the manner that a road is levelled. Others understand it to be derived from the root s-l-s-l, with mistolel therefore meaning “exalt oneself.” My people.” He would make them like a road [mesila] on which everyone treads, as you say: “…who said to your soul: Bow down, so we may pass, and set down your body like the ground” (Isaiah 51:23).
הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר כָּעֵת מָחָר בָּרָד כָּבֵד מְאֹד, זַבְדִי בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר סָרַט לוֹ סְרִיטָה עַל הַכֹּתֶל אָמַר לוֹ כְּשֶׁתַּגִּיעַ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְכָאן יֵרֵד מָחָר הַבָּרָד. אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה כָמֹהוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם, לוֹמַר לָךְ שֶׁלֹא הָיָה כָמוֹהוּ בָּעוֹלָם וְלֹא בְּמִצְרַיִם, אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר וְלֹא יִהְיֶה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר בְּמַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת (שמות יא, ו): וְכָמֹהוּ לֹא תֹסִף, אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה כָמֹהוּ, כְּלוֹמַר לְשֶׁעָבַר לֹא הָיָה אֲבָל עָתִיד לִהְיוֹת לְהַבָּא, אֵימָתַי בִּימֵי גוֹג וּמָגוֹג, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (איוב לח, כג): אֲשֶׁר חָשַׂכְתִּי לְעֶת צָר לְיוֹם קְרָב וּמִלְחָמָה, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (יחזקאל לח, כב): וְגֶשֶׁם שׁוֹטֵף וְאַבְנֵי אֶלְגָּבִישׁ. וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח הָעֵז אֶת מִקְנְךָ, בּוֹא וּרְאֵה רַחֲמָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֲפִלּוּ בִּשְׁעַת כַּעֲסוֹ רִחֵם עַל הָרְשָׁעִים וְעַל בְּהֶמְתָּם, לְפִי שֶׁמַּכַּת הַבָּרָד לֹא הָיָה מְשַׁלְּחוֹ עֲלֵיהֶן אֶלָּא עַל יְבוּל הָאָרֶץ, וְהָיָה מַזְהִירָן שֶׁיִּשְׁמְרוּ עַצְמָן וְאֶת בְּהֶמְתָּם, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹא יִלְקוּ בַּבָּרָד. הַיָּרֵא אֶת דְּבַר ה' מֵעַבְדֵי פַרְעֹה, אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, זֶה הָיָה אִיּוֹב. וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׂם לִבּוֹ, זֶה הָיָה פַּרְעֹה וְעַמּוֹ.
“Behold, I will rain down tomorrow at this time very severe hail, that there has not been like it in Egypt since the day it was founded until now” (Exodus 9:18).
“Behold…tomorrow at this time…very severe hail.” Zavdi ben Levi said: He scratched a mark on the wall. He said to him: ‘When the sun reaches here, the hail will fall tomorrow.’ “That there has not been like it in Egypt” – to tell you that there had not been like it in the world and not in Egypt. It does not say that there will not be like it, like it said about the plague of the firstborn: “Nor will be like it any more” (Exodus 11:6). “That there has not been like it” – in other words, in the past there has not been, but there is destined to be in the future. When? In the days of Gog and Magog; that is what is written: “Which I have reserved for a time of trouble, for a day of battle and war”3The previous verse concludes with a mention of storehouses of hail. (Job 38:23), and so it says: “Torrential rain and hailstones” (Ezekiel 38:22).
“Now, send and gather your livestock and everything that is yours in the field; every man and animal that will be found in the field and will not be gathered into the house, the hail will fall upon them and they will die” (Exodus 9:12).
“Now send, and gather your livestock” – come and see the mercy of the Holy One blessed be He; even at the time of His anger, He had mercy on the wicked and on their animals, as He did not send the plague of hail upon them, but only on the crops of the land. He cautioned them that they preserve themselves and their animals, so they would not be stricken with the hail.
He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh drove his servants and his livestock into the houses. And he who disregarded the word of the Lord, he left his servants and his livestock in the field (Exodus 9:20-21).
“He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh.” Our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said: That was Job; “and he who disregarded,” that was Pharaoh, and his people.
וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל משֶׁה נְטֵה יָדְךָ עַל הַשָּׁמָיִם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים קלה, ו): כֹּל אֲשֶׁר חָפֵץ ה' עָשָׂה וגו', אָמַר דָּוִד אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁגָּזַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (תהלים קטו, טז): הַשָּׁמַיִם שָׁמַיִם לַה' וְהָאָרֶץ נָתַן לִבְנֵי אָדָם, מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה, לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁגָּזַר וְאָמַר בְּנֵי רוֹמִי לֹא יֵרְדוּ לְסוּרְיָא וּבְנֵי סוּרְיָא לֹא יַעֲלוּ לְרוֹמִי, כָּךְ כְּשֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הָעוֹלָם גָּזַר וְאָמַר: הַשָּׁמַיִם שָׁמַיִם לַה' וְהָאָרֶץ נָתַן לִבְנֵי אָדָם, כְּשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ לִתֵּן הַתּוֹרָה בִּטֵּל גְּזֵרָה רִאשׁוֹנָה וְאָמַר הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים יַעֲלוּ לָעֶלְיוֹנִים וְהָעֶלְיוֹנִים יֵרְדוּ לַתַּחְתּוֹנִים, וַאֲנִי הַמַּתְחִיל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יט, כ): וַיֵּרֶד ה' עַל הַר סִינַי, וּכְתִיב (שמות כד, ט): וְאֶל משֶׁה אָמַר עֲלֵה אֶל ה', הֲרֵי כֹּל אֲשֶׁר חָפֵץ ה' עָשָׂה בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ וגו'. כְּמוֹ כֵן כְּשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ אָמַר (בראשית א, ט): יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם, וּכְשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ עָשָׂה אֶת הַיַּבָּשָׁה יַם וּתְהוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (עמוס ה, ח, ט, ו): הַקּוֹרֵא לְמֵי הַיָּם, וְאוֹמֵר (בראשית ז, יא): בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִבְקְעוּ כָּל מַעְיְנוֹת תְּהוֹם רַבָּה. וּכְשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ עָשָׂה אֶת הַיָּם וּתְהוֹמוֹת יַבָּשָׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יד, כט): וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָלְכוּ בַיַּבָּשָׁה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קו, ט): וַיּוֹלִיכֵם בַּתְּהֹמוֹת כַּמִּדְבָּר. וְכֵן בְּמִצְרַיִם, בְּמשֶׁה שֶׁהָיָה בָּאָרֶץ, נָתַן לוֹ רְשׁוּת לִשְׁלֹט בְּמַעֲשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל משֶׁה נְטֵה יָדְךָ עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם וגו'. לָמָּה הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם בָּרָד, לְפִי שֶׁשָֹּׂמוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל נוֹטְעֵי כְּרָמִים וְגַנּוֹת וּפַרְדֵּסִים וְאִילָנוֹת, לְפִיכָךְ הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם בָּרָד וְשִׁבַּר אֶת הַכֹּל. עַל הָאָדָם וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁלֹא שָׁמְעוּ לִדְבָרָיו מַה שֶּׁאָמַר לָהֶם (שמות ט, יט): שְׁלַח הָעֵז, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּדַי שֶׁיָּבוֹא הַבָּרָד עַל הַכֹּל.
“The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens, and there will be hail throughout the land of Egypt, upon man, upon animal, and upon all the grasses of the field, in the land of Egypt (Exodus 9:22).
“The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens” – that is what is written: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done…” (Psalms 135:6). David said: Even though the Holy One blessed be He decreed: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord and the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16) [it is to be understood in this way]. To what is this matter comparable? It is [comparable] to a king who decreed and said that Romans may not go down to Syria and Syrians may not go up to Rome. Similarly, when the Holy One blessed be He created the world, He decreed and said: “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; but the earth He has given to the children of men.” When He sought to give the Torah, He cancelled the first decree and said: Those below will ascend to those above, and those above will descend to those below, and it is I who begins, as it is stated: “The Lord descended onto Mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:20), and it is written: “To Moses He said: Ascend to God” (Exodus 24:1). That is: “Whatever the Lord wished, He has done, in the heavens and on the earth.”
Likewise, when He sought to , He said: “Let the waters be gathered” (Genesis 1:9), and when He sought to act, He made the dry land into sea and the depths, as it is stated: “Who summons the water of the sea” (Amos 5:8; 9:6), and it says: “All the fountains of the great deep burst” (Genesis 7:11). When He sought to do so, he made the sea and the depths into dry land, as it is stated: “And the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:29), and it says: “He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness” (Psalms 106:9). Likewise in Egypt, regarding Moses, who was on the land, He gave him license to control the actions of the heavens, as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens…”
Why did He bring hail upon them? It is because they [the Egyptians] set Israel to be planters of vineyards, gardens, orchards, and trees; therefore He brought hail upon them and broke everything. “Upon man, upon animal” – when the Holy One blessed be He saw that they did not heed His words that He had said to them: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field… will die]” (Exodus 9:19), the Holy One blessed be He said: They deserve that the hail shall fall upon everything.4Since they did not listen to God’s warning.
וַיֵּט משֶׁה אֶת מַטֵּהוּ עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם, הַמַּכּוֹת הָאֵלּוּ, שְׁלשָׁה עַל יְדֵי אַהֲרֹן, וּשְׁלשָׁה עַל יְדֵי משֶׁה, וּשְׁלשָׁה עַל יְדֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְאַחַת עַל יְדֵי כֻלָּן. דָּם, צְפַרְדֵּעַ, כִּנִּים, שֶׁהָיוּ בָּאָרֶץ, עַל יְדֵי אַהֲרֹן. בָּרָד, אַרְבֶּה, חשֶׁךְ, עַל יְדֵי משֶׁה. לְפִי שֶׁהֵן בָּאֲוִיר, שֶׁכָּךְ שָׁלַט משֶׁה בָּאָרֶץ וּבַשָּׁמַיִם. עָרֹב, דֶּבֶר, מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת, עַל יְדֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וּשְׁחִין עַל יְדֵי כֻלָּן. וַה' נָתַן קֹלֹת וּבָרָד, כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַה' הוּא וּבֵית דִּינוֹ שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כא, א): וַה' פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה, הוּא וְסַנְקְלִיטוֹן שֶׁלּוֹ. וַה' נָתַן קֹלֹת וּבָרָד, הוּא וְסַנְקְלִיטוֹן שֶׁלּוֹ. וַתִּהֲלַךְ אֵשׁ אָרְצָה, נִדּוֹנוּ כְּמִשְׁפַּט הָרְשָׁעִים בַּגֵּיהִנֹּם, הָיָה יוֹשֵׁב נִכְוֶה בַּבָּרָד, עוֹמֵד נִכְוֶה בָּאֵשׁ. וַיְהִי בָרָד וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד, נֵס בְּתוֹךְ נֵס. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, חַד אָמַר כְּפַרְנוּתָא דְּרוֹמָנָא דְּחַרְצִינְתֵיהּ מִתְחַמַיָא מִלְגָו. וְחַד אָמַר כַּהֲדֵין עֲשָׁשִׁיתָא דְּמַיָא וּמִשְׁחָא מִתְעָרְבִין כַּחֲדָא וְנוּרָא דָּלֵיק מִן גַּוֵּיהוֹן. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה לִשְׁנֵי לִגְיוֹנוֹת קָשִׁין שֶׁהָיוּ נִלְחָמִין זֶה עִם זֶה, לְיָמִים הִגִּיעַ זְמַן מִלְחַמְתּוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ וְעָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁלוֹם בֵּינֵיהֶם וְעָשׂוּ שְׁלִיחוּת הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּיַחַד. כָּךְ אֵשׁ וּבָרָד צְהֻבִּין זֶה לָזֶה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ זְמַן מִלְחַמְתָּהּ שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שָׁלוֹם בֵּינֵיהֶם וְהִכּוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם, הֱוֵי: וַיְהִי בָרָד וְאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַחַת, מַהוּ מִתְלַקַּחַת, מֵת לָקַחַת, לְאַחַר שֶׁמַּכֵּהוּ הַבָּרָד לוֹקְחוֹ הָאֵשׁ וְשׂוֹרְפוֹ. וַיַּךְ הַבָּרָד בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, יָרַד הַבָּרָד וְהָיָה עָשׂוּי אַנְבַּטָּאוֹת אַנְבַּטָּאוֹת וּמְסַבֵּב אֶת מִקְנֵיהֶם וְלֹא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לָצֵאת, וְהָיָה הַמִּצְרִי מֵבִיא אֶת הַמַּאֲכֶלֶת וְשׁוֹחֲטָהּ, וְהָעוֹף יוֹרֵד עָלָיו מִלְּמַעְלָה וְאוֹכְלוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים עח, מח): וַיַּסְגֵּר לַבָּרָד בְּעִירָם וּמִקְנֵיהֶם לָרְשָׁפִים, מַהוּ וּמִקְנֵיהֶם לָרְשָׁפִים, אֵלּוּ הָעוֹפוֹת, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (איוב ה, ז): וּבְנֵי רֶשֶׁף יַגְבִּיהוּ עוּף. וְאֵת כָּל עֵשֶׂב הַשָֹּׂדֶה הִכָּה הַבָּרָד וְאֶת כָּל עֵץ הַשָֹּׂדֶה שִׁבֵּר, [במדרש תהלים] (תהלים עח, מז): יַהֲרֹג בַּבָּרָד גַּפְנָם וְשִׁקְמוֹתָם בַּחֲנָמַל, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר רַבִּי שָׁלוֹם אָמַר מַהוּ בַּחֲנָמַל, בָּא נָח מָל. וְרַבִּי פִּנְחָס אָמַר יוֹרֵד כְּפִילְקִין וְקוֹצֵץ אֶת הָאִילָנוֹת. רַק בְּאֶרֶץ גּשֶׁן, לָמָּה נִצֹּלֶת, לְפִי שֶׁפַּטְרוֹנָהּ עוֹמֵד עָלֶיהָ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: אֲשֶׁר שָׁם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא הָיָה בָּרָד.
“Moses extended his staff toward the heavens and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt” (Exodus 9:23).Midrash Tehilim.> “He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost [baḥanamal]” (Psalms 78:47). Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Shalom said: What is baḥanamal? It came [ba], rested [ḥana], cut [mal]. Rabbi Pinḥas said: It would descend like an axe and would hew the trees.
“Moses extended his staff toward the heavens.” These plagues – three by Aaron, three by Moses, three by the Holy One blessed be He, and one by means of all of them. Blood, frogs, and lice, which were on the earth, were by Aaron. Hail, locusts, and darkness, by Moses, because they were in the air, as Moses had control over the earth and the heavens. Swarms, pestilence, and the plague of the firstborn by the Holy One blessed be He. And boils were by all of them.5See above, Shemot Rabba 11:5.
“And the Lord [vaY-H-V-H] sent thunder and hail.” Every place that vaY-H-V-H is stated, it is He and His heavenly court, as it is stated: “And the Lord [vaY-H-V-H] remembered Sarah” (Genesis 21:1), He and His advisory council. And the Lord [vaY-H-V-H] sent thunder and hail, He and His advisory council.
“And fire ran down to the ground.” They were sentenced to the judgment of the wicked in Gehenna. If he was sitting, he was burned by the hail;6There was“fire flaming within the hail” (Exodus 9:24). if he was standing, he was burned by the fire.
“There was hail, and fire flaming within the hail, very severe, that there had not been in Egypt since it became a nation” (Exodus 9:24).
“There was hail, and fire flaming within the hail” – a miracle within a miracle. Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, one said: Like the seed of a pomegranate, whose pit can be seen from the outside; and one said: Like that lantern in which water and oil are mixed as one, and the fire burns within. To what is this matter comparable? To two hardened legions that were fighting each other. Eventually, the time arrived for the king’s war, and the king made peace between them, and they performed the king’s mission together. Fire and hail are hostile to each other, but when the time for the war with Egypt arrived, the Holy One blessed be He made peace between them and they struck Egypt. That is: “There was hail, and fire flaming [mitlakaḥat] within the hail.” What is mitlakaḥat? It means “to take the dead [met lakaḥat].” After the hail would strike him, the fire would take him and burn him.
“The hail struck throughout the land of Egypt, everything that was in the fields, both man and animal; and the hail struck all the vegetation in the fields, and broke every tree of the fields” (Exodus 9:25).
“The hail struck throughout the land of Egypt.” The hail fell and it was arranged in piles surrounding their livestock, so they were unable to go out. An Egyptian would come with a knife and slaughter [one of] them and a bird would descend upon it from above and eat it, as it is stated: “He consigned [vayasger]7Vayasger can also mean to hand over to be imprisoned. their cattle to the hail, and their livestock to fiery bolts [lareshafim]” (Psalms 78:48). What is “and their livestock lareshafim? These are birds, as it is stated: “As the sparks [uvnei reshef] fly upward” (Job 5:7).
“And the hail struck all the vegetation in the fields, and broke every tree of the fields”
“Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail” (Exodus 9:26).
“Only in the land of Goshen” – why was it spared? It is because its patron protected it; that is what is written: “Where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.”
וַיִּשְׁלַח פַּרְעֹה, מַה שֶּׁאָמַר: חָטָאתִי הַפָּעַם ה' הַצַּדִּיק וַאֲנִי וְעַמִּי הָרְשָׁעִים, לְפִי שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לוֹ (שמות ט, יט): וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח הָעֵז, הוּא עָשָׂה צְדָקָה עִמָּהֶם שֶׁהָיָה מַזְהִירָם, וְהוּא וְעַמּוֹ הָרְשָׁעִים, שֶׁלֹא שָׂמוּ לִבָּם לִדְבַר ה', וְהִנִּיחוּ אַנְשֵׁיהֶם וּמִקְנֵיהֶם בַּשָֹּׂדֶה וּמֵתוּ כֻלָּן. הַעְתִּירוּ אֶל ה', וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו משֶׁה כְּצֵאתִי אֶת הָעִיר אֶפְרֹשׂ אֶת כַּפַּי, מִכָּאן שֶׁלֹא הָיָה משֶׁה חָפֵץ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּתוֹךְ מִצְרַיִם לְפִי שֶׁהָיְתָה מְטֻנֶּפֶת בְּגִלּוּלִים וּבְשִׁקּוּצִים. וְאַתָּה וַעֲבָדֶיךָ יָדַעְתִּי כִּי טֶרֶם תִּירְאוּן מִפְּנֵי ה' אֱלֹהִים, לֹא תְהֵא סָבוּר שֶׁאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מַה אַתָּה עָתִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת אַחֲרֵי כֵן, אֶלָּא יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁלֹא תִתְיָרְאוּ מִן הַמָּקוֹם אַחֲרֵי כֵן, כְּמוֹ שֶׁלֹא הֱיִיתֶם יְרֵאִים מִמֶּנּוּ קֹדֶם לָכֵן. אֲבָל כְּדֵי שֶׁתַּכִּיר גְּדֻלָּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה.
“Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones” (Exodus 9:27).
“Pharaoh sent” – what he said: “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one [hatzaddik], and I and my people are the wicked ones.” Because the Holy One blessed be He had said to him: “Now send, gather [your livestock…every man and animal that will be found in the field…will die]” (Exodus 9:19). He [God] acted righteously [tzedaka] with them by warning them, “and I and my people are the wicked ones,” as they disregarded the word of the Lord and left their people and their livestock in the field and they all died.
Entreat the Lord; there has been enough of this mighty thundering and hail, and I will let you go, and you will stay no longer. Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail; so that you will know that the earth is the Lord's (Exodus 9:28-29).
“Entreat the Lord… Moses said to him: As I leave the city, I will spread my hands…” From here [we learn] that Moses did not want to pray in Egypt because it was filthy with idols and abominations.
“And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God” (Exodus 9:30).
“And as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” Do not think that I do not know what you are destined to do afterward. Rather, I know that you will not fear the Omnipresent afterward, just as you did not fear Him beforehand. Yet, I will do so [stop the hail], so you will acknowledge the greatness of the Holy One blessed be He.
וְהַפִּשְׁתָּה וְהַשְֹּׂעֹרָה נֻכָּתָה כִּי הַשְֹּׂעֹרָה אָבִיב, וְהַחִטָּה וְהַכֻּסֶּמֶת לֹא נֻכּוּ כִּי אֲפִילֹת הֵנָּה, רַבִּי פִּנְחָס וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן רַבִּי שָׁלוֹם, רַבִּי פִּנְחָס אָמַר מַהוּ כִּי אֲפִילֹת הֵנָּה, פְּלָאִים עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּהֶם. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר לָקִישׁוֹת הָיוּ. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי פִּנְחָס וַהֲלוֹא כְתִיב (שמות ט, כה): וְאֶת כָּל עֵשֶׂב הַשָֹּׂדֶה הִכָּה הַבָּרָד, וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר עַל שֶׁהָיוּ קְטַנּוֹת לֹא נֻכּוּ, אֶלָּא פְּלָאִים עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּהֶם.
The flax and the barley were stricken, as the barley was ripe, and the flax was in stalk. But the wheat and the spelt were not stricken; for they ripen late (Exodus 9:31–32).
“The flax and the barley were stricken, as the barley was ripe, and the flax was in stalk. But the wheat and the spelt were not stricken; for they ripen late [afilot hena].” Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Shalom, Rabbi Pinḥas said: What is afilot hena? The Holy One blessed be He performed wonders [pela’im] with them.8The hail should have destroyed them, but God miraculously spared them. Rabbi Yehuda says: They were late [to ripen].9Wheat and spelt ripen later than barley and flax. At the time of the hail the stalks of the former were still green and not fully grown and therefore less vulnerable to the hail. Rabbi Pinḥas said to him: But isn’t it written: “And the hail struck all the vegetation of the field” (Exodus 9:25), and you say that [it was] because they were small and were not stricken? Rather, the Holy One blessed be He performed wonders with them.
וַיֵּצֵא משֶׁה מֵעִם פַּרְעֹה אֶת הָעִיר, שֶׁעֲדַיִן הָיָה בִּתְחוּם הָעִיר, מִיָּד לֹא שָׁהָה לְהִתְפַּלֵּל עֲלֵיהֶם, אֶלָּא וַיִּפְרֹשׂ כַּפָּיו אֶל ה', וְקִבֵּל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא תְּפִלָּתוֹ. וַיַּחְדְּלוּ הַקֹּלוֹת וְהַבָּרָד וּמָטָר לֹא נִתַּךְ אָרְצָה, תְּלָאָן בְּרִפָּיוֹן, וְאֵימָתַי יָרְדוּ, בִּימֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עַל הָאֱמוֹרִיִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע י, יא): וַיְהִי בְּנֻסָם מִפְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַה' הִשְׁלִיךְ עֲלֵיהֶם אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְהַשְּׁאָר עֲתִידִין לֵירֵד בִּימֵי גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג. וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה כִּי חָדַל הַמָּטָר וְהַבָּרָד וְהַקֹּלֹת וַיֹּסֶף לַחֲטֹא, כָּךְ הֵן הָרְשָׁעִים, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהֵן בְּצָרָה הֵם מַכְנִיעִים עַצְמָן, מִשֶּׁהַצָּרָה עוֹבֶרֶת חוֹזְרִין לְקִלְקוּלָן. וְכֵן נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר, בִּזְמַן שֶׁהָיָה בְּצָרָה הָיָה מְקַלֵס לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דניאל ד, לד): כְּעַן אֲנָה נְבֻכַדְנֶצַּר מְשַׁבַּח וּמְרוֹמֵם וּמְהַדַּר לְמֶלֶךְ שְׁמַיָּא דִּי כָל מַעֲבָדוֹהִי קְשׁוֹט וגו', וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָאָה עַצְמוֹ בִּגְדֻלָּה הִתְחִיל מִתְגָּאֶה (דניאל ד, כז): עָנֵה מַלְכָּא וַאֲמַר הֲלָא דָא הִיא בָּבֶל רַבְּתָא דִי אֲנָה בֱנַיְתֵהּ לְבֵית מַלְכוּ בִּתְקָף חִסְנִי וְלִיקָר הַדְרִי. אַף פַּרְעֹה עָשָׂה כֵן, וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה כִּי חָדַל הַמָּטָר וְהַבָּרָד וְהַקֹּלֹת וַיֹּסֶף לַחֲטֹא וגו'.
“Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh, and spread his hands to the Lord; the thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth” (Exodus 9:33).
“Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh” – he was still in the vicinity of the city; he did not delay praying on their behalf, but rather, he immediately “spread his hands to the Lord,” and the Holy One blessed be He accepted his prayer.
“The thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth.” He suspended it [the hail] loosely. When did it fall? In the days of Joshua, upon the Emorites, as it is stated: “It was as they fled…the Lord cast upon them great stones from the heavens” (Joshua 10:11). The rest is destined to fall in the days of Gog and Magog.
“Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thundering had ceased, and he continued to sin, and he hardened his heart, he and his servants” (Exodus 9:34).
“Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thundering had ceased, and he continued to sin.” The wicked are thus – as long as they are in distress, they subjugate themselves; when the distress passes, they return to their corruption. Likewise Nebuchadnezzar, when he was in distress, he would laud the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, extol, and honor the King of the heavens, as all His works are truth…” (Daniel 4:34). When he saw himself in his greatness, he began boasting: “The king spoke, and said: Isn’t this great Babylon, which I have built as a royal residence, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:27). Pharaoh, too, did the same: “Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thundering had ceased, and he continued to sin…”