Page 52 - RMBA Upper School Haggadah 2018

The Meaning Of Rabbi Yehudah’s Abbreviations Of The Plagues - Yael Passy (9th Grade)
Every year a er we recite the plagues, we go on to recite Rabbi Yehuda’s three acronyms for the
plagues: DeTZaCh, ADaSh, and BeChaV. Every year I ask myself, what are the meanings of said
acronyms? Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon, the Rabbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion and head of the Halacha
Educa on Center, writes in his Haggadah that there are three arguments that here cs use to try
to disprove God’s existence: 1. God is not one, as to say there are mul ple divine sources in the
universe; 2.God may exist, but He has no interac on or power in man’s world; 3. God’s power is
limited. Based on the commentaries of the Ramban, Abarbanel, Ritva, Akeidah, and Malbim,
Rabbi Rimon explains that the three groupings of the plagues come to refute each of the
arguments of the here cs.
The first group, Dam, Tzfardia, and Kinnim, come to prove that God is one and that all other
gods are nonexistent. The Egyp ans worshipped the Nile, the powers of the magicians, animals,
and Pharaoh himself. The plagues of Blood and Frogs a acked the Nile’s resources, making it
repulsive to the Egyp ans. The Kinnim harassed both the animals and the magicians, so much
so that the magicians admi ed “this is the finger of God!” (Shemot 8:15).
The second group, Arov, Dever, and Shechin, represents God’s direct control and involvement in
the world. Prefacing these set of plagues, Moshe communicates to Pharaoh that God is going to
set apart Bnai Yisrael from the Egyp ans. He also shows that God has direct control over me by
promising for the plagues of Arov and Dever that “tomorrow there will be a sign...” (ibid 8:19),
and “tomorrow the Lord will do this plague to the land...” (Ibid 9:5). These promises show that
God is precise and can interfere within the framework of man’s me. Regarding Shechin, the
text says “the magicians could not stand before Moshe because of their spoils...” (ibid 9:11).
This proves that through God’s plagues, He was able to make a dis nct separa on in stature
between the magicians and Moshe.
The third group, Barad, Arbeh, and Choshech, is proof of God’s unlimited power. It is clear by
the pesukim that unlike the other makkot, which were extreme cases of natural phenomenons,
these were defying nature.
Although Makkat Bechorot is included in this grouping, it is really a group of its own, because as
Rav Rimon explains, it is a combina on of all three expressions of God’s power. During this
plague, all of the idols of the Egyp ans were destroyed, showing the power of the one and only
God, God himself will “go out in their midst” (ibid 11:7), and God is personally intervening in the
world and performing the plague himself. Finally, the fact that this was the night where all the
first born Egyp ans died spontaneously, without disease and illness, shows the hand of a great
invincible Force.
Now, how does this all connect to our daily lives, one may ask. Well, perhaps it is that Rabbi
Yehuda’s mnemonics serve as a reminder that God has provided us with proofs and tangible
evidence of His existence. On Seder night we have the ability to recommit ourselves fully to
God. On this night, we can start anew. With the acknowledgment of our poten al, we con nue
our night of excitement and eleva on and we refill our cups.

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