Midrashim on the Haggadah

It happened once [on Pesach] that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon were reclining in Bnei Brak and were telling the story of the exodus from Egypt that whole night, until their students came and said to them, "The time of [reciting] the morning Shema has arrived."

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said, "Behold I am like a man of seventy years and I have not merited [to understand why] the exodus from Egypt should be said at night until Ben Zoma explicated it, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 16:3), 'In order that you remember the day of your going out from the land of Egypt all the days of your life;' 'the days of your life' [indicates that the remembrance be invoked during] the days, 'all the days of your life' [indicates that the remembrance be invoked also during] the nights." But the Sages say, "'the days of your life' [indicates that the remembrance be invoked in] this world, 'all the days of your life' [indicates that the remembrance be invoked also] in the days of the Messiah."

(12) Once, Rabban Gamliel and the elders were reclining in the house of Boethus ben Zonin in Lod, and they were occupied in studying the laws of Pesach all that night, until the cock crowed. They lifted the table, made themselves ready and went to the house of study [to pray].

(12) We mention the Exodus from Egypt at night. Said Rebbi Elazar Ben Azaryah, “Here I am like a seventy year old man and I have not merited to hear that one should mention Exodus from Egypt at night, until the exegesis (Derasha) of Ben Zoma.” “In order that you should remember the day that you left Egypt, all the days of your life." (Deuteronomy 16:3), the days of your life [means] days, all the days of your life [means] nights.” These are the words of Ben Zoma. And the Chachamim (Sages) say, “Days of your life [means] this world, all the days of your life [means] the days of the Mashiach (Messiah).”

Ben Zoma said to the Chachamim, “And are we going to mention the Exodus from Egypt during the days of the Mashiach? Does not it say: “Therefore behold, the days are coming, the word of Hashem, and they will not say anymore, as lives Hashem, who has brought the Children of Israel from the land of Egypt. But rather, [they will say], as lives Hashem who has brought and who will bring the seed of the House of Israel from the Northern land and from all the lands to which I have pushed them there, and they will dwell in their land?” (Jeremiah 23:7-8) They said to him, “It does not [mean] that the Exodus from Egypt will be uprooted from them, but rather that Egypt will be added to the [other] kingdoms. [Other] kingdoms will be the main [subject], and Egypt will be a secondary [subject].

Go out and learn what Lavan the Aramean sought to do to Ya'akov, our father; since Pharaoh only decreed [the death sentence] on the males but Lavan sought to uproot the whole [people]. As it is stated (Deuteronomy 26:5), "An Aramean was destroying my father and he went down to Egypt, and he resided there with a small number and he became there a nation, great, powerful and numerous."

Rabbi Yose Hagelili says, "From where can you [derive] that the Egyptians were struck with ten plagues in Egypt and struck with fifty plagues at the Sea? In Egypt, what does it state? 'Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh: ‘This is the finger of God' (Exodus 8:15). And at the Sea, what does it state? 'And Israel saw the Lord's great hand that he used upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord; and they believed in the Lord, and in Moshe, His servant' (Exodus 14:31). How many were they struck with with the finger? Ten plagues. You can say from here that in Egypt, they were struck with ten plagues and at the Sea, they were struck with fifty plagues."

Rabbi Eliezer says, "From where [can you derive] that every plague that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was [composed] of four plagues? As it is stated (Psalms 78:49): 'He sent upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and fury, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil.' 'Wrath' [corresponds to] one; 'and fury' [brings it to] two; 'and trouble' [brings it to] three; 'a sending of messengers of evil' [brings it to] four. You can say from here that in Egypt, they were struck with forty plagues and at the Sea, they were struck with two hundred plagues."

Rabbi Akiva says, says, "From where [can you derive] that every plague that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was [composed] of five plagues? As it is stated (Psalms 78:49): 'He sent upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and fury, and trouble, a sending of messengers of evil.' 'The fierceness of His anger' [corresponds to] one; 'wrath' [brings it to] two; 'and fury' [brings it to] three; 'and trouble' [brings it to] four; 'a sending of messengers of evil' [brings it to] five. You can say from here that in Egypt, they were struck with fifty plagues and at the Sea, they were struck with two hundred and fifty plagues."

(41) Again and again they tested God, vexed the Holy One of Israel. (42) They did not remember His strength, or the day He redeemed them from the foe; (43) how He displayed His signs in Egypt, His wonders in the plain of Zoan. (44) He turned their rivers into blood; He made their waters undrinkable. (45) He inflicted upon them swarms of insects to devour them, frogs to destroy them. (46) He gave their crops over to grubs, their produce to locusts. (47) He killed their vines with hail, their sycamores with frost. (48) He gave their beasts over to hail, their cattle to lightning bolts. (49) He inflicted His burning anger upon them, wrath, indignation, trouble, a band of deadly messengers. (50) He cleared a path for His anger; He did not stop short of slaying them, but gave them over to pestilence. (51) He struck every first-born in Egypt, the first fruits of their vigor in the tents of Ham.