MoHo - Columbia Heights (for Alyssa)
(1) And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring but one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; after that he shall let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you out of here one and all. (2) Tell the people to borrow, each man from his neighbor and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold.” (3) The LORD disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people. Moreover, Moses himself was much esteemed in the land of Egypt, among Pharaoh’s courtiers and among the people. (4) Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: Toward midnight I will go forth among the Egyptians, (5) and every first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; and all the first-born of the cattle. (6) And there shall be a loud cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been or will ever be again; (7) but not a dog shall snarl at any of the Israelites, at man or beast—in order that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (8) Then all these courtiers of yours shall come down to me and bow low to me, saying, ‘Depart, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will depart.” And he left Pharaoh’s presence in hot anger. (9) Now the LORD had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, in order that My marvels may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” (10) Moses and Aaron had performed all these marvels before Pharaoh, but the LORD had stiffened the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let the Israelites go from his land.
(יב) וְעָבַרְתִּ֣י בְאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם֮ בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַזֶּה֒ וְהִכֵּיתִ֤י כָל־בְּכוֹר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם מֵאָדָ֖ם וְעַד־בְּהֵמָ֑ה וּבְכָל־אֱלֹקֵ֥י מִצְרַ֛יִם אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה שְׁפָטִ֖ים אֲנִ֥י ה' (יג) וְהָיָה֩ הַדָּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם לְאֹ֗ת עַ֤ל הַבָּתִּים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתֶּ֣ם שָׁ֔ם וְרָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־הַדָּ֔ם וּפָסַחְתִּ֖י עֲלֵכֶ֑ם וְלֹֽא־יִֽהְיֶ֨ה בָכֶ֥ם נֶ֙גֶף֙ לְמַשְׁחִ֔ית בְּהַכֹּתִ֖י בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (יד) וְהָיָה֩ הַיּ֨וֹם הַזֶּ֤ה לָכֶם֙ לְזִכָּר֔וֹן וְחַגֹּתֶ֥ם אֹת֖וֹ חַ֣ג לַֽה' לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם חֻקַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם תְּחָגֻּֽהוּ׃..(כח) וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה ה' אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹ֖ן כֵּ֥ן עָשֽׂוּ׃ (ס) (כט) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֗יְלָה וַֽה' הִכָּ֣ה כָל־בְּכוֹר֮ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒ מִבְּכֹ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשְּׁבִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית הַבּ֑וֹר וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר בְּהֵמָֽה׃ (ל) וַיָּ֨קָם פַּרְעֹ֜ה לַ֗יְלָה ה֤וּא וְכָל־עֲבָדָיו֙ וְכָל־מִצְרַ֔יִם וַתְּהִ֛י צְעָקָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם כִּֽי־אֵ֣ין בַּ֔יִת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵֽין־שָׁ֖ם מֵֽת׃
(12) For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and I will mete out punishments to all the gods of Egypt, I the LORD. (13) And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass over you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (14) This day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time...(28) And the Israelites went and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. (29) In the middle of the night the LORD struck down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of the cattle. (30) And Pharaoh arose in the night, with all his courtiers and all the Egyptians—because there was a loud cry in Egypt; for there was no house where there was not someone dead.
First things first. Isn’t this whole thing unethical? All the death? No trial? etc.? Where’s the justice? Is God punishing people who aren’t responsible?
It seems like it could have been expected/normal/ethical during that time - the fact that the Egyptians might have thought the plague came from another source - namely the non-Israelite captive’s god for the hurt they experienced.
(א) עד בכור השבי. לָמָּה לָקוּ הַשְּׁבוּיִים? כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ, יִרְאָתָם תָּבְעָה עֶלְבּוֹנָם וְהֵבִיאָה פֻּרְעָנוּת עַל מִצְרָיִם:
(1) עד בכור השבי UNTO THE FIRSTBORN OF THE CAPTIVE (these words are used in 12:29 instead of עד בכור השפחה “unto the firstborn of the handmaid” in this verse) — Why were the captives smitten, for they had not enslaved the Israelites? In order that these might not say that their god had claimed satisfaction for the humiliation imposed upon them and had brought this punishment upon the Egyptians (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:29).
In terms of justice, it may be Midah k’neged Midah - measure for measure (similar to eye for eye)
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Exodus 11:5
This was the moment announced right at the beginning in Exodus 4:22-3, (“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: Israel is My first-born son. I have said to you, “Let My son go, that he may worship Me,” yet you refuse to let him go. Now I will slay your first-born son.’”), not out of hatred of your son, but to effect the salvation of My son. In the death of your son, you will learn to estimate My feelings at the mishandling of My son.
Nachum Sarna, JPS Commentary on Exodus
This address (“Let my son go, so that he may worship Me”) presaged the final plague and supplied in advance a justification for it. The death of the firstborn is viewed as a kind of measure for measure, as makign the punishment fit the crime. The Pharaoh sought to destroy God’s people, His firstborn, as it were, so the firstborn of Egypt, in whose name he speaks and ats, will suffer the fate that had been planned for Israel.
Rabbi David Kasher, from ParshaNUT Dvar Torah on Parshat Shemot
And on a macro-level, the whole story of the Exodus has often been described as 'The Birth of a Nation.' As the Maharal of Prauge says, “When Israel left Egypt, it was as if they were being born at that time.” (Gevurat Hashem Ch. 39)
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Exodus
The centuries-long mishandling, the murder of the Jewish children, left them (the Egyptians) silent. Now there will be an outcry.
(NB: See: Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address for a parallel)
Why firstborns? (keeping in mind this goes beyond children, side question: what were parent-child relationships like back then? Were they as emotional/strong as they are today? With high infant mortality, how devastating must this have been relative to now, when it is quite low?
Nachum Sarna, JPS Commentary on Exodus
The selection of the firstborn as the target of the sudden, virulent, and swiftly death-dealing contagion is to be understood against the concept and status of the firstborn in ancient times. Like the firstling of livestock and the first fruits of the soil, so the firstborn of the mother’s womb was considered rightfully to belong to God in gratitude for His bountenous gifts to humankind. By virtue of this, all three firsts...enjoyed a certain status of sanctity and preciousness. In law and society the firstborn son had preference in inheritance and the right of succession. He often assumed the responsibility for trusteeship of property and of adjudicating disptes...The prophet Jeremiah expresses the same sentiment through the imagery of the first fruits, “Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of His harves. All who ate of it were guilty, disaster befell them.
Rabbi Ben Greenfield (from a text message conversation, January 17, 2018)
Bereshit and Shemot REALLY don't like bechorot (firstborns)...Oh, it's super clear once you look for it...Kayin and Hevel (Cain and Abel) - God likes Hevel's offering and Kayin is a monster. Avraham has two kids...yeah, we're going to go with the younger one. Yitzchak (Isaac) has two kids...yeah, we're going to go with the younger one. Yaakov (Jacob) rejects Reuven (Reuben), for the youngest bechor, then sees Binyamin (Benjamin) the youngest as super precious. Yaakov switches hands on Menashe, to choose Ephraim. And then God kills all the Egyptian first born...And then the Jewish firstborns are supposed to be Cohanim but are replaced...Clearly, Bechor is still a thing for God. We are God's Bechor. Two of the tefillin parshiyot are about Bechor. But it's a complicated relationship.
Why the collective punishment? Why not punish Pharaoh (who turned out to be the one Egyptian firstborn who was spared)?
It may be helpful to think about change on individual level vs. systemic/structural levels. Think about intersectionality. Think about privilege, however much one may or may not feel it.
(ב) מבכור פרעה עד בכור השפחה. כָּל הַפְּחוּתִים מִבְּכוֹר פַּרְעֹה וַחֲשׁוּבִים מִבְּכוֹר הַשִּׁפְחָה הָיוּ בִּכְלָל; וְלָמָּה לָקוּ בְּנֵי הַשְּׁפָחוֹת? שֶׁאַף הֵם הָיוּ מְשַׁעְבְּדִים בָּהֶם וּשְׂמֵחִים בְּצָרָתָם:
(2) מבכור פרעה עד בכור השפחה FROM THE FIRSTBORN OF PHARAOH UNTO THE FIRSTBORN OF THE HANDMAID — All who were of less importance than the firstborn of Pharaoh and of more importance than the firstborn of the handmaid are included in this description. And why were the sons of the handmaids stricken? Because they, too, treated them (the Israelites) as slaves and rejoiced at their misery (Midrash Tanchuma, Bo 7).
Okay, maybe for adults because they have some culpability as mature agent, but are passive adults just as responsible guilty ones? What about totally innocent firstborn babies? And animals? Why do they all get the same punishment?
Maybe it’s acknowledging the reality of a broken system that needs to be disassembled, first by preventing future political elite who will follow in the current leader’s footsteps by removing the next generation (what the Egyptians tried and failed to do), and later by dismantling their army (in the Red Sea).
(א) היושב על כסאו. הראוי לשבת על כסאו אחריו...
“From the first-born of Pharoah who sits on his throne” - [On his throne is not referring to Pharoah’s throne but rather] the one who is fit to sit on Pharoah’s throne after him...
Also, there’s something to be said about a person’s environment affecting how they turn out. We all have genetics and our environment helps activate it in one way or another. The Netziv seems to be saying that there’s something unique about being a firstborn, a potential that can turn great or terrible. In an Egyptian environment, the assumption is firstborns’ spiritual potential will turn south.
(א) ומת כל בכור. כל אופני בכורה יש כח רוחני חזק. יותר מפשוט. ובזה מתחזק כח הקדושה או כח הטומאה שעליו:
“Every first-born in Egypt shall die” - All aspects of “first-bornness” have a strong spiritual potential, more so than a simple [person, i.e. who is not a first-born]. And with this [unique aspect], the potential for holiness or impurity on them is strengthened.
For the animals, it was because they were considered gods to the Egyptians and highlighted God’s power/superiority.
(ג) וכל בכור בהמה. לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹבְדִין לָהּ. כְּשֶׁהַקָּבָּ"ה נִפְרַע מִן הָאֻמָּה, נִפְרַע מֵאֱלֹקֶיהָ:
(3) וכל בכור בהמה AND ALL THE FIRSTBORN OF BEASTS — because they worshipped these as gods. When the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment from a nation, He punishes their gods at the same time (Genesis Rabbah 96:5).
But it still might feel uncomfortable and challenging (rightfully so!). Is there any guidance for how we should engage with so much death, even of an enemy people? Should we be celebrating? Is God celebrating?
(ב) שמואל הקטן אומר בנפול אויביך אל תשמח ובכשלו אל יגל לבך. ומה בא להשמיענו שמואל הקטן בזה והלא פסוק שלם הוא ושלמה אמרו. אלא ר"ל שהיה רגיל שמואל לומר פסוק זה מפני שהוא דבר הצריך ובני אדם נכשלים בו כי גם בהיות האויב רשע אין לשמוח ברעתו בלתי מפני ה' לבדו. רצוננו לומר כי זה הצדיק לא ישמח במפלת הרשעים. אך אם כוונת שמחתו מפני שמפלתו כבוד שמים הוא לא מפני שנאתו אותו וכ"ש מי שמעשיו מקולקלין כמוהו ואם יגל לבו בהכשלו רעתו רבה. ולמה הוא שמח והנה הוא כמוהו. ועל כל זה נאמר (משלי כ"ד י"ז) בנפל אויביך אל תשמח ובהכשלו אל יגל לבך. ולזה היה מתכוין שמואל לאמרו תדיר. ויש שגורסין פן יראה ה' ורע בעיניו והשיב מעליו אפו. חרון אפו לא נאמר אלא מעליו אפו מלמד שמוחלין לו על כל עונותיו ועתה השמיענו שמואל חדוש גדול שר"ל כי יראה ה' שזה שמח בנפל אויבו ימחול לאויב ויקים אותו והוא עונש לשמח:
(2) Shmuel the Younger says: "When your enemy falls, do not be happy, and when he stumbles, let your heart not rejoice" (Proverbs 24:17): And what does Shmuel come to let us hear with this - is it not a full verse that Shlomo stated (in Proverbs)? Rather, it wants to say that Shmuel was accustomed to saying this verse since it is something needed and people stumble in it. Since even when the enemy is wicked, one should not be happy in the bad [that happens to] him, except only for the sake of God. We want to say that this righteous one should not be happy in the fall of the wicked unless the intention of his joy is because his fall is [a manifestation] of God's glory, and not because of his hating him. And all the more so, one whose actions are corrupted like him - if the heart of [such a one] would rejoice in his stumbling, his evil is great. And why is he happy - behold, he is [just] like him! And about all this is it stated, "When your enemy falls, do not be happy, and when he stumbles, let your heart not rejoice." And Shmuel's intention in constantly saying it was about this. And there are those that follow the textual variant, "Lest God see and it be bad in His eyes and He turn from him [the enemy] His anger" (Proverbs 24:18) - "burning anger" is not stated [which is only the heat of anger], but rather "anger from upon him"; [this] teaches that he is forgiven for all of his sins: And now Shmuel is coming to let us hear a great novelty, as he wants to say that when God sees that this one is happy about the fall of his enemy, He forgives the enemy and rehabilitates him, and He punishes the one who is happy.
Rav Yosef taught a baraita: What is the meaning of that which is written with regard to the plague of the firstborn: “And none of you shall go out of the opening of his house until the morning” (Exodus 12:22)? If the plague was not decreed upon the Jewish people, why were they not permitted to leave their homes? Once permission is granted to the destroyer to kill, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.
The Case for Israel, Alan Dershowitz
Although collective punishment is prohibited by international law, it is widely practised throughout the world, including the most democratic and liberty-minded countries. Indeed, no system of international deterrence can be effective without some reliance on collective punishment. Every time one nation retaliates against another, it collectively punishes citizens of that country. The American and British bombings of German cities punished the residents of those cities. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed thousands of innocent Japanese for the crimes of their leaders. The bombing of military targets inevitably kills civilians.
Dvar Torah from Yeshivat Maale Gilboa, January 23, 2015
"No man shall leave the door of his house until the morning. (Exodus 12:22)"
According to Rav Soloveitchik, Mosheh was concerned about how Bnei Yisrael would react to the sight of their former task-masters falling dead in the streets. He wanted to ensure that Bnei Yisrael, would not get caught up in the chaos and frenzy of the tenth plague. He wanted to ensure that Bnei Yisrael would not seize the moment of Egypt’s downfall to take cruel revenge. So Moshe instructed Bnei Yisrael to stay in their homes while the Egyptian first born were meeting their demise.
As Nechama Leibowitz and others have pointed out, the lesson that Bnei Yisrael where to derive from the suffering in Egypt was not vengeance towards the enemy but compassion for the down trodden. We are charged with loving the stranger because we were strangers in the land of Egypt. Rav Soloveitchik adds to this that even in our last moments in Egypt, we were charged by our leadership to keep our natural desire for revenge in check. Mosheh demands that we take the highroad out of Egypt.
Rabbi Aaron Moss, Chabad.org
However there are some words we don’t want to ingest. The Ten Plagues, describing the affliction of the Egyptians, represent negative energy that we would rather not bring into our system. So after reading each plague we spill wine from the cup, banishing the forces of punishment and its curses, and leaving the cup with only blessings. The spilled wine should then be discarded, for drinking it would be drinking in the plagues
ר' יהושע בן לוי פתח לה פיתחא להאי פרשתא מהכא (דברים כח, סג) והיה כאשר שש ה' עליכם להיטיב אתכם כן ישיש להרע אתכם ומי חדי הקב"ה במפלתן של רשעים והא כתיב (דברי הימים ב כ, כא) בצאת לפני החלוץ ואומרים הודו לה' כי לעולם חסדו וא"ר יוחנן מפני מה לא נאמר כי טוב בהודאה זו לפי שאין הקב"ה שמח במפלתן של רשעים ואמר רבי יוחנן מאי דכתיב (שמות יד, כ) ולא קרב זה אל זה כל הלילה בקשו מלאכי השרת לומר שירה אמר הקב"ה מעשה ידי טובעין בים ואתם אומרים שירה
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi introduced this passage with an introduction from here: “And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to cause you to perish, and to destroy you” (Deuteronomy 28:63). The verse indicates that just as the Lord rejoiced in the good he did on behalf of Israel, so too, the Lord will rejoice to cause you harm. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked: Does the Holy One, Blessed be He, in fact rejoice over the downfall of the wicked? But it is written: “As they went out before the army, and say: Give thanks to the Lord, for His kindness endures forever” (II Chronicles 20:21), and Rabbi Yoḥanan said: For what reason were the words: “for He is good” not stated in this statement of thanksgiving, as the classic formulation is: “Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good; for His kindness endures forever” (I Chronicles 16:34)? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked. Since this song was sung in the aftermath of a military victory, which involved the downfall of the wicked, the name of God was not mentioned for the good. And similarly, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And the one came not near the other all the night” (Exodus 14:20)? The ministering angels wanted to sing their song, for the angels would sing songs to each other, as it states: “And they called out to each other and said” (Isaiah 6:3), but the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: The work of My hands, the Egyptians, are drowning at sea, and you wish to say songs? This indicates that God does not rejoice over the downfall of the wicked.
At the end of the day, we may be left with more questions than answers. In the above, I have tried to read our sources charitably and assume the (divine) spirit in our texts is moral and has something to teach us. This may come off as apologetics as well. I accept that! But hopefully we can grapple with these texts and at least extract a few lessons that we can apply to our own lives and that help shape our world views.