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With a mighty hand--this is the plague, as it is written “behold, the hand of
                           HASHEM is upon Your cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, upon
                           the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds, and upon the flocks; there shall
                           be a very grievous murrain” (Shemot 9, 3).
                           And with an outstretched arm--this is the sword, as it is written “having a
                           drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem”.
And with great terribleness--this is the revelation of the Divine presence, as it is written “Or has
God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and
by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
according to all that HASHEM your God did for you in Egypt before thine eyes?” (Devarim 4,34).
And with signs--this is the rod, as it is written “And you shall take in Your hand this rod, with
which you shall do the signs” (Shemot 4,17).
THE TEN PLAGUES
The custom is pour from a glass of wine into a vessel three times when the words Dam VaEsh
VeTimrot Ashan are said. Then, we pour an additional ten times for each of the Ten Plagues. Finally,
the wine is poured three more times when the acronym of DeTzach Adash B’Achav is said, for a total
of sixteen times. The wine poured into this vessel should be discarded immediately.
And with wonders--this is the blood, as it is written “And I
will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood,
and fire, and pillars of smoke” (Joel 3,3).
Another interpretation [of the above verse]: “with a mighty
hand”--two; “and with an outstretched arm”--two; “and
with great visions”--two; “and with signs”--two; “and with

                                                    wonders”--two.
                                                    These are the ten plagues that the Holy One blessed be
                                                    He brought on Egypt:
                                                    Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild beasts, Plague, Boils,
                                                    Hail, Locusts, Darkness, and Slaying of the
                                                    Firstborn.
                                                    Rabbi Yehuda coined an abbreviation for them using their
                                                    Hebrew initials: “detzach `adash be’achav”.

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