[Avodah] An Escape Hatch

[Michael Poppers]

RAM writes:
---
In pasuk 9:19, Moshe is told to warn the Egyptians that the hail would
affect only what is outdoors; they must bring everything indoors where it
will be protected.

This struck me as unusual. What makes this makkah different, that such a
warning -- more than just a warning, he gave advice! -- was given? If
Hashem had chosen to do so, the hail could have come even indoors where the
roof would be of no help. It almost seems like a humanitarian gesture, as
if Hashem were signalling that He's not *totally* anti-Egypt; but if
so, then why only for this one makkah?

Does anyone talk about this aspect of this particular makkah?
---
R'Akiva, I'm sorry you could not be with your usual *minyan* this past
Shabbos morning, else you might have heard me try to answer that very
question based on P'Vaeira thoughts from RYReisman.  Since you posted it,
here's the text of those thoughts
<https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/torah-conferencing-network/c/2c3ykMcL6YE>
as someone recorded them late last week....
===

*The Uniqueness of the Makka of Barad.  *

The Parsha ends with Makkas Barad. As you know, not all 10 Makkos are in
one Parsha and the 7th Makka Makkas Barad is the last Makka that is in this
week’s Parsha. Makkas Barad is unique in many ways. One way that it is
unique is that the Mitzrim had an opportunity to escape. All other Maakos
would happen to them wherever they were. Here, Moshe Rabbeinu tells the
Mitzrim B’feirush in 9:19 (וְעַתָּה, שְׁלַח הָעֵז אֶת-מִקְנְךָ, וְאֵת
כָּל-אֲשֶׁר לְךָ, בַּשָּׂדֶה). He tells them that if you go into the house
you will be saved. (כָּל-הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר-יִמָּצֵא בַשָּׂדֶה,
וְלֹא יֵאָסֵף הַבַּיְתָה--וְיָרַד עֲלֵהֶם הַבָּרָד, וָמֵתוּ). So here we
have a unique Makka, we have a Makka in which the Mitzrim are told ahead of
time that this is something from which you can be saved. So it seems to be
something of a lighter Makka in the fact that they could be saved.

A second unique thing about Barad that it doesn’t say by any other Makka is
that the Makka of Barad begins in 9:14 with the warning (כִּי בַּפַּעַם
הַזֹּאת, אֲנִי שֹׁלֵחַ אֶת-כָּל-מַגֵּפֹתַי אֶל-לִבְּךָ). Hashem says I am
sending you all My punishments. All My punishments? Is Barad all My
punishments? It is very hard to understand. Rashi tries to answer the
question in a way that is difficult as all of the Sifsei Chachamim and the
others say and what does it mean that Barad is (אֶת-כָּל-מַגֵּפֹתַי)? It is
very hard to understand.

A third thing that is unique about Barad. Here Pharoh says as is found in
9:27 (חָטָאתִי הַפָּעַם). He says (יְרוָר, הַצַּדִּיק, וַאֲנִי וְעַמִּי,
הָרְשָׁעִים). What is going on here? Such a unique Makka, so many things
that are unique about Barad, and of course when we say it we say (דְּצַ"ךְ
עַדַ"שׁ בְּאַחַ"ב), we just throw it into the mix, but we must be missing
something that is unique about Barad.

It would seem that what is unique about Barad was that there was something
of a mind game here. Something like a psychological attack. HKB”H said (אֲנִי
שֹׁלֵחַ אֶת-כָּל-מַגֵּפֹתַי אֶל-לִבְּךָ), it doesn’t say by any Makka that
the Makka is (אֶל-לִבְּךָ) to your heart, to your emotion. Hashem says,
here this Makka is different. This Makka is something that emotionally you
are going to have to connect to. Why so? Every other Makka there was
nothing you could do, you couldn’t do anything about it. The Dam was going
to happen, the Tzefardai’a was going to happen, you were stuck. There was
nothing to think about, there were no options. Here, for the very first
time, the Mitzrim had options. Moshe Rabbeinu said if you want, recognize
that HKB”H has the ability to bring Barad and get into your homes, bring
your animals into your homes. You have a way out.

This was very unique. This is (אֶת-כָּל-מַגֵּפֹתַי) the whole message of
all of the Makkos is (אֶל-לִבְּךָ), take it to heart. Here Moshe Rabbeinu
says look at yourselves in the mirror, look at what you are going through.
Recognize the Emes of what is around you, and indeed this time Pharoh said (
חָטָאתִי), he at least temporarily had some regrets. So what is unique
about the Makka of Barad is the (אֶל-לִבְּךָ), a very unique Makka. It is a
Makka where they would be challenged to take to heart the message of all of
the Makkos. So here is an explanation of something about the Barad and this
by itself is good as an explanation of the Parsha.
===
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