Page 47 - RMBA Upper School Haggadah 2018

in the field, as it is said: ‘upon your livestock that is in the field,’” but that those who feared G-d
would shelter their animals and bring them into their houses. Now while this clears up the issue
regarding how these animals were covered in boils, there s ll remains an issue regarding why
animals were even subjected to this sort of punishment in the first place. This can be explained,
however, by poin ng out that this plague was a demonstra on of G-d’s dominance over the
Egyp an “gods.” The Egyp ans worshipped animals; therefore, it would have been fi ng for
G-d to have shown the Egyp ans the strength He possesses over their feeble livestock.
We learn from this explana on, along with the explana ons of many other plagues, just how
intricate and complex G-d’s plagues really were. He specifically chose plagues that would
express “measure-for-measure” meanings behind them.
Boils - Joey Yellin (11th Grade)
The Pharaoh was a man that was so powerful that he was believed to be a God by his people
and was worshiped as one. Moreover, this view of Pharaoh by the people of Egypt was indeed a
hurdle that needed to be overcome if the people of Egypt were to ever truly realize the actual
power of Hashem. Hashem would need to show that this man who is thought to be a God, is
indeed just a man and nothing more.
Rav Meir Spiegelman writes of this in, “The Three Signs and the Ten Plagues.” There were two
main changes in the theme of the plagues that we have seen thus far. Firstly, the plagues that
we have seen up un l this moment have been somewhat successfully replicated by the
magicians of Pharaoh. Therefore, the fact that these magicians were not able to do what
Hashem has done, is a way for God to show that the gods of the Egyp ans, including Pharaoh,
were not as powerful as they once thought. Secondly, and more significantly, up un l this
moment we have seen plagues surround and affect the environment, but never actually affect
Pharaoh. Also, because the plagues hadnt affected their ruler, their belief that the Pharaoh was
god had just been affirmed. Correspondingly, in order to dismantle the Egyp ans’ godly image
of their ruler, Hashem had the plague of boils affect him physically. Therefore, the portrayal of
Pharaoh being godly was deconstructed.
Though this event was indeed miraculous and divine, we can indeed learn a lesson that we
should carry around with ourselves at all mes. That being that we mustn't look at what we
have today, and a ribute it to man, and man alone. If we fall into this trap we become liable to
think it is man that has given us what we hold so dear. However, in reality it is indeed Hashem
that we must a ribute everything to.
The Plague of Hail - Stav Chen (8th Grade)
Moshe announces to Pharaoh that a severe and destruc ve plague will raid the land if he
refuses to release the Jewish people. Pharaoh's heart is ul mately hardened and he ignores the
request of Moshe, unaware of the plague that is about to hit. This plague is known as ‫ מכת ברד‬-
the plague of hail. In this plague, fire ringed by a layer of ice falls from the sky in complete
harmony with each other.

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