I heard in the name of my Master the nature of the Ten Plagues in regard to Pharaoh. The plague of “blood” (דם) has [the numerical value of] one less than the Name Mah (מ"ה). ⁵, as follows: יוד-הא-ואו-הא, it has the numerical value of 45, “Mah” in Hebrew.Thus, it was a plague for Pharaoh, who is forgetfulness,⁶, R. Jacob Joseph explains that Pharaoh is the aspect of the “neck” (oreph), and both share the same letters (פרעה – עורף). Kabbalistically, “neck” and “face” are spiritual opposites. “Face” represents Divine illumination, as in the verse: “May G-d shine His face upon you and be gracious to you” (Numbers 6:24), just as on the human level, a person’s face reveals the light of his soul. The neck, on the other hand, is behind the face and lacks all illumination. Furthermore, the neck is the narrow junction between the head and the heart; i.e. between the realization that G-d exists and the integrations of that knowledge into one’s life. Moses was the aspect of Da'at, for he sought to reveal Divinity in the world, to unite the “head” with the “heart.” Pharaoh opposed that revelation. Thus, according to the Midrash, Pharaoh sought to cut of Moses’ head. However, a miracle occurred and Moses’ neck turned into marble, signifying that his Da'at was unbreakable. whereas for Israel, it was water without limit.⁷ Likewise, tzefar-deah (i.e. the plague of frogs⁸. The Baal Shem Tov divides the word into two, as he will explain.). For the word tzefar means “light,”⁹ and deah (“wisdom”) is the opposite of forgetfulness, which is Pharaoh.¹⁰ means thought or wisdom, and usually refers to “Da'at” which means mystical knowledge of G-d. Thus, it was a plague to Pharaoh, but for Israel it was “the Light of Wisdom.” Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Beshalach

footnotes: ⁵ When the Tetragrammaton is spelled out in full, using the letter aleph ⁶ In parashas Bo ⁷ The Midrash says that the plague of blood only affected the Egyptians; the Jews had water. ⁸ The Hebrew word for “frog” is tzefardeah ⁹ In Aramaic. ¹⁰ Deah