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Today is:
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rosh hashana, yom kippur, sukkot, simchat torah, shmini atzeret,chanukah,hanukkah,purim,pesach,passover,shavuot, lag ba'omer,tisha b'av |
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The Ten Plagues of Egypt: An Overview
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The Ten Biblical Plagues inflicted on the Egyptians are
recounted in the Book of Exodus, Chapters 7–12. The
objective of the plagues was to convince the Pharaoh to let
the Jewish population of the Kingdom of ancient Egypt leave
with their leader, Moses.
Indeed the
story of the plagues and the story of the Jews of Mitzrayim
(Egypt) is inextricable from the life of Moses, though long
before Moses was born, his eventual role became necessary.
It was when King Pharaoh Rameses II (about 1292-1225 B. C.
E.) -- forgetting the role played by Joseph, the son of
Jacob, father of the Jewish nation, in Ancient Egypt's
survival during the years of famine -- attacks the Hebrews
and enslaves them. The Pharaoh of the oppression forces the
Hebrews into hard labor. They Israelites build the sotre
cities of Pithom and Rameses. Later, the Pharaoh decrees the
murder of Hebrew boys first by the midwives and then by
drowning. Moses is born to Amram and Yochebed (a midwife)
during this time, three years after his brother Aaron.
Yocheved hides Moses for three months, until she could no
longer safely conceal him. She then puts him in a little
basket made of bulrushes and places it on the river Nile,
where Batya, Pharaoh's daughter, bathes. Batya, filled with
compassion, pulls Moses out of the Nile and adopts him. At
the suggestion of Moses' sister Miriam, also a midwife,
Pharaoh's daughter hires Yocheved as a wet-nurse for the
little baby (Ex. 2:7-10). During that time Yocheved (his
biological mother) instills in Moses the knowledge of his
heritage and a love of his people: A love and a connection
that survives the 40 years he spends in the anti-Semitic
court of the Pharaoh.
Though Moses grows up in the Pharaoh's palace, he's aware of
the plight of his people. His compassion for his people is
great, and it pains him to see them beaten by Pharaoh's
taskmasters. When Moses was about 40 years old, he comes
across an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, and in outrage he
strikes and kills the Egyptian (Ex. 2:11-12). But when both
his fellow Hebrews and the Pharaoh condemn him for this
action, Moses is forced to flee from Egypt (Ex. 2:14-15).
Moses seeks shelter with the Midianite priest Jethro and
marries Zipporah, the priest's daughter (Ex. 2:16-21). There
he lives for 40 years, raising his family and tending his
father-in-law's sheep. A midrash (a commentary) explains
that Moses, because of his being a kindly and compassionate
shepherd, is chosen by God to lead the Children of Israel
out of Egypt.
God talks to Moses through a burning bush, and sends him on
a mission to Egypt, to negotiate the release of the children
of Israel from Slavery. The Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and
he refuses to grant freedom to the Israelites. Egypt is then
devastated by the ten plagues, and only following the
harshest of them all, the death of the first born - does the
Pharaoh relent. The Israelites quickly leave, fearful that
the Pharaoh will change his mind once again. Moses parts the
Red Sea, and the Hebrews are on their way to the Sinai
Desert.
The Ten Plagues of Egypt: Information and more
▪ Ten Plagues of Egypt, an
Overview
▪
Plague of Blood (דָם): Ex. 7:14–25
▪
Plague of Frogs (צְּפַרְדֵּעַ): Ex. 7:25–8:11
▪
Plague of Lice (כינים): : Ex. 8:16–19
▪
Plague of Wild Animals / Swarm
of Flies (עָרוֹב): Ex. 8:20–32
▪
Plague of Livestock Death (דֶּבֶר): Ex. 9:1–7
▪
Plague of Boils (שְׁחִין): Ex. 9:8–12
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Plague of Hail (בָּרָד): Ex. 9:13–35
▪
Plague of Locusts (אַרְבֶּה): Ex. 10:1–20
▪
Plague of Darkness (חוֹשֶך): Ex. 10:21–29
▪
Death of the Firstborn (מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת): Ex. 11:1–12:36
The Ten Plagues of Egypt - a Passover (Pesach) brings you much more about the holiday, its
meaning and its traditions... See the links below.
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