(Ilu) These are the fifty plagues which afflicted the Egyptians in Egypt, in addition to the (primary) plagues. It is possible that Rabbis Eliezer and Rabbi Akiva were referring to others when they spoke of the forty and the fifty plagues. The way that the plagues are explained, that, “They were afflicted upon the Egyptians,” refers to all the plagues, all of which were evil. May God protect us from them and things like them! And after we have merited to have God help us find the fifty (plagues), we will now seek help to detail the number two hundred and fifty which struck them at the sea. May God remove blindness from the eyes of Arnon.¹⁶³ “And the tongue of the dumb shall shout aloud.” (Is. 35:6)

footnotes: ¹⁶³ An abbreviation for the authors name, Eliezer Nachman Foa

(Bo) Rabbi Yossi informs us that the magicians admitted that what Moses did was from God, and not a result of witchcraft, as they had first thought. They did not mean to suggest that the plague of lice alone was, “the finger of God,” but it was whatever punishments God brought upon them, even though they did not know how else God would smite them in the future. Therefore it is fitting to enumerate the fifty plagues at the sea. From these plagues Rabbis Eliezer and Akiva conclude that just as the plagues that struck them in Egypt were “ten primary plagues” and the derivatives, making up forty plagues¹⁶⁴, or four derivatives for each primary plague, so too the plagues that struck them at the sea were fifty, each of which is made up of five derivatives. Before we specify them, we will preface them by proving that the Egyptians were plagued with all the punishments enumerated in Torat Kohanim (Leviticus) and in the Mishneh Torah (Deuteronomy). This is based on the verse, ““If you will heed HaShem your God diligently…then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians.” (Ex 15:26) and it is also written, “But if you do not obey HaShem your God… then all these curses shall come upon you and take effect,” (Deut 28:15), singling the punishments out. It is as Moses said, “If you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God,” regarding the two hundred fifty plagues which God brought upon the Egyptians at the sea, and the fifty plagues that struck Egypt only these¹⁶⁵ shall come upon you. Because God never punishes Israel more severely; even when God is angry He acts with compassion. Therefore, all the Reproofs¹⁶⁶, The portions of the Torah containing the curses or warnings that the Israelites will incur if they do not follow the commandments (Lev. 26 and Deut. 28). that are mentioned there are included in the sicknesses of Egypt. If that is not so, then why say, All “All the diseases which I brought upon the Egyptians,I will not bring upon you…” for one might think, those I will not bring upon you but there are others that I will bring upon you. But the truth of the matter is that the diseases in Egypt are the ones which are now detailed.

footnotes: ¹⁶⁴ Or fifty plague - I am not certain why he does not include this here., ¹⁶⁵ Only these 250 plagues shall come upon Israel and not additional plagues. . ¹⁶⁶ Tocheichah

(Amnam) The chastisements (tokhechot) mentioned in the Torah were meant to terrify the people of Israel.¹⁶⁷, chastisements since they contain a list of punishments that Israel will endure if they fail to remain faithful to God’s teachings. Some of the names of the chastisements the Egyptians experienced in Egypt were changed slightly according to the needs of the narratives, but they are basically the same. For instance, (in Deut.) it states, “HaShem will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth ....a nation whose language you do not understand.” (Deut. 28:49) In Egypt there were bears and lions, other types of wild animals, and birds that came during the plague of Arov which were a, “A ruthless nation, that will show the old no regard and the young no mercy. It shall devour the offspring of your cattle and the produce of your field.” (Deut. 28:50-51) If they closed the door of their houses, the wild animals would beat on them and break them down. “HaShem will drive you, and the king you have set over you, to a nation unknown to you or your fathers…” (Deut. 28:36) refers to Pharaoh who the Egyptians placed over themselves as is stated in the book of Chronicles,¹⁶⁸ who was saved from the sea and then fled to Nineveh. There are many other g examples like these even though the literal meaning doesn’t seem to agree with them. If we cannot identify them - the absence (emptiness) is our own! Based on all this we shall search out and explore (Lam. 3) this method to answer some of the questions logically based on the strength of the verses and the statements of the sages so that we can arrive at the 250 plagues which were brought on the Egyptians at the sea.

footnotes: ¹⁶⁷ Leviticus ch. 26 and Deuteronomy ch. 28 are referred to as Tokhechot ¹⁶⁸ This is probably not the biblical book of Chronicles but more likely the Midrash Divrei HaYamim Moshe Rabbeinu, a medieval work. Reference to this can be found in the Baal HaTurim and in Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer, and Yalkut Shimoni.

Further, one needs to believe that the Egyptians didn’t think about what would happen when they entered the sea and that the Egyptians did so without thought. For the Egyptians were extremely wise, Pharaoh most of all. But since the astrologists knew that Israel would leave under the star whose name was Ra’a, as Scripture states,¹⁶⁹ andHayyinu D’Kativ, both of which introduce a Biblical verse loosely throughout with this and related expressions. “For evil (Ra’a) is before your face,” ¹⁷⁰ (Ex. 10:10) then certainly Pharaoh would have also foreseen his and his people’s fate. When Pharaoh was told that the Israelites had fled, he gathered his people and chastised them in this matter, concluding that the Israeliteswere not worthy to leave Egypt. Even though God had performed signs and wonders that they had all seen, they trusted the pronouncement of Moses when he said, “I will bring but one more plague … upon Egypt…” (Ex. 11:1) They said, “Since he said, “One”, there are no more plagues with which to smite us. God has already finished showing us the extent of His power, much as evil Haman said, “God has already grown old!”¹⁷¹ As proof, (he said), “behold they are fleeing. If they were not afraid, they would have traveled more slowly, in the daytime and not at night, in a straight path and not in a crooked path.” Despite this, Pharaoh managed to be king of all the monarchs on the earth. He gathered 600 chariots from all the nations, besides the chariots of the Egyptians. His intention was to make sure all the heavenly princes were helping him, since each one would try to save his own nation. This number is stated in the Zohar as equal to the 600,000 Israelites who left Egypt. He then looked to see what would happen if he entered the sea. First he looked at the power of the One who was helping Israel. He saw the merit of Abraham, their elder, who was a man of great kindness toward them. Because they were his people, they were not smitten by any of the plagues which struck Egypt. This was not a matter of justice, but of kindness. It was possible that Abraham might help Israel and harm those who opposed them. Yet Pharaoh was certain that God would never bring another flood (because of the promise to Noah); based on this logic he had drowned the Israelite boys. Therefore, he said, “When the sea splits before them, my nation and I will pass through on foot...” Then Pharaoh contemplated the names of hesed which are equal to (three times) the numerical value of Hesed.¹⁷², חסד) three-letter combinations each, and contains a total of 216 (= Gevurah, גבורה) letters. The name in its entirety is first mentioned in Sefer HaYashar, attributed to Rabbi Akiva (Midrash Lekah Tov on BeShalach). The 72 Names of God | Live Kabbalah These letters equal 216. Pharaoh said, “Behold, the Israelites only stayed in Egypt 210 years and they were certain they could now flee because the Gematria of 210 equals barah, flee (counting the letters). But God would not be their help for 216 years. That is why Pharaoh took 600 chariots from all the nations as we have said. The chosen among them was wickedSatan, the central force who unites all those who oppose Israel. And with all this, Pharaoh also additionally brought the chariots of Egypt; that is, the magic and witchcraft which was associated with the decrees and supernal judgments, as we have said, Why are they called kesafim (witchcraft)? Because they contradict the heavenly entourage.¹⁷³ 67b - Why is sorcery called keshafim? Because it is an acronym for: Contradicts the heavenly entourage [shemakhḥishin pamalia shel mala]. Sorcery appears to contradict the laws of nature established by God. Also see Rabbeinu Bachya 22:17 All of this was meant to protect Pharaoh and Egypt from the things that occur on dry land and on sea. Thus it is written, “He prepared his chariot and took his men with him.” (Ex. 14:6) This is not referring to an actual chariot, for it is not dignified for a king to prepare his own chariot. And if it was to make known the great hatred which upset the normal order of things as the commentators wrote, then we have already learned this from the story of Balaam, when he harnesses his own donkey. Rather, we learn that he made ready and connected all things to the powers of impurity. This explains the addition of the words et richbo, his chariot, “And he made ready his chariots.” (Ex. 14:6) The word רִכְבּ֑ Rikhb , his chariot, which has the same gematria as the word mazikin, demons… The letter Vav of the word רִכְבּ֑וֹ is a pronoun as in His chariot, so it means “the demons that were in his domain.” Then it says, “And his people he took with him, in other words, he took them by using words to convince them to come. He told them not to be afraid to come with him because all the heavenly princes would help them,as has been mentioned, besides all the “chariots/demons'' of Egypt…”with officers in them,” as the Zohar states, “And teams of three, upon them all'' (Ex. 14:7) All in wisdom, corresponding to the supernal rungs, two and one.”¹⁷⁴ Vol 2, 46a This is the Matt translation. He writes, “The technical terms Shalish apparently derives from Shalosh and its plain meaning may be third man in the chariot….Rabbi Yosi focuses on the numerical sense indicating that Pharaoh arranged his chariots triadically so they would correspond to the triadic structure of the Sephirot….

footnotes: ¹⁶⁹ I have loosely translated the expression Sh’ne’emar ¹⁷⁰ This is a literal translation. New JPS translation: “But he said to them, “HaShem be with you; the same as I mean to let your children go with you! Clearly, you are bent on mischief.” ¹⁷¹ See Esther Rabbah 7:13 “Haman immediately said to them: ‘The God who drowned Pharaoh in the sea and performed miracles on behalf of Israel, and the mighty acts of which you heard, He is already old and is unable to do anything. Nebuchadnezzar has come and destroyed His Temple and burned His Sanctuary, has exiled Israel and dispersed them among the nations. Where is His power and His might now that He has grown old?” ¹⁷² According to the Kabbalah. The 72 Names of God consist of 72 (= Hesed ¹⁷³ See BT Sanhedrin ¹⁷⁴ Zohar,

We will now explicate the fifty primary plagues at the sea that struck Egypt: 1. It is written**, “HaShem hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites.”** (Ex. 14:8) Rashi explains, “Pharaoh was in doubt whether to pursue or not, so God hardened his heart to pursue.” ¹⁷⁵ Therefore, God hardened his heart so he would pursue them. One wonders, what reason did Pharaoh have, after inciting his people, saying, “What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?” “Come with me and I will not behave with you as other kings. It is the way of other kings that their subjects go in front of them into the battle, but I will go in front of you…It is the way of other kings to have first pick of the booty, but I will be equal to you in the division of the booty.” ¹⁷⁶ “And he made his chariots ready…” (Ex 14:6) “He himself.”¹⁷⁷ After all of this trouble he would have reconsidered if the Holy One had not hardened his heart so he would pursue the Israelites. Rather, it teaches that the saying, “Cursed are you when you go out,” (Deut. 28:19) was established about him. In order to speed up the pursuit, the sages said, they tethered mares in front of male horses so that the male horses would want to overtake the mares and the mares would try to escape. In this way they would all run with all their might. They did not get far from the city when chariots began to break down because of the speed. Some of the chariots broke or were broken by neighboring chariots. Their weapons began to fall off; this was taken as an evil omen that they were masters of witchcraft. As a result their thoughts were divided. It arose in their minds to go back. Therefore, “HaShem hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he pursued the Israelites,” (Ex. 14:8) when he saw, “the children of Israel went out with a raised hand.” (Ex. Ibid) There was for Pharaoh, “ no end of scorn and provocation” (Est. 1:18) When the Egyptians saw their king lead them they too chose to pursue the Israelites. This was the first plague; there can be no doubt that it included more than five parts. There was not one of the Egyptians who did not experience confusion, trembling, or injury from the unnatural speed of the chariots. We do not find any Midrashim that inform us of the events that happened, and I was only able to describe some of the things that make sense. It is not our job to complete the task before God makes sense of it!

footnotes: ¹⁷⁵ Rashi on Ex 14:8, Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:8:1 ¹⁷⁶ Rashi on Ex. 14:6 Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:6:2 ¹⁷⁷ Rashi on Ex. 14:6 Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:6:1

2. “All the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his warriors overtook them encamped by the sea, near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.” (Ex. 14:9) In the Masoretic text¹⁷⁸, meaning tradition. of Baal-zephon appears (haser) defective¹⁷⁹, defective, is a technical term for writing a word without the letter vav. twice and it is necessary. The first time, the text states, “Turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth (פִּ֣י הַחִירֹ֔ת) , between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon (בַּ֣עַל צְפֹ֔ן); you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.” (Ex. 14:2) And the second time is the verse beginning, “ his warriors overtook…” (Ex. 14:9)¹⁸⁰ The letter Vav is an allusion to the Tree of Life according to the Kabbalists.¹⁸¹ ofTiferet and is also associated with the Hebrew letter Vav. This tells us that even this God, Baal-zephon, fell because of a lack of vitality. The numerical value of (בַּ֣עַל צְפֹ֔ן) is the same as shachav, שָׁכַב, lie down (322). We already learned that the Blessed One wanted to mislead Egypt so God had Israel camp out before them, that they might say, “That they should say that their god was a difficult one to overcome.”¹⁸² In their certainty they began to pursue Israel because they said, “They have gone astray in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.” (Ex. 14:3) When Egypt arrived there, they saw this god¹⁸³ had also fallen, destroyed and broken into many pieces, just like the other gods, their faces fell and they didn’t have the strength to move from their place. They stood there and grieved. When Pharaoh saw that he would not receive help from this god, he drew Uzza¹⁸⁴ is a demon often associated with Azazel. closer to battle for him. That is why the text says, “as Pharaoh caused to come near” (וּפַרְעֹ֖ה הִקְרִ֑יב) (Ex. 14:10) -rather, it says, Pharaoh drew near (ופרעה קרב )¹⁸⁵ He caused Uzza, the prince, to stand before God and argue Pharaoh’s case against Israel, saying, “These are idolaters and these are idolaters…” “The Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing (נֹסֵ֣עַ) upon them.” (Ex. 14:10) It does not say Nosi’im (plural) but Nosea (singular). This refers to the prince of the Egyptians they saw advancing toward them while the Egyptians were standing in one place for a while. They were astonished at the sight,and powerless. For if that is not the case, why didn’t the Egyptians kill the Israelites when they overtook them at the sea? (See Ex. 14:9) Rather, it teaches that the Holy One did not want the Israelites to begin moving forth from their place until the Egyptians were next to them and the two nations were almost touching one another. This is similar to what God commanded David, “And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baca trees, then go into action, for HaShem will be going in front of you to attack the Philistine forces. David did as HaShem had commanded…” (II Sam. 5:24-25) The sages said that the Philistines were so close that the swords reached Israel’s heads but David could not move until he heard the sound (of marching. So too here, when the Egyptians overtook them, they were terrified by the fact that the gods they had trusted were destroyed. They stood there not knowing what to do and Israel did not begin moving. But when the Egyptians saw Uzza before them they began pursuing the Israelites. They went forth from their place and pursued them.

footnotes: ¹⁷⁸ The Masoretic text refers to the authoritative version of the Hebrew Bible used universally by Jews today. This version was codified around the ninth century by a group of Jewish scholars known as the Masoretes, whose name derives from the Hebrew word masorah ¹⁷⁹ Haser ¹⁸⁰ The Egyptians gave chase to them, and all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his warriors overtook them encamped by the sea, near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon. ¹⁸¹ Literally the Masters of Mystery. The Tree of Life usually refers to the Sefirah ¹⁸² Rashi on Exodus 14:2 ¹⁸³ See Rashi, Exodus 14:2 - Baal-zaphon alone had been left by God of all the gods of Egypt and, this, too, in order to mislead them — that they should say that their god was a difficult one to overcome. ¹⁸⁴ Uzza ¹⁸⁵ See Rashi Exodus 14:10,

3. “The angel of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army…Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it lit up the night.” (Ex. 14:19-20) There was darkness for the Egyptians and light for the Israelites. The darkness was a little like the darkness that afflicted Egypt (during the plagues), in which a person could not see his fellow. Similarly, all the other plagues affected Israel for seven days but the plague of darkness only affected Egypt for six days. For 3 days, a person could not see his fellow and for 3 days they could not rise from their place; the seventh day was at the sea. During the darkness at the sea, the Egyptians could not see one another but they could see the Israelites for the person sitting in darkness can see the one who is sitting in light. They began shooting arrows and catapulting rocks but the cloud of glory caught them. In other words, when they reached the cloud, the rocks and arrows weakened and fell. It might be that because they saw this they began killing each other.¹⁸⁶ One might think that it was because of the darkness that they did not come closer to one another, they were traveling all night but they didn’t get any closer to each other. It is the nature of things that they could not see the path they were traveling on, like drunk people screaming in the Egyptian camp, either because they were injured or because of the failure of their fellows. According to the sages, “so that one could not come near the other all through the night.” (Ex. 14:20) This means, “The ministering angels wanted to sing their song**.”¹⁸⁷** It is possible, “This one to this other,”as it is said, “This is my God and I will adore him.” (Ex. 15:2) The angel here is the redeeming angel. While on all other nights they come closer, on that night they did not come closer. Therefore on that night the administering angels did not sing their song. Understand this!

footnotes: ¹⁸⁶ Possibly because the arrows and rocks fell from the sky on them. ¹⁸⁷ BT Megillah 10b, Sanhedrin 39b The angels would sing to each other, but God did not allow them to do so.

4. “HaShem drove the sea back with a strong east wind all that night…” (Ex. 14:21) The wind confused and stupefied them until they didn’t know where they were, as if they were blind. So wrote the Baal HaTurim. ¹⁸⁸. Jacob ben Asher - Wikipedia The word **וַיּ֣וֹלֶךְ “**God drove back” appears four times in the Masoretic text: “HaShem drive the sea back” (Ex. 14:21) “And he led them to Samaria,” (II Kings 6:19) regarding Elisha when God struck the servants of the king of Aram with blinding light. Hizkuni also wrote that they were not affected until they entered the sea following the Israelites and the servants of the king of Aram were stricken with confusion. This implies that the blindness did not strike them only because of darkness which we have mentioned because it happened in the light of day. If that was so there (in the case of Elisha) so here when the light was shining they could have seen one another bot they were confused because of the mighty wind as was mentioned. There are, here, there was blindness, confusion, an inability to find their way and other plagues.

footnotes: ¹⁸⁸ Jacob ben Asher (1270-1340) was an influential Medieval rabbinic authority. He is often referred to as the Ba'al ha-Turim after his main work in halacha, the Arba'ah Turim

5. “The Egyptians came in pursuit…” (Ex. 14:23) Siftei Kohen¹⁸⁹, an abbreviation of his most important work, Siftei Kohen on the Shulchan Aruch. Shabbatai HaKohen - Wikipedia . However this would mean that he was extremely young at the time. Possibly there was another work with a similar name. writes, The Egyptians tried to overcome Israel with all their might but were unable to do so. They were very distressed to see Israel moving slowly along; the Egyptians were running yet they could not overtake them. They tried to cut them off in order to get ahead of them. But they were unable to do so because the water was a wall to their right and left. Therefore, Scripture states, “came in pursuit after them.” (Ex. 14:23) Did we not know all this; yet it comes to teach that the Egyptians were behind them against their own will and desire. There was further trouble (for the Egyptians): The Egyptians recognized their silver and gold that had been in their hands. There is an allusion to this in the words כֹּ֚ל ס֣וּס פַּרְעֹ֔ה “Every horse of Pharaoh;” The abbreviation of these words is kesef כֶּ֣סֶף. In other words, they chased the Israelites for the money that Israel had taken from them. Further, they tripped as they chased the Israelites and fell on their faces. For the sea became a smooth highway for the Israelites, as Scripture states, “He led them through the deep as through a wilderness.” (Ps. 106:9) This was because the sea was higher than the land, “He summons the waters of the sea, And pours them over the land” (Am. 9:6) But it was also deep like an abyss. This was because part was high above them like a tent, as Scripture states, “You have pierced the skull with war,” (Hab 3:14) ¹⁹⁰ 14:15:2 Also the abbreviation of, אֶת־הַיָּ֖ם לֶחָרָבָ֑ה “He turned the sea into dry ground,” (Ex. 14:21) is ,אֹ֖הֶל, ohel, tent. There was the water (above them) that was not frozen and beneath the sea, the ground turned hardened and frozen, as Scripture states, “The deeps froze in the heart of the sea.” (Ex. 15:8) It would appear that the Israelites had water at their sides and above them, and beneath them they had a road of ice like a straight pathway. When the Israelites passed over it it broke into pieces but when the Egyptians traveled on it they were injured by the blocks of ice and were broken. As a result there were a number of plagues here: they were running but they couldn’t catch up to the Israelites, they were unable to cut the Israelites off, they saw their wealth as mentioned, they fell while running and they stumbled.

footnotes: ¹⁸⁹ Possibly Shabbatai ben Meir HaKohen (1621–1662) a noted 17th century talmudist and halakhist. He was known as the Shakh ¹⁹⁰ Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael

6. “The horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and horsemen, went into the sea;” (Ex. 14:23) We must say that the Egyptians were not yet in water for afterwards, Scripture states, “Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and HaShem drove back the sea,” (Ex. 14:21) This implies that until that time the waters did not return. If so, it must have appeared to them as if they were drowning in the sea in the way that we shall explain, with God’s help. At first, they knew that they would be walking on dry land just like the Israelites. Then it seemed to everyone that the water had come back and covered the entire Egyptian encampment except for Pharaoh; they thought everyone else had drowned. That is how Scripture reads, “The Egyptians came in pursuit and they came after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen, into the sea.” (Ex. 14:23) “Into the sea,” are superfluous, and should be interpreted according to what is written before. “All of Pharaoh’s horses,” is attached to what is stated before, “They came after them,” that is, after the Israelites. It appeared to Pharaoh that he alone was still pursuing the Israelites, and that the chariots and horses of the Egyptians were (drowning) in the sea. Similarly, to the chariots it appeared that the horses were (drowning) in the sea. So too : רִכְבּ֖וֹ, “His chariot,” appears to be separated from the other details But there is a zakef katon on the word, “Pharaoh,” as if it were attached to, “After them,” as was mentioned and the rest of the verse attached to, “Into the sea.” There is also a tipchah on the word רִכְבּ֖וֹ, “His chariot,” which is a separating cantillation as if it is connected to Pharaoh. The word, “His horse,” also, as has been mentioned.¹⁹¹ or atipchah in the standard tikkun. However it would appear that he is reading the verse as follows: “The Egyptians came in pursuit, all of Pharaoh’s horsemen, into the sea; his (Pharaoh’s) chariot came after them” based on the grammar. All of the Egyptians were troubled and aggrieved: Pharaoh was grieved because he could not use witchcraft to control the events that happened when they left Egypt, saying, “Where will I carry my shame? (II Sam. 13:13) Behold every chariot driver and horse has died for me, similar to what God said of Sannherib!” Therefore, when he was the only one who was saved from the sea, he could not find it in his heart to return to Egypt because of the shame, and he went to Nineveh instead. His soldiers and chariot drivers were grieving because they heard that Pharaoh had pursued the Israelites and had said to them, “I will pursue, I will overtake.” (Ex. 15:9) “Certainly he saw this with his astrologers.” The soldiers overtook them in the sea,” (Ex. 14:23) thinking, I will overtake them and divide up the booty. They too were grieved when they saw the sons, and brothers, and friends drowned.

footnotes: ¹⁹¹ It is not clear to me how Rabbi Foa is reading this verse - also there does not appear to be a zakef katan

7. “All the horses¹⁹²of Pharaoh.” (Ex. 14:23) The word “All” is meant to add or increase something beside what we have already stated. It appeared that all of the horses had water over their heads, and that they were also drowning. Horses swim on the surface of the water so that their heads are out of the water. If someone is riding on the horse he is strengthened and is not afraid when the horse enters the water, he knows that he will go with it. When one sees the head of the horse still has hope of surviving. But if the horse's head goes under he is out of luck. Therefore, when the verse states “All the horse of Pharaoh,”¹⁹³ it means that even its heads went under the water. The same is implied about “his chariot and riders.” When the Egyptians saw that they were drowning, they began to yell to Pharaoh and say, “Save us because the water has reached our neck.” (Ps.69:2) “Save us as you promised.” Then Pharaoh and his magicians began to perform magic according to what is written in their books. This is alluded to by the abbreviation,ס֣וּס פַּרְעֹ֔ה רִכְבּ֖וֹ וּפָרָשָׁ֑יו, “Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen” which spells **סַפְּרו , “**his book.” Nothing helped them because the hand of God was intent on their destruction and desolation. When the Egyptians saw that nothing was helping them they began to curse their gods , and to pull out their hair and devour their own limbs. This is alluded at in the verses in the Reproofs; the words פַּרְעֹ֔ה רִכְבּ֖וֹ וּפָרָשָׁ֑יו , “Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen'' have the same gematria (numerical value) as **אִ֥ישׁ בְּשַׂר־זְרֹע֖וֹ יֹאכֵֽלוּ “**Each devoured the flesh of his own kindred” (Is. 9:19) come and see how many ways they were smote in this plague; even more so when suddenly they lost their hope of magic.¹⁹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁹² Note the noun is written in the singular (sus) and not the plural even though it implies many horses. This is crucial to understanding the interpretation here. ¹⁹³ The verse should be read according to this interpretation, “the entire horse of Pharaoh.” ¹⁹⁴ The Gematria does seem to add up here!

8. “At the morning watch…” (Ex.14:24) they opened their eyes and saw that all of them were on dry land in the sea for the Holy One motioned for the sea¹⁹⁵:49 to split and then God motioned again, and looked down on the camp of Egypt. The gematria (438/482) of **מַחֲנֵ֣ה מִצְרַ֔יִם “**Camp of Egypt” is חזר הים ליבקע “He caused the sea to split.”¹⁹⁶ is close it is not exact. Gematria is not an exact system of math…. Therefore, it is written afterwards, “Then HaShem said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians…” (Ex 14:26) Since it says, וְיָשֻׁ֤בוּ “May come back,” it implies that the water had already covered them and now God sent the waters back again. Then the Egyptians were happy and calmed. But their happiness did not last because God “looked down” (for evil) “upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire.” The Mechilta: “The pillar of cloud descended and made the sea-bed clay, and the pillar of fire made it so hot that the horses' hooves fell off.” ¹⁹⁷ 14:24 “And the pick of his officers are drowned in the Sea of Reeds.” (Ex. 15:4) That is close to the shore where there is no mud but rather sand. According to the laws of nature this is not a place where one would naturally drown. This is also written in the Tanchuma. Further, groups of them drown in the mud, So the sages said, ”Since they, “made our lives bitter with mortar and bricks,” so you led their horses into mud. But the Holy One did not kill them there but rather God gave them strength and grieved them. This is five more plagues: mud, their horses hoofs were cut off, the officers drowned in a place where there was no mud, their feet were stuck in the dry land, and God looked down on them for evil.

footnotes: ¹⁹⁵ Eichah Rabbah 1 ¹⁹⁶ This is not a verse and while the Gematria ¹⁹⁷ Mechilta D’Rebbe Ishmael

9. “A pillar of fire and a cloud,” (Ex. 14:24) The cloud was so thick and heavy that the Egyptians thought from moment to moment that it would descend on them and absorb them. This also happens to travelers when daylight suddenly darkens because of thick clouds, and they become frightened lest they be swallowed up. That cloud has no limits and there is thunder, lightning, and powerful waves associated with it. Terrible things happen to people who experience this while traveling. I myself had such an experience!!

10. “And threw the Egyptian army into panic.” (Ex. 14:14) It caused panic and confusion. They could not find their deputies so that the Egyptian army did not know what to do. Peirush: At first they followed their encampments, princes at the lead, deputies in the middle, and all of them in order, according to the plain meaning, “with officers in all of them.” (Ex. 14:7) They were thrown into a panic and confusion, the people in a tumult. Authority was taken from the leaders and the deputies so that all of the Egyptians did not know what to do, whether to go back or to pursue without any plan. There are five plagues here: panic, confusion, losing their leaders, fleeing, and stumbling.

11. This tumult caused faintness of heart (Lev. 26:36) Combined with the cold and strong wind that blew on that night, their blood froze until they were afflicted with the consumption that comes before a fever. It is known that the consumption causes vomiting, stomach and intestinal pain. As they trembled from the cold, their bones broke and all of them were afflicted. This is hinted at in the expression, “the Egyptian army,” suggesting that it increased everywhere.

12. “God took off the wheels of their chariots,” (Ex. 14:25) Mechilta: “Rabbi Yehudah says: Because of a fire on high caused the wheels below to burn, chariots axles continued turning the chariots toward the sea, the chariot being filled with silver, gold, precious gems and pearls for Israel to take as spoil. Rabbi Nechemiah says: Because of the thunder on high, the pivots below flew off, “The rumble of your thunder caught the wheel; lighting lit the world," (Ps 77:19) , and the axles and the chariots ran by themselves. In the past, the horses would pull the chariots. Now, the chariots were pulling the horses.”¹⁹⁸, Ex 14:25 There were three plagues here: the breaking of the chariots, moving of their own volition, and the loss of the wealth they were carrying with them.

footnotes: ¹⁹⁸ Mechilta DeRebbe Yishmael

13. “So that He caused them to move forward וַֽיְנַהֲגֵ֖הוּ with difficulty/heaviness.” (Ex. 14:25) Since it does not say “so that they moved וַֽיְנַהֲגֵ֖וּם with difficulty/heaviness,” it comes to teach that He caused them to move backwards toward their first leader who led the camps of Egypt with seriousness, ’ that is, because of the warmth of the fire and their traveling, fever overcame them… For it is stated in the Reproofs, “Will smite you with… inflammation, with scorching heat. ” (Deut. 28:2) These are different types of fevers. Inflammation דַּלֶּ֗קֶת is a higher fever than regular fever קַּדַּ֜חַת. In Deuteronomy they are threatened with it. Scorching heat, חַרְחֻר֙ is a sickness that includes two different types (of inflammation) and there is no cure because what helps one hurts the other. It is called חַרְחֻר֙ from the expression, “for kindling strife.” (Pr. 26:21) It is known that one who has a fever has many pains, especially when he has several different types of fevers as mentioned.

14. Further: “So that God caused Him to move forward…” (Ex. 14:25) refers to wicked Samael as mentioned. When he saw that his authority had been removed (from the Egyptians), he no longer wanted to go with them and he was forced to move forward with them with great difficulty when he saw the judgments that was brought upon their celestial prince. This made him reason with a Kal Vachomer¹⁹⁹ argument: A kal vachomer, literally "lenient and strict" derives one law from another through the following logic: If a case that is generally strict has a particular leniency, a case that is generally lenient will certainly have that leniency. The argument can also work in reverse, and also in areas where lenient or strict might not be precisely applicable. (Wikipedia) The kal vachomer appears to be if, Sama’el the celestial prince of Esau failed to help the Egyptians when own prince failed then surely he would not be able to assist his own nation of Edom. Edom is often associated in Midrash with Rome and With Christendom. for the future: For him, too, would come the cup (of retribution) as is written, “I will show him wondrous deeds as in the days when You went forth from the land of Egypt.” (Mic. 7:15) This caused great pain to the Egyptians who put their trust in Samael, for the nation could not be victorious except through the strength of the celestial prince of Esau, who is none other than Samael. “and I will break your proud glory…. so that your strength shall be spent to no purpose,” (Lev. 26:20)

footnotes: ¹⁹⁹ A Fortiori

15. They were smitten by terrible boils/ hemorrhoids on their knees and legs. They were called ‘boils of Egypt’ (Deut. 28:27)²⁰⁰ will strike you with the Egyptian inflammation (shechin Mitzrayim), with hemorrhoids, boil-scars, and itch, from which you shall never recover.” Note that the written text is ofalim while the pronounced text is techorim. Both mean hemorrhoids; but the word in the written text is not read because it was considered to be a vulgar word. See Tigay, The JPS Torah commentary on Deuteronomy. because they did not heal until the day of one’s death. It seems that they were healed on that day. This must be the case; were it not, when the chariot wheels came off, as was stated, and their bodies were so afflicted, they would have had to travel on foot, if they were able. But if they were afflicted with boils on their legs and knees, from the sole of their feet to their heads, they would have had to hold on to the sides of the chariots. They would not have been able to rub their hands on it without having even more pain. There are five plagues here: The boils would have appeared in four places as they are counted in the Reproofs (tochechah)²⁰¹ . It also refers to the pain of the scabs, just as we found in the book of Job, that it was necessary for him to take potsherds to scratch his wounds. This was a plague unto itself.

footnotes: ²⁰⁰ See Deut. 28:27 - This interpretation is based on this verse: “HaShem ²⁰¹ Reproofs or Tokhecha is used throughout this commentary It refers to the chapters in Leviticus chapter 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28 that contain the curses and warnings for Israel lest they disobey God.

16. Their legs were afflicted with hemorrhoids טְּחֹרִ֔ים. This is what happens to those who travel during the summer months - they develop a type of dry scab between their thighs that is painful. The Egyptians were afflicted with these. This appeared not only on the thighs but on the opening of the rectum where they became hemorrhoids. That is why in the Reproofs (In Exodus and Deuteronomy) boils of Egypt are connected with scabs and itches. There is no doubt that swelling on the legs was a natural occurrence among those who travel. They continue to grow until they become a plague. Thus, the sages state in the Mekhilta: "Confounding" is plague, viz. (Deut 7:23) "And He will confound them with great confusion until they are destroyed."²⁰² 14:24 Thus, there are plagues here: scabs between one’s thighs, hemorrhoids in one’s rectum, some of which were opened and some of which were closed, some on the inside of the rectum and some on the outside, and all of them infected. There are also dry legs and bubonic plague²⁰³ .

footnotes: ²⁰² See Mekhilta DeRebbe Yishmael ²⁰³ Literally it says the plague of the plague. This is a surmise on my part.

17. “HaShem will let loose against you confusion… and frustration,” (Deut 28:20) Rashi explains that הַמְּאֵרָ֤ה - means “paucity,” as in “a fretting leprosy (ממארה).”(Lev. 13:51) ²⁰⁴ It teaches that these plagues made the flesh heavy until those who were in their homes were imprisoned until a surgeon cut away the dead flesh. Further it states, מְּהוּמָה֙, this confusion was the confusion of loud and shocking noises, besides the sounder of thunder. הַמִּגְעֶ֔רֶת is similar to what is written, “He sent His blast against the Sea of Reeds,” (Ps. 106:9) The blast was so terrifying that the people were silenced like mutes.

footnotes: ²⁰⁴ A leprosy that wears away the flesh, thus attenuating it.

18. “Egypt said, “I will flee from the Israelites,” (Ex. 14:25) Since it does not say, “The Egyptians said,” it might refer to Egypt’s celestial prince who is also called Egypt. He said, “I will flee from Israel Saba ²⁰⁵. This Sefira is also associated with the tetragrammaton, the four letter name of God because God (HaShem) is fighting for those who have entered my territory. “For HaShem is fighting for them against Egypt (Bi’Mitzrayim).” “Against (b’) Egypt;'' that is, “Because of Egypt,” in other words “because of me.” Scripture doesn’t state, “ for them because of me (b’shevili),” to leave room for the other of the interpretations. The Mechilta states: The wicked ones said, “We must flee before Israel because we are being afflicted and aggrieved; now we are even doubly aggrieved,”²⁰⁶ 14:23 it is necessary for us to flee before Israel since it may appear to them as if we have sinned against them. Pharaoh is the one sinned when he commanded us to subjugate them. Since we afflicted them it is necessary to flee from them lest we add to their subjugation. Further, “I will flee before the Israelites,” teaches us that when the Egyptians saw the face of an Israelite they were afraid as if they were looking at the face of a lion. This was measure for measure. Just as they made themselves appear to the Israelites like bears or lions as mentioned above, now they changed and were afraid of the Israelites. They fulfilled Scripture, “Your foes shall dominate you. You shall flee though none pursues.” (Lev. 26:17) …

footnotes: ²⁰⁵ Literally Old man Israel. Usually refers to the Sefira of Tiferet ²⁰⁶ Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai

19. “For HaShem is fighting for them,” (Ex. 14:25) God is too powerful for celestial princes. For the Egyptians said, if the prince of Israel who is one of the celestial princes, and is like our prince, we might be able to succeed over them. For the celestial prince of Egypt had many to help him, and even more, Israel would be judged by a heavenly court as to whether it would succeed or fail. This Heavenly court is made up of the seventy celestial princes of the nations, most of whom have claims against Israel. Now that they saw that God was fighting for them in Egypt, how many would be inclined for them?

20. “Fighting for them,” (Ex. 14:25) For those who came to fight against the Egyptians in the land of Egypt, for God is aiding them. For when the other nations around Egypt saw that the Egyptians were pursuing (Israel) they gathered and came to plunder the city, fulfilling for them, “HaShem will bring a nation against you from afar,” (Deut. 28:49) They are described as “far” because though they were close to Egypt, they were far from this knowledge and they “issue of your womb and the produce of your soil, your new grain and wine and oil, the calving of your herd and the lambing of your flock.” (Deut. 24:25)

21. “Is fighting for them because of Egypt.” (Ex. 14:25) Mekhilta: this teaches that the people in Egypt were afflicted just like the people at the sea. God lifted up the land of Egypt so they could see one another and in that way everyone could feel sorry for himself and for his neighbor; the fathers for the son and the sons for the fathers; the wives for their husbands and their husbands for their wives, and for all their relatives.

22. The pregnant women miscarried after seeing their husbands drown in the sea and afflicted by all types of plagues. These words of Scripture were fulfilled through them, “Cursed shall be the issue of your womb.” (Deut. 28:16) Also, “Your sons and daughters shall be delivered to another people, while you look on; and your eyes shall strain for them constantly.” (Deut. 28:32) There are five plagues here: women will experience birth pangs, it will happen prematurely, they shall miscarry, their sons and daughters will be taken captive, their eyes shall weaken because they have no savior.

23. “And the Egyptians fled at its approach.” (Ex. 14:27) Mekhilta: Wherever the Egyptians fled, the waters pursued them.²⁰⁷ Peirush: Do not think that they lost their minds and were so terrified that even though there were other places for them to flee, they still ran into the water. Rather they had clear minds but God caused them to stand so that they would feel even greater pain from the plagues. They tried fleeing away from the water, but the water surrounded them. It might have been that this happened only on one side, (but not so); rather to whichever side they turned, they encountered water. If they fled to the east, the water came towards them; if they turned the other way the water came toward them, It then left open ways for them to flee and when they went, the water surrounded them and the water would surround them and come towards them.

footnotes: ²⁰⁷ Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai Ex. 14

24. “But HaShem hurled (vayina’er) the Egyptians….” (Ex. 14:24) Mekhilta: When one stirs up (yina’er) a pot, the ones on top go to the bottom and the ones on the bottom come up to the top. (God did this) in order to increase their agony. Another interpretation: God gave them the strength of youth in order that they continue to receive punishment. God did this for all the plagues so that they wouldn’t die from the plagues. Another: he put them in the hands of young and cruel angels, as Scripture states, “Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him,” (Pro. 17:11) and “They die in their youth…” (Job 36:14) In Minchah Bilulah²⁰⁸, the author writes that since the people knew how to swim, he stirred up the water so that their feet were up and their heads were down, so they were unable to swim. I have written that he took some of them and stirred up others. How so? Pharaoh “took 600 of his picked chariots,” (Ex 14:7). He 216 of them to fight the powers of God’s great name, from the verses וַיִּסַּ֞ע “He traveled,” (Ex. 14:19), וַיָּבֹ֞א “He came” (Ex. 14:20), וַיֵּ֨ט “He stretched out his arm,” (Ex. 14:21) these add up to 216 letters, and שפ"ד, Shaf”ad.²⁰⁹ שפ"ד, adds up to 384 together with 216 they equal 600. Shapad is equal to the word Egypt if one adds the letters minus the letter yud. What did God do? First He killed the celestial prince of Egypt, as is stated, “Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea,” (Ex.15:1) This is written in the singular.²¹⁰ First he lifted him high up and then cast him down into the abyss of the sea. Now all that remained were the lees, adding up to 215. All of them drowned in the Reed Sea, as is written, “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea.” (Ex 15:4) All that remained were שפ"ד who were called שפוד shippud, a skewer, that is, the thing that held them all together and served as a kind of skewer. God began to mix them up with the other 216 who were mentioned in the sea. It is written, “I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian…” (Is. 19:2) Mitzraim, Egypt, along with the letters in Gematria equals shapad (384) so that all of them were destroyed

footnotes: ²⁰⁸ Porto, Abraham Menahem ben Jacob ha-Kohen 1520 - after 1594 ²⁰⁹ Shapad, ²¹⁰ In other words, first God killed the one celestial prince of Egypt.

25. “But HaShem hurled the Egyptians into the sea.” (Ex. 14:24) We have seen in the Midrash that the Egyptians performed magic so that they rose out of the sea but God threw them back in. Further, the author of Keli Hemda²¹¹. Laniado was a grandson of Samuel Laniado who settled in Adrianople after the expulsion from Spain. writes that the Egyptians held on to the Israelites and said, “If they are saved we will be saved!” But the Holy One shook them off as one shakes dust off one’s garment, and in this way they fell into the sea. It is possible that the clinging was not actual but it was a result of magic. Furthermore, they melted into the water, so that they mixed, water in water. That is what is stated, “The waters turned back and covered the chariots and the horsemen, all Pharaoh’s army... ” (Ex. 14:28) It does not say, “All Pharaoh army,” but, “ To all Pharaoh’s army.” In other words, the chariots and horsemen that had become water covered the army of Pharaoh. Just as their heads led them in their life so they led them to their death. They returned to life similar to what happened to Titus,²¹² may his bones crumble, who is created anew each day and then burns and becomes ash again.

footnotes: ²¹¹ Possibly, Samuel ben Avraham Laniado (d. 1605), Syrian rabbi, biblical commentator, and preacher, known from the title of most of his works as Ba'al ha-Kelim ²¹² Titus was not only responsible for the destruction of the second Temple but committed the ultimate sin by entering the holy of holies. There are many versions of the story of how he was punished, including that a gnat flew into his ear and remained in his brain, driving him mad!

26. “The waters turned back and covered…” (Ex. 14:28) I have heard from sages who wrote this prominently, that (the waters that drown the Egyptians) was the same water that was used to drown the Israelite children, from the Nile River. That very water now came back to punish the Egyptians and fulfill what they had said, “HaShem is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people].” (Ex 18:21) “For in the pot with which they boiled others, they were boiled.” In Midrash Rabbah it states, “וְיָשֻׁ֤בוּ הַמַּ֙יִם֙, “The waters came back,’ is stated in the plural and not the singular,²¹³ instead of Vayashev Hamayim. implying that all the waters of the world overtook the Egyptians. The most essential waters came from four rivers; The Nile which is called Pishon, Gihon, Hidekel, and Perat²¹⁴ as well as the waters that were already present. There are five bodies of water here, each of which is different from the others. There are those that are warm, others that are frigid, those that flood, and those that are turbid, and those that are salty. Each one causes its own special suffering separate from the other. Each smote the Egyptians.

footnotes: ²¹³ The verse states Vayashuvu Hamayim ²¹⁴ Hidekel and Perat are the Tigris and Eurpharates.

27. “They covered the chariots and the horsemen.” (Ex.14:28) The Tzror HaMor²¹⁵ writes that until now the horses swam on the surface of the water, but now the waters came back and covered them. Further, since it say, לְכֹל֙ חֵ֣יל פַּרְעֹ֔ה “For Pharaoh’s entire” army when it could have said כֹל֙ חֵ֣יל פַּרְעֹ֔ה “Pharaoh’s entire army,” it teaches that the chariots and horsemen were turned over by the surge of the water, similar to what was already been said about the water. This is what was stated, “And I will heap your carcasses upon your lifeless fetishes.” (Lev. 26:30) - they are the feet. The wordEt implies the inclusion of two things, after the waters covered the army of Pharaoh.²¹⁶

footnotes: ²¹⁵ Abraham Saba (1440–1508) was a preacher in Castile who became a pupil of Isaac de Leon. Abraham Saba - Wikipedia ²¹⁶ The verse states, וְנָֽתַתִּי֙ אֶת־פִּגְרֵיכֶ֔ם the word et is also meant to be inclusive of something - in this case the two legs of the Egyptians

28. **“Not one of them remained.” (**Ex. 14:28)²¹⁷ It does not say “Not one among them remained,” to teach us that not a single limb of the Egyptians remained unafflicted. When it said עַד־אֶחָֽד “there did not remain even one” when it could have stated “there did not remain among them one,” it implied when afflicted their limbs God did not begin with the main limbs, first, so that the other limbs remained unconscious and unfeeling the pain of the plagues. Rather each and every limb was afflicted until they reached the one upon which a person is most dependent. Some of the sages state that this means that no one remained except for Pharaoh so that he might see the power of the Blessed One. Or else, so that he might see that God sent His own messenger, Moses. That is why only Pharaoh remained of all the firstborn of Egypt during the plague of the first born.

footnotes: ²¹⁷ The strange formation of the words could be translated - Nothing remained even until one.

29. “But the Israelites had marched through the sea on dry ground,” (Ex. 14:26) This is written another time: “And the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground,” (Ex. 14:22) The reason for the repetition is, to teach us that despite the Egyptians being drowned in the sea and being turned upside down by the powerful waters, they saw the Israelites marching through the dry ground. God gave the Egyptians the power to see this to increase their suffering. They would see the great love for Israel by God and would be humiliated by what God did for them. Among the thing (they saw) was the Israelites eating and drinking as they marched along. Thus, it is written in the Mekhilta: The Israelites ate and drank and rejoiced (as they walked through the sea). God caused fresh water to come out from the salty water,²¹⁸ 14:16:1, Mekhilta DeRabbi Ishmael 14:15, 15:8 as it says, “He brought forth streams from a rock…” (Ps. 78:16) Nozlim (“brought streams”) always refers to fresh living waters. Scripture states, “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.” (Pro. 5:15) “Sixty discomforts come to one who hears his friend eating and he cannot eat” ²¹⁹ 92b - in other words the discomfort for the Egyptians was that they saw the Israelites drinking fresh water and eating when they could not.

footnotes: ²¹⁸ See Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael ²¹⁹ BT Baba Kama

30. “The waters formed a wall for them on their right and on their left.” (Ex. 14:29) “For them,” refers to the Egyptians as mentioned above. The water formed a barrier, blocking the way. Read the word not as, חֹמָ֔ה, chomah, wall, but as חֹימָ֔ה cheimah, anger; that is, all the waters were fighting with them, from the right or the left. In the right hand waters whose way is for merit (would not let them pass). Now all of them were a wall against them. This is also stated in the Mekhilta on the verse, “The deeps covered them.” (Ex. 15:5) “Now are there depths (at the bottom of the sea)? Is it not dry ground?” Peirush: The powerful waters and the depths were placed at the bottom of the waters but this teaches that he brought up the lower depths to the higher depths and the waters fought with them with all types of divine punishments.

31. “Thus HaShem delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians.” (Ex. 14:30) Mekhilta: Like a person who releases a fetus from the womb of a cow. Peirush: As the cow suffers because the fetus is still attached in the womb of the mother, so Israel was attached to Egypt. Because of this, the Egyptians did not want to send them out. This is the meaning of the verse, “"Or has a God ever done miracles to come and take for Himself a nation from the midst of a nation…” (Deut. 4:34) ²²⁰ 14:28 It is also implied by what is stated, “Thus HaShem delivered Israel,”implying that Israel was still in between Egypt and their own domain, and God delivered them, taking them out against Egypt’s will. There were a number of plagues here: taking out of the fetus before its time since they had not completed the four hundred years that was decreed to Abraham. The pain that was caused when Pharaoh said, ““What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?” (Ex. 14:5) There was great pain but not like a woman in labor when the fetus has died and removing it from her womb takes away the pain, but like a living fetus who has to be taken from her.

footnotes: ²²⁰ Mekhilta DeRabbi DeRebbe Shimon bar Yochai

32. “Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea.” (Ex. 14:30) Mekhilta: This teaches that each Israelite saw his own oppressor, he took off his shoe and smacked him across his face. There were those who smote the Egyptians with whips and stones. Some placed gravel in the mouths of the Egyptians. Some pulled out the hair of the Egyptians, as he wished. Further it states there, “Israel saw the Egyptians dead.” What did the Israelites do? Each person took his dog and went and placed his foot on the neck of the Egyptian and said to his dog, “Eat the hand that subjugated me! Eat the forearm of this one who had no compassion for me!” Know that this is based on what is stated, “that your feet may wade through blood, that the tongue of your dogs may have its portion of your enemies.” (Ex. 68:24)

33. “Israel saw the Egyptians dead (Mitzrayim mayt) ...” (Ex. 14:30) An unusual death, one more grievous than the next. Mekhilta: another interpretation: Egypt had died but not died. As in the Scripture, “But as she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni,” (Gen. 35:18) which is said regarding Rachel, she was on the verge of passing away when she named her son, Ben-oni. So it was with the Egyptians - they were dying but had not yet died to cause them much pain and so they would see the glory of Israel, and not say, “Just as they are lost, so too is Israel…” They suffered the pain of being a person who will die imminently, and yet they would have the awareness to understand and see Israel’s glory, and how many judgements are passed against a person at that hour when all of them are afflictions..

34. “And when Israel saw the wondrous power which HaShem had wielded against the Egyptians…” (Ex. 14:31) when the Israelites left the sea. For there they saw the Egyptians dying but not quite dead, as we have said, fulfilling Scripture, “Cursed shall you be in your going out;” (Deut. 28:19) that is, when you go out of the sea. For the Egyptians were afflicted with as the Reproofs, “HaShem will drive you, and the king you have set over you, to a nation unknown to you…,” (Deut. 28:36) The Egyptians saw Pharaoh was saved and they were troubled because he was more deserving of death than they were, for he pressed them to pursue Israel, and he had said, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;” (Ex 15:9) Thus the words of Scripture were established about them, “You shall be a consternation, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples,” (Deut. 28:37) “and you shall become a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.” (Deut. 28:25) as it is written, “The peoples hear, they tremble; agony grips the dwellers in Philistia. (Ex. 15:14)

35. “The stranger in your midst shall rise above you higher and higher,” (Deut. 28:43) refers to the Egyptians. It refers to the Erev Rav, the mixed multitude,²²¹ was a group that included Egyptians and others who had joined Israel on the Exodus. According to Jewish tradition, they were accepted by Moses as an integral part of the people. Their influence is said to have been involved in the golden calf and other incidents where the people questioned Moses and his laws. Erev Rav - Wikipedia who were not Egyptians. They rose higher and higher while (the Egyptians) descended lower and lower. Further, it is established that, “He shall lend you,” (Deut. 28:44 ) should be read, “They shall lead you ( ילוו),” from the word (לויה), leviyah, as in, they led them to their grave. Similarly, “he shall be the head,”(Deut. 28:43) and also, “If you pay the bride-price for a wife, another man shall lie with her.” (Deut. 28:30) This is because most of the Egyptians who pursued the Israelites were married but had not yet consummated their marriages when they died. Not only that but they saw other men lying with their wives.

footnotes: ²²¹ Erev Rav

36. “If you build a house, you shall not live in it.” (Deut. 28:30) We find that when Joshua bin Nun cursed the ones who built Jericho, he said, “he shall lay its foundations at the cost of his first-born, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest.” (Josh. 6:26) He learned this curse from what happened to the Egyptians when they built their homes. Now that they had drowned and could not live in their homes, they were reminded that their children had died so that it was as if they were all dead. It is similar to what Jacob said when he sent Benjamin with his brothers back to Egypt so that it seemed all of them might be dead now.²²² dispose the man to mercy toward you, that he may release to you your other brother, as well as Benjamin. As for me, if I am to be bereaved, I shall be bereaved.”

footnotes: ²²² This is a reference to Genesis 43:4 - And may El Shaddai

37. “If you plant a vineyard, you shall not harvest it.” (Deut. 28:30) The fruit of the land and their efforts shall be consumed by a nation that they do not know while they were busy and oppressed with work every day. “And you will be driven mad by what your eyes behold.” (Deut. 28:34) These verses refer to the Egyptians because until that hour they were convinced they would be saved, since God had given them the strength to withstand the plagues because their nature had helped them making them strong and healthy. Or else they might have withstood the plagues their magic helped them. These things gave them back their vitality but now as they felt their impending death they were driven mad by the sight of their eyes and their dashed hope and loss of prospects. Until now the plagues were listed according to the order of the verses, and therefore they did not occur according to the order in which they occurred. From now on they are listed according to the allusions in the song of the sea.

38. “His horse and driver God has hurled into the sea.” (Ex. 15:1) Since the verse states “His Horse and driver,” and not “Their horses and drivers,” it must be referring to the celestial angel of the Egyptians. It is also possible that it is referring to Pharaoh, because he had assured the people that they would be victorious. Now that they saw that they were the first to drown, they grew weak. It is written that the Egyptians had seen Israel was saved, because we have already said that the Egyptians had died, come back to life and died again several times. When they came back to life, their appearance changed from moment to moment. Also the word רָמָ֥ה “he has hurled,” is from the word, **רִמִּיתָֽנִי , “**deceived me.” For the Holy One deceived them by making it seem that the chariot horses in the waves were female horses, as was stated in the Midrash. Further, the word רָמָ֥ה is from the verse, “It became וַיָּ֤רֶם infested with maggots and stank.” (Ex. 16:20) Their flesh was afflicted with boils and other plagues, along with them being in the salty water which made their flesh stink. The salty water caused endless pain to the afflicted.

39. “Horse and driver…” (Ex. 15:1) This teaches that the horses and drivers were connected to one another and they were unable to separate from each other and others like them. If they had been able to go down (in the sea) they might have been saved by swimming in the water or through magic. Further inTanhuma: “rama bayam” teaches us that they were thrown up high, that is by the waves which lifted them up and then afterwards they fell into the water. This happened many times.

40. “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army God has cast (יָרָ֣ה /yara) into the sea;” (Ex. 15:4) This teaches that they fell into the sea all the way to the abyss. Another interpretation: They were shot (יורה /yoreh) like an arrow which they cast from the shore of the sea to the middle of the sea many times, each time with a different pain.

41. “Your carcasses shall become food for all the birds of the sky,” (Deut 28:26) was established about the Egyptians. They were like fish that swallow one another. For each fish there is a larger one which swallows it so that the first fish dies in the belly of the second fish. The Egyptians suffered in it as if they were inside it, like we see in the story of Jonah, who said, “From the belly of Sheol I cried out,” (Jonah. 2:3) This was because the fish that swallowed him died, as the sages said. They suffered many different types of afflictions at that time. The (fish) were called birds because they had fins. The word הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם of the sky is an abbreviation of “From the water” as was written in the work of heaven.

42. “The deeps covered them,” (Ex. 15:5) Mekhilta: This teaches us that the firmament covered them up and the stars darkened, this can be derived from the fact that it says תְּהֹמֹ֖ת, abysses and not תהום abyss. This implies that there were two abysses, one above and one below, as Scripture states, “where deep calls to deep in the roar of Your cataracts.” (Ps. 42:3) If the abyss covered them, then the stars were darkened and the rain and hail were not far from falling on them.

43. “They went down into the depths like a stone.” (Ex. 15:5) Mekhilta: Because they (Pharaoh) said, “When you …look at the birthstool (הָאָבְנָ֑יִם),” (Ex 1:16) therefore, God made the water like stones, and the Egyptians had many bruises and wounds from being struck and they had great pain as if they were dying.²²³ 15:5 So wrote the sages in Masechet Chulin, in chapter Elu Terefot: “The blood of a wound affects atonement like the blood of a burnt offering….”²²⁴ The wound causes great pain that is similar to death since it is like a sacrifice. Or else, “they went down into the depths like a stone,” should be understood literally, that they quickly went down into the depths like a stone. Or it might mean God made their bodies heavy like a stone. Or else, they felt like a stone. Or else, they appeared like a stone. And it is possible that it was all of them!

footnotes: ²²³ Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai ²²⁴ See BT Chulin, 7b. Rabbi Foa writes that this is chapter 3 but actually it appears in chapter 1 of Chulin Rava does have a statement but it is not the one in the talmud

44. “Your right hand, HaShem, shatters תִּרְעַ֥ץ the foe!” (Ex. 15:6) The meaning of the word תִּרְעַ֥ץ is, breaking, as when one falls on ice and they break the head, then their legs, then their thighs, then their knees. And still all of these limbs are connected to one another. Afterwards they are destroyed as is written, “In Your great triumph You break Your opponents.” (Ex. 15:6)

45. “In Your great triumph You break Your opponents.” (Ex. 15:6) The destruction is stated on something that is firm and is then torn down, as in, “They may build, but I will tear down.” (Mal. 1:4) So too, here, they were destroyed and their limbs torn apart several times, so that they were afflicted in several plagues.

46. When their limbs were torn apart, they were like straw on the surface of the water; their flesh peeled away from their bones. God gave them the vitality to feel the full effect of the plagues. In the Mekhilta it states, “All woods, when they burn, their sound is not heard; but stubble, when it burns, it crackles and is heard. Thus did the sound of Egypt, in its destruction, make itself heard because of retribution. All woods, when they burn, leave a trace; but stubble, when it burns, leaves no trace because of retribution.”²²⁵ote that the words in italics do not appear in the Midrash text. Aterwards because the water was salty their flesh because completely diluted and it became a type of mash הרסנא this is what Scripture states, “Break תַּהֲרֹ֣ס Your opponents,” (Ex. 15:7), from the expression, כָּסָא דְהַרְסָנָא.²²⁶ 118b, and other citations. I am not sure what the connection is to this comment. After that they dissolve into the water as was written above. But this is difficult, according to the order of the verses (in chapter 15). First it states that they were destroyed and gathered up, (Ex. 15:7) and then it states, “I will pursue, I will overtake,” (Ex. 15:9) If they had already died how could they say they would now pursue Israel? But the truth is that the Holy One reanimated them anew, as we have written, and the Egyptians thought this wasn’t performed by God, and depended on themselves, thinking the God of Israel cannot defeat us, and therefore, they said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,” (Ex. 15:9)

footnotes: ²²⁵ Mekhilta DRebbe Shimon bar Yochai 15:7 N ²²⁶ Small fried fish. See BT Shabbat

47. “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up (ne’ermu),” (Ex. 15:8) This is a proof for what we had said earlier: after the waters rose up in a form, God returned and gathered them up as a great stack, causing them to freeze, mighty and standing tall. And so in the Mekhilta: He stood them (the waters) up like stacks (areimot).”²²⁷ Since the Egyptians thought that their magic was effective for them, what did the Holy One do? He created stacks of water which battled with them and retributions, as is said, “ the waters piled up,” from the wordareima. This was a response to what Pharaoh had said, "Come and let us outsmart them." (Ex. 1:10) You, likewise, gave wisdom ("armah" as in "ne'ermu") to the waters, and the waters embattled them in all kinds of torrents.²²⁸

footnotes: ²²⁷ Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 15:8:1-4 ²²⁸ Ibid.

48. “The floods stood straight like a wall;” (Ex. 15:8) The Egyptians were bound up with the Israelites so that they could not go out (of the sea). They were enthralled by the smell of the sea. The Israelites gave off an aroma, as is stated, "He bubbles up the sea like a pot, etc." (Job 41:23) And to Israel, the sea was like a bed of spices, viz. (Ibid.) "He makes the sea like a spice-bed." (Song 4:16) "Awake, O north wind, and come, O south, blow over my garden that its spices may flow." (Ex. 15:8) "The depths were congealed ("kafu") in the heart of the sea, etc." He made them like akuppah (a dome) in the midst of the sea. How so? A man's heart consists of two chambers and its arch. Thus did He arch the sea over them. The sea has no heart, and He gave it a heart. Thus far is the Mekhilta.²²⁹ In the Tanchuma: “Congealed (Ex. 15:8). He fashioned them into a kind of vault (kippah). In the heart of the sea (Ex. 15:8)). Where is a man’s heart located? It is located just above two thirds of his height.” It is possible to explain the difference between kuppah and kippah. Kuppah alludes to the retribution against the Egyptians in which it did not allow them to escape, as the Midrash suggests. Kippah alludes to something to save the Israelites, as it was stated that the water became like a tent over their heads. ‘

footnotes: ²²⁹ Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 15:8:1-4

49. “The foe said, “I will pursue, I will overtake…” (Ex. 15:19) “...I will divide the spoil” of the Egyptians, before I kill them in order to make them suffer. Afterwards, “My desire shall have its fill of them. (Ex. 15:9) “I will draw my sword, My hand shall subdue them.” (Ibid.) teaching that each and every Egyptians so hated the Israelites that they said, “I wish I might fill myself with them and all of them would be in me and in my guts so that I could draw my sword and kill myself and thus kill them!” This is similar to what Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” (Jud. 16:30) But the opposite happened - they were killed by God’s sword. In the Mekhilta: A parable: A renegade stands and blasphemes behind the king's palace: If I find the king's (minister), Pharaoh stood and blasphemed in the land of Egypt: “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide spoi.l” And the Holy Spirit mocked him and said: "You blew with your breath" — "the sea covered them"; "you inclined your right hand" — "the earth swallowed them." and the sea returned and covered him completely.²³⁰ There is no doubt that the Egyptians were greatly pained at that time, for it states, “They sank like lead in the majestic waters.” That is, their bodies became like lead which is a heavy metal found beneath the ground - that is why it is called oferet (afar is earth), and is unlike the other metals which are lighter. Similarly the bodies of the Egyptians swelled until they weren’t able to lift themselves - they became like lead.

footnotes: ²³⁰ Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 15:9 - the text varies slightly - in the actual text it says the King’s son

50. “You put out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them.” (Ex 15:12) Mekhilta: It is said that the sea poured them out on dry land and then from the dry land to the sea. This happened a number of times until the dry land finally said, “If I was cursed for swallowing the blood of a single person, (Cain), how can I accept the blood of this entire population?” The dry land only acquiesced when God promised that he would not bring it to judgment, as it states, “You put out Your right hand,” (Ex. 15:12) and “HaShem has sworn by His right hand, By His mighty arm:” (Is. 62:8) They were still barely alive but each person could recognize his oppressor. Maybe maggots and worms were eating them while they were alive. Or the Egyptians repented in the manner that Korach did.

There are 50 primary plagues each of which include four or five secondary plagues with them - that afflicted the Egyptians by the sea. And if the details do not seem correct in the reader’s eyes, let him come up with his own interpretation, according to the method I have placed before him²³¹ 40a This is a profession of humility suggests that while his list of plagues may be wrong, his approach is correct - Rabbi Foa, based on the Talmudic statement “Even if one doesn’t agree with his interpretation, by using his approach and the other person’s interpretation, God will be exalted.” , and “Through one or the other God will be exalted.”

footnotes: ²³¹ BT Sota

And even though the Egyptians were deserving of all these plagues, the Holy One brings revenge upon his enemies was an act of kindness and compassion, as is stated, “God of retribution, HaShem, God of retribution” (Ps. 94:1)²³² Retribution mediates with kindness and compassion. For if we look at their outcome, we find that Egypt was more fortunate than other nations, besides Israel. The nation of Egypt merited to be an altar of atonement for Israel; it was the place where the Israelites were circumcised, and the site where they offered the Passover sacrifice and cast the blood of the sacrifice, just as one dashes the sacrificial blood on the altar. Even more so, while offering the blood of the sacrifice is only one gift, here, (in Egypt) there were three gifts (to the Egyptians). It is well known that a sacrifice that includes many gifts is considered more important than the others, as they are ordered in Masechet Zevachim, Perek Eizehu Mikoman (Ch. 5). Furthermore, the land of Egypt merited, because the Holy One Himself passed through the land. Even when the holiness goes out of a place, it leaves a very real impression, unless impurity forces it to leave. This may be deduced through a kal vachomer from a perfume store²³³ or, a city which the emperor passes through for lodging; it is good for the lodging and good for the city. Furthermore, the plagues with which Egypt was afflicted were not carried out by angels of vengeance but by an angel placed over this matter and through the agency of Moses and Aaron.²³⁴ Finally, Egypt merited something all those who fear God and contemplate God’s name seek: that everything that happens to them comes from the Blessed One, whether good or not, since God is the ultimate goodness. Egypt was not put to death by the angel of death, (but by God) as it states, “I will strike down every first-born,” (Ex. 12:12) - I and not an angel…” Similarly it is written, “Horse and driver God hurled into the sea,” (Ex. 15:1) and, “You made Your wind blow, the sea covered them,” (Ex 15:10) Who wouldn’t want to die by God’s hand? For even if one’s body is racked by pain, one’s soul gains enlightenment (when death comes from God). One is raised up and merits enlightenment in the light of life.²³⁵

footnotes: ²³² God is called “God of retribution” but this title is associated with the tetragrammaton which is always associated with compassion. Also the four letter name appears between two expressions of retribution. ²³³ When there is a perfume shop in the neighborhood everyone benefits from the aroma. ²³⁴ This implies that they were given special treatment - it wasn’t just vengeance but something more. ²³⁵ See Psalm 56:14

This would seem to be the case from what I have written in this essay, the claim that the earth did not want to swallow the Egyptians. For the earth's claim was not a (valid) claim. For if they had been put to death with just cause, then the earth should not have accepted them. And yet the earth accepted them. And if the earth accepted the blood of Abel, though the place of his murder was not known, then the reason that Abel was accepted by the earth was because he was completely righteous and was murdered; even though he should not have been accepted into the earth until his murderer was (found guilty) and punished. Therefore, the Egyptians would have been considered righteous after they received proper punishment for what they had done to the Israelites. Now once they were punished by God in a way that fit their crime against Israel, the earth should have accepted them but it refused, even though God said there was no longer a charge against them. This is implied by what Scripture states, “Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them, that I may gain glory through Pharaoh and all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am HaShem.” (Ex. 14:4) Open your eyes and look at what Egypt tried to achieve at that time! They wished to attain what all righteous people seek; that no harm befall them and he would be lifted by God’s hand. Is it not to know and comprehend God’s name, as is stated, “I will set him on high, because he hath known My name?” (Ps 91:14) It does say, “Who fears my name,” because one who fears God is only saved by an angel, as Scripture states, “For He will order His angels to guard you wherever you go.” (Ps. 91:11) Rather it says one “who knows God’s name,” shall be exalted and saved by God. It is for this that we pray each day, (when we say), “We and our descendants [and the descendants of our descendants] and the descendants of Your people the House of Israel, all know Your Name.” ²³⁶ So, too, here, “That Egypt may know that I am HaShem…” (Ex. 14:4) In other words, they should be so purified in their suffering that they become fit to truly know God’s name. This expression is stated in many places, in particular in the book of Ezekiel, when he prophesied the downfall of Amon, Moab and Edom, and that all of them will be prevented from comprehending the true nature of God except through God’s actions, wonders, and the awesome deeds . Only through these deeds would they come to recognize that God is the One who created them and come to know his all power. Because of all of this, the word, ידיעה, Yediah, knowing, it only means attaining full and complete understanding of God. It is impossible to contradict it in any way because it is based on God’s deeds, which is faith and not knowledge. But, “For the land shall be filled with knowledge HaShem ...” then the other nations will know clearly what human reason cannot make known now. The Egyptians at the moment of their deaths attained this knowledge.

footnotes: ²³⁶ From the Siddur, the blessings for Torah study.

This is what the sages meant when they said, “A maid- servant beheld at the Red Sea what was not beheld by Ezekiel ben Buzi…”²³⁷ on Exodus 15:2 Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael 15:2:2 According to its plain meaning, this is difficult. For where were the maid-servants at that time; hadn’t all the Israelites left Egypt? Further, it does not say what the maid-servants but maid-servant in the singular form. This maid-servant is the one Solomon speaks about when he states, “A slave-girl who supplants her mistress.” (Pro. 30:23) Even she merited to see great visions like those who were standing at the Red Sea. Among them were Egyptians. They merited to be among them who were included in the Jewish people after three generations, “Children born to them shall be admitted into the congregation of HaShem in the third generation.” (Deut. 23:9)²³⁸ The language of this verse is an obligation, a promise to Egypt that shall be allowed to convert after three generations in ways known to God. This is because God is compassionate and merciful and therefore does not relate with the left, for the left is associated with judgment and anger, as is written, “For He is angry but a moment, and when He is pleased there is life.” (Ps. 30:6) And it is for this that Scripture says, ““You put out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them.” (Ex. 15:12)

footnotes: ²³⁷ See Rashi ²³⁸ Part of the reward of coming to know God - as the Egyptians came to know God was that they would eventually be able to join the Jewish people. Allowing them to convert was not a privilege but a responsibility. See the previous verse: “You shall not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land.” (Deut. 23:8)