That's One Big Frog! (Copy)

(2) Aaron held out his arm over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

ותעל הצפרדע, “the frogs emerged from the river.” Even though the Torah uses the singular mode here, the meaning is that swarms of frogs came forth. We find something similar in Numbers 21,7 when the Torah describes the plague of snakes besetting the people as if it had been only a single snake, i.e. ויסר מעלינו את הנחש, “may He remove the snake(s) from us.”

"And the frog came up, and covered the land of Egypt." (Exodus 8:2) Rabbi Eleazar said: It was one frog, which bred prolifically and filled the land. This is a matter disputed by Tannaim. Rabbi Akiba said: There was one frog which filled the whole of Egypt [by breeding]. But Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah said to him, ‘Akiba, What hast thou to do with Haggadah? Cease thy words and devote thyself to ‘Leprosies’ and ‘Tents.’ One frog croaked for the others, and they came’.

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.

(2) 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. So, too, here, ותעל הצפרדע means: and there came up a grenouillière (old French) i. e. a swarm of frogs.

He brought the plague of frogs upon them because they had enslaved Israel and had commanded them to bring reptiles and creeping things to them. That was the reason the frogs came up (ibid. 8:2). Whenever they filled their drinking cups, they found them full of frogs, as it is said: And they shall go and come unto thy house, and into thy kneading troughs (ibid. 7:29). When is the kneading trough near the oven? It is placed there when the oven is hot. Why did all of this happen? To fulfill the wishes of their Creator. One verse states: And the river shall swarm with frogs (ibid. 7:28), while another says: And the frog came up (ibid. 8:2). R. Akiba explained it as follows: At first there was only one frog, but after the Egyptians struck it, many frogs sprang from it.