The story of the ten plagues is fascinating not only for its content but also for the sophistication of its narrative. The plagues begin with the confrontation of a shy Moses and an arrogant Pharaoh.
BLOOD
When Moshe turns the Nile River into blood, Pharaoh’s reaction consists of indifference and pride. The god “Nile”, one of the principal deities of Egypt, has been defeated, damaged, and wounded. The fishing industry collapsed. Pharaoh –who fed the Nile god with the bodies of the Hebrew infants–now sees with his own eyes how the blood emerges as a testimony of this genocide. But Pharaoh is (or acts as if he was) unimpressed. Far from conceding, he asks his magicians to replicate what appears to be a great act of illusionism, a formidable magic trick performed by Moshe and Aharon. When the magicians replicate the act, the monarch declares victory. He turns his back on Moshe (vayifen) and proudly retreats to the comfort of his palace, thinking that his wizards have won the contest.
FROGS
In the second plague, things begin to affect Pharaoh personally. A massive number of frogs came out of the river and invaded the homos or regular Egyptians and Pharaoh’s palace and rooms. Egyptians worshipped frogs as the gods of reproduction. But that power of reproduction is now out of control, infesting and damaging Egypt. The wizards, once again, can reproduce the plague. But Pharaoh realizes – a little late – that what he needs from his magicians is not just a demonstration that they can replicate the trick. He needs them “to stop the plague”, and control the frogs! When the wizards fail to do that, Pharaoh sends for Moses and Aharon and begins to negotiate. He lies. He tells them that if they stop the plague of frogs, he will accept their demands. Then, when the frogs leave, Pharaoh hardens his heart and breaks his promise, probably thinking that Moshe has exhausted all his magic and doesn’t let the people go.
LICE
The third plague is lice. Pharaoh confirms what he already suspected: his illusionists cannot stop the plagues. His wizards have been defeated, and he realizes that his gods have been affected. The Egyptians revered insects as the invisible, magical manifestation of divine spirits. And now those gods were also turning against the Egyptians.
THE ECONOMY
Egypt is the most prosperous and powerful nation in the Middle East. The only land in that arid region that, thanks to its mighty Nile river, does not depend on rain to survive. By the seventh plague, mentioned in our weekly Parasha, the Egyptian empire is in ruins, and Pharaoh’s advisers declare the plagues a national disaster. Everything that contributed to Egypt’s prosperity collapsed: first, the fishing industry, then the livestock, and now, the last plagues — hail and locust — destroyed the harvest. Now more desperate, Pharaoh wishes to continue the negotiations and is willing to offer more concessions, but at this point, Moshe does not give in.
DARKNESS
When the ninth plague, darkness, arrives, Egypt is completely paralyzed. This plague also has a devastating psychological effect on Pharaoh and his people. Why? Because the primary God of the Egyptians was “Ra”, the sun god. Egyptians are now witnessing the humiliating defeat of Egypt’s supreme God and discovering that no imaginary deity has any real power. Paganism collapsed. The plagues demonstrated that the Egyptian gods and deities were nothing but imaginary powers. Egyptians -and most importantly: the Hebrews– are beginning to understand that the invisible God of the Jews controls all forces of nature.
THE LAST RESOURCE
Then we have the last plague: the death of the firstborn, which brought the most severe psychological, devastating effect on Egyptian culture and theology. Egyptians were obsessed with death and claimed they possessed the secrets of immortality. When a nobleman: a Pharaoh, a priest, or a firstborn (who fulfilled priestly functions) was about to die, preparations would be made in advance to assist their spirits in their journey to immortality: bodies were mummified, servants were sacrificed, and treasures would be placed next to the nobleman’s body. Sometimes, a pyramid would be built to protect the body until reanimation happens. But when death was not natural but sudden, like in the Tenth Plague, these preparations for eternity were not obtained. With the end of the firstborn, the illusion of immortality came to an end.
WHO SAID THE WORD “DEATH” FIRST?
Finally, there is something else we should notice in the tenth plague. During the first eight plagues, Pharaoh defied Moshe and tried to humiliate him but never threatened Moshe with death. In the ninth plague, however, Pharaoh tells Moses. “You can leave, you and your people, the elderly and children, but you must leave your livestock here.” Pharaoh still plays games. He agrees to let the Jerw go, but in his terms and conditions: Do not take your assets with you as a guarantee that you will return. Moshe rejects the offer. And at that moment, the very nervous Pharaoh losses his patience, and “death” is mentioned for the first time: (Shemot, Exodus, 10:27): “Get out of here — he says to Moshe– and never see me again because the day that you would appear before me, you will die.” The death of the firstborn was the last resort, convincing Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves go. All the other warnings were ignored and failed to subdue the arrogance of the tyrant dictator. But it was not Moshe, but Pharaoh, who put “death” on the negotiating table for the first time.
