Frog vs. Frogs - Annotated

(2) Aaron held out his arm over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. (3) But the magician-priests did the same with their spells, and brought frogs upon the land of Egypt.

AND AARON STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND. Behold, Aaron merely stretched forth his hand but did not strike the water as he did the first time. He merely indicated that the frogs could arise from the moment that he stretched out his hand.

(15) Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is coming out to the water, and station yourself before him at the edge of the Nile, taking with you the rod that turned into a snake. (16) And say to him, ‘יהוה, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say, “Let My people go that they may worship Me in the wilderness.” But you have paid no heed until now. (17) Thus says יהוה, “By this you shall know that I am יהוה.” See, I shall strike the water in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood;

ותעל הצפרדע AND THE FROGS (lit. frog) CAME UP — Really there was only one frog, but when they struck at it, it was split into many swarms. This is a Midrashic explanation of the usage of the singular noun here (cf. Sanhedrin 67b; Exodus Rabbah 10:4). But as a literal explanation one must say that the swarm of the frogs is denoted by the singular form. Similar is, (v. 14) “and there was the כנם” — the swarm of insects, in old French pedulier; i. e. a swarm of lice.

HASHEM said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand . . . " R. Tanchum said, The Holy One Blessed be He said to Moses, "The waters that protected you at the time that you were cast into the [Nile] river should not be smitten by you." AARON STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND . . . Why did [God] bring frogs upon [the Egyptians]? Because they would oppress Israel and say to them, "Bring us abominable creatures and creeping creatures!" Therefore, [God] brought frogs upon them, and at the time that they woudl prepare a cup, it would become filled with frogs. AND THE FROG ASCENDED AND COVERED, ETC. It was taught, R. Akiva said: There was one frog and it produced a swarm of frogs and it filled the land of Egypt (with frogs). R. Elazar ben Azaryah said to [R.Akiva], "Akiva, what so you have to do with Aggadah? Cease your discourses and focus on Negaim and Oholot! (Rather, what happened was that) There was originally one frog and it croaked and they (the others) came. THE NECROMANCERS DID THE SAME THROUGH THEIR INCANTATIONS...the necromancers thought that [the frogs] were the product of demons.

It is stated with regard to the plagues of Egypt: “And the frog came up and covered the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:2). Noting that the term “the frog” is written in the singular, Rabbi Elazar says: At first it was one frog; it spawned and filled the entire land of Egypt with frogs.

The Gemara comments: This matter is subject to a dispute between tanna’im: Rabbi Akiva says: It was one frog, and it spawned and filled the entire land of Egypt with frogs. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said to him: Akiva, what are you doing occupying yourself with the study of aggada? This is not your field of expertise. Take your statements to the tractates of Nega’im and Oholot. In other words, it is preferable that you teach the halakhot of the impurity of leprosy and the impurity imparted in a tent, which are among the most difficult areas of halakha and are within your field of expertise. Rather, the verse is to be understood as follows: It was one frog; it whistled to the other frogs, and they all came after it.

It was a single frog and when they hit it, it splintered into streams (of frogs)Another thing, the frog croaked from outside and it's fellows answered from the stomach of the Egyptians.And when they ground the medicine, it was full of frogs. And when Moshe Rabeinu prayed to G!d they shook themselves off from the dry land.