## Kli Yakar on Exodus Chapter 8

###### Kli Yakar on Exodus 8:11:1
[Kli Yakar on Exodus 8:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kli%20Yakar%20on%20Exodus/r/8:11:1)

**וַיַּרְא פַּרְעֹה כִּי הָיְתָה הָרְוָחָה.** לֹא נֶאֱמַר לָשׁוֹן זֶה בְּשׁוּם מַכָּה כִּי אִם בְּמַכַּת הַצְפַרְדְּעִים, לְפִי שֶׁכָּל הַמַּכּוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר סָרוּ אָז סָרוּ לְגַמְרֵי, לֹא נִשְׁאַר מֵהֶם שׁוּם רֹשֶׁם אַחַר הֲסָרָתָן, וְאִם כֵּן אֵין חִדּוּש כָּל כָּךְ מַה שֶּׁחָזַר פַּרְעֹה לְקַשְׁיוּת עָרְפּוֹ כִּי הֶעָבָר אַיִן. אֲבָל הַצְפַרְדְּעִים אַף לְאַחַר שֶׁסָּרָה הַמַּכָּה מִכָּל מָקוֹם לֹא סָרָה לְגַמְרֵי, כִּי לֹא הָלְכוּ לָהֶם אֶלָּא מֵתוּ וַתִּבְאַשׁ הָאָרֶץ, וְהָיָה לוֹ לִהְיוֹת נִכְנָע לְפָחוֹת בַּעֲבוּר הַבְאָשַׁת רֵיחַ שֶׁנִּשְׁאַר לוֹ מִן הַצְפַרְדְּעִים. עַל זֶה אָמַר כִּמְתָרֵץ ״וַיַּרְא כִּי הָיְתָה הָרְוָחָה וְהַכְבֵּד אֶת לִבּוֹ״, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין הַבְאָשַׁת רֵיחַ מַזִּיק כִּי אִם בְּמָקוֹם צָר, אֲבָל בְּמָקוֹם רַחֲבַת יָדַיִם אֵין הָרֵיחַ שׁוֹלֵט כָּל כָּךְ. לְפִיכָךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָה פַּרְעֹה כִּי הָיְתָה רְוָחָה, שֶׁאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם רַחֲבַת יָדַיִם הִיא וְלֹא יַזִּיק לוֹ הָרֵיחַ הָרָע, עַל כֵּן ״וְהַכְבֵּד אֶת לִבּוֹ״ כְּבָרִאשׁוֹנָה.

**Sefaria Kli Yakar, 2026 (Claude 3.7, ed. Francis Nataf) ✧:**
**“And Pharaoh saw that there was relief.”** This expression was not used in any plague except for the plague of frogs. This is because with all other plagues, when they departed, they departed completely with no trace remaining after their removal. Therefore, it’s not so surprising that Pharaoh returned to his stubbornness, as what has passed is gone. However, with the frogs, even after the plague was removed, it was not completely gone because they didn’t go away but rather died, and the land stank. Pharaoh should have been humbled at least because of the stench that remained from the frogs. Regarding this, the verse explains as if justifying: *he saw that there was relief*, and he hardened his heart because a bad smell is only harmful in a confined space, but in an open, spacious area, the smell doesn’t affect as much. Therefore, when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, that the land of Egypt was spacious and wide, and the bad smell would not harm him, *he hardened his heart* as before.


###### Kli Yakar on Exodus 8:27:1
[Kli Yakar on Exodus 8:27:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kli%20Yakar%20on%20Exodus/r/8:27:1)

**וַיָּסַר הֶעָרֹב.** פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ״י: וְלֹא מֵתוּ כְּמוֹ שֶׁמֵּתוּ הַצְפַרְדְּעִים, שֶׁאִם מֵתוּ הָיָה לָהֶם הֲנָאָה בָּעוֹרוֹת. וְאֵין לְהַקְשׁוֹת לָמָּה מֵתוּ הַצְפַרְדְּעִים וְלֹא הָלְכוּ לָהֶם כְּמוֹ הֶעָרֹב וְהָאַרְבֶּה, וְאֵין לוֹמַר כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּבְאַשׁ הָאָרֶץ, דְּאִם כֵּן לָמָּה לֹא מֵתוּ גַּם הָאַרְבֶּה. תְּשׁוּבָה לַדָּבָר: שֶׁרָצָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְלַמֵּד שֶׁהַמּוֹסֵר עַצְמוֹ עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם יִנָּצֵל. לְפִיכָךְ מֵתוּ כָּל הַצְפַרְדְּעִים שֶׁלֹּא עָלוּ בַּתַּנּוּרִים, וְלֹא נִשְׁאֲרוּ חַיִּים כִּי אִם אוֹתָן שֶׁעָלוּ בַּתַּנּוּרִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות ח:ט) ״וַיָּמֻתוּ הַצְפַרְדְּעִים מִן הַבָּתִּים מִן הַחֲצֵרוֹת וּמִן הַשָּׂדוֹת״ — מַשְׁמָע אֲבָל לֹא אוֹתָן שֶׁבַּתַּנּוּרִים, לְפִי שֶׁמָּסְרוּ אֶת עַצְמָם עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם. וּמִכָּאן לָמְדוּ חֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה לִמְסוֹר נַפְשָׁם עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם. וְלָמַדְנוּ מִכָּאן שֶׁהַמּוֹסֵר עַצְמוֹ עַל קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם יִנָּצֵל, וּמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוֹסֵר עַצְמוֹ — הַרְבֵּה שְׁלוּחִים לַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְסַבֵּב לוֹ מִיתָה מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמֵּתוּ אוֹתָן הַצְפַרְדְּעִים שֶׁלֹּא עָלוּ בַּתַּנּוּרִים. וְהֶעָרֹב וְהָאַרְבֶּה הָלְכוּ לָהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לָהֶם הֲנָאָה בָּעוֹרוֹת, וּבְאוֹתָן הַמְּלוּחִים שֶׁמָּלְחוּ מֵהֶם (שמות רבה יג:ז).

**Sefaria Kli Yakar, 2026 (Claude 3.7, ed. Francis Nataf) ✧:**
**“And the mixture [of wild beasts] was removed.”** Rashi explains that they did not die as the frogs died, because if they had died, the Egyptians would have benefited from their hides. One should not question why the frogs died rather than departing like the mixture [of wild beasts] and the locusts. And one cannot say it was so that the land would stink, for if so, why didn’t the locusts die as well? The answer to this matter is that the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to teach that one who sacrifices oneself for the sanctification of God’s name will be saved. Therefore, all the frogs that did not enter the ovens died, and only those that entered the ovens remained alive, as it is written, *And the frogs died from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields*. This implies that those in the ovens did not die because they had sacrificed themselves for the sanctification of God’s name. From here, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah learned to sacrifice their lives for the sanctification of God’s name. And we learn from this that one who sacrifices oneself for the sanctification of God’s name will be saved, while one who does not sacrifice oneself — the Omnipresent, blessed be He, has many agents to bring about their death from another source, just as those frogs that did not enter the ovens died. The mixture [of wild beasts] and the locusts departed so that the Egyptians would not benefit from their hides and from those that they had salted (Exodus Rabbah 13:7).