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The Ten Plagues – Part II

 

In this week's article we will dig deeper into Torah sources to determine when the ten plagues took place. After Moshe’s first appearance in Pharaoh’s palace, the Egyptians’ torment of the Jews grew worse. How long did that difficult period last? When did the slave labor finally end? Which plague marked this transition, and why at that specific point? When did the Plague of Blood occur? How long did each plague last? When did the Plague of Hail occur, and how does the biblical description align with the agricultural seasons? Were there breaks between the plagues, or did they occur back-to-back? What was miraculous about taking the lamb for the Pesach Sacrifice if the day it was taken -- the 10th of Nisan – coincided with the Plague of Darkness, and the Egyptians couldn’t see anything anyhow? These and other questions are the focus of this week's article.

The Plagues – A Historic Timeline

This week's parasha completes the account of the Ten Plagues which began in last week's parasha. In the previous article, we started establishing a timeline for the plagues and outlined two main opinions:

  1. Tosafos' Interpretation: The plagues lasted twelve months, with the Plague of Blood beginning in Nisan.
  2. Seder Olam and other sources (including the Raavad, Tosafos Shantz, and various midrashim), that suggest that G-d revealed Himself to Moshe at the burning bush on the 15th of Nisan. Moshe’s first mission to Pharaoh occurred in Iyar, and in reaction – Pharaoh increased the burden of slavery. This marked the start of a year-long judgement of Egypt, ultimately culminating in the Exodus.

Last week we also mentioned a passage from the Gemara indicating that the slave labor stopped on Rosh Hashanah. There are also opinions suggesting that each plague lasted roughly one month, with part of the month dedicated to warnings, and the remaining time -- to the plague itself.

Between the First and Second Mission

Now we move forward to address the next stage in the Exodus: Moshe’s second mission to Pharaoh, when he performed the sign of the serpent and turned water into blood. At this meeting Moshe warned Pharaoh that the Nile and all of Egypt’s water sources would turn to blood, marking the beginning of the plagues.

When did this take place?

In Shemos Rabbah (5:19) it is stated that after Moshe’s initial mission to Pharaoh he returned to Midian and remained there for six months. Only after this did the plagues begin. This aligns with the Gemara's statement that the slave labor stopped on Rosh Hashanah, and the plagues themselves spanned only six months.

However, the Tiferes Yisrael (Yachin on Eduyos, 2:73) and the Shem Mishmuel (Parshas Shemos) argue that the revelation at the burning bush and Moshe’s first mission occurred in Tishrei. After a harsh winter, during which Pharaoh’s oppression intensified, Moshe embarked on his second mission, initiating the ten plagues, which, according to the Mishnah and Tosafos, lasted an entire year.

Rabbenu Bachya (Shemos 10:5) and the Vilna Gaon (Seder Olam, 3:9) write that Moshe delayed for three months before the plagues actually began. According to Rabbenu Bachya, this delay occurred because, after the revelation at the burning bush, Moshe had to return to Midian to be released from the oath he had made to Yisro not to leave without his permission. Afterward, Moshe traveled to Egypt, carried out his first mission, and following Pharaoh’s reaction of intensifying the labor, disappeared for a time. When he returned, he performed the signs of the serpent and the water, and only then did the Plague of Blood begin.

The Vilna Gaon similarly suggests that after the increased oppression, Moshe returned to Midian for three months, though he does not elaborate on his source for this assertion.

Rabbenu Bachya further detailed the order of the plagues: the Plague of Blood began in Av and lasted a full month, including the warning period. The Plague of Frogs occurred in Elul but ended slightly earlier due to Pharaoh’s request for Moshe to pray for its removal. The Plague of Lice, which came without warning, began on Rosh Hashanah. The Plague of Wild Animals took place in Cheshvan; Pestilence in Kislev; Boils in Tevet; Hail in Shevat; Locusts in Adar; Darkness in the first week of Nisan, followed by a one-week pause. Finally, on the night of the 15th of Nisan, the Plague of the Firstborn occurred.

This sequence aligns with the Midrash (Mishnas Rabbi Eliezer, Chapter 19), which states that at the Plague of Lice the slave labor stopped. The Egyptians recognized the plagues were “the finger of G-d” and no longer dared to enslave the Jews with brickwork.

The Yaavetz (Seder Olam, Chapter 3; Lechem Shamayim on Mishnah Eduyos 2:10) combines the views of Seder Olam, the Mishnah, Midrash, and Rashi. He maintains that each plague lasted a month, but notes that the Midrash that claims Moshe spent six months in Midian between his first and second missions represents a different opinion.

According to the Yaavetz this is the correct timeline:

  • The revelation at the burning bush was on the 15th of Nisan.
  • He waited until Iyar to perform his first mission. As a result, their oppression went up a notch and they were forced to gather straw themselves.
  • In Sivan, Moshe performed his second mission and displayed the sign of turning his staff into a serpent.
  • In Tammuz, Moshe turned water into blood as a warning.
  • On the 15th of Tamuz the Plague of Blood began.
  • On the 15th of Av was the Plague of Frogs; the 15th of Elul marked the Plague of Lice; the 15th of Tishrei brought the Plague of Wild Animals; the 15th of Cheshvan saw the Plague of Pestilence; the 15th of Kislev marked the Plague of Boils; the 15th of Tevet saw Hail; the 15th of Shevat brought Locusts; and the 15th of Adar -- the Plague of Darkness.
  • Finally, on the night of the 15th of Nisan was the Plague of the Firstborn.

The Duration of Each Plague

In the previous article we cited the debate in the Midrash about the meaning of the pasuk (Shemos 7:25): “And seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.” The debate centers on whether each plague lasted seven days, with a 24-day warning period before the next plague, or whether the warning period lasted seven days and the plague itself lasted 24 days. According to the Midrash, the total duration of each plague cycle was 31 days.

Rashi supports the opinion that each plague lasted for seven days, and each plague occupied a full month: three-quarters of the month involved warnings, while the final quarter was the actual plague.

Ten Months or Twelve Months

According to the above opinion of Rashi, the total period of the plagues was at most ten months. By contrast, Tosafos, in their interpretation of the Mishnah, explicitly state that the plagues lasted 12 months. Various explanations have been offered to reconcile Rashi’s approach with the Mishnah:

The Maharsha (Eduyos 2:10; Rosh Hashanah 11a) suggests that brief pauses occurred between the plagues, which extended the timeline to 12 months.

The Yaavetz (Lechem Shamayim, Eduyos 2:10) argues that Rashi’s wording is precise, and the plagues began exactly nine months before the Redemption. The Mishnah’s mention of “12 months” refers to the period starting with the revelation at the burning bush, aligning with the view of Seder Olam.

The Tiferes Yisrael (Eduyos 2, Yachin, Paragraph 73) argues that each plague lasted slightly more than a month, ensuring the plagues spanned a full year without any interruptions. He calculates that the Egyptians endured 12 full months of warnings and plagues, starting with the Plague of Blood.

It is important to note that three plagues—Lice, Boils, and Darkness—took place without warnings. Did they begin immediately after the preceding plagues, or was there an interval equivalent to the warning period, even without an explicit warning?

And another point to consider: half of the plagues ended early due to Pharaoh’s request that Moshe pray for it to end and his promising to release the Jews. These plagues were Frogs, Wild Animals, Hail, Locusts, and Slaying of the Firstborn. Were they followed immediately by the warning period for the next plague, or was the total duration shortened?

The Or HaChaim (Shemos 7:25) notes that, according to the opinion that each plague was intended to last 24 days, the Plague of Darkness was an exception, explicitly described in the Torah as lasting only six days. He adds that it is possible the Plague of Blood also lasted only seven days. If so, only the plagues of Lice, Pestilence, and Boils may have lasted the full 24 days.

The Da’as Zekeinim (Shemos 10:23) also mentions that the Plague of Darkness lasted six days instead of seven. The seventh day of darkness was reserved for the splitting of the Red Sea, during which the Egyptian encampment was plunged into darkness.

The Plague of Hail

Based on the above calculations, the Plague of Hail took place in Teves or Shevat, while the plague of locusts occurred in Shevat or Adar. The Plague of Darkness and Slaying of the Firstborn were in the month of Nisan. This timeline is supported by several later commentators who specify these dates for the plagues.

However, a more precise dating can be derived from the biblical description of the Plagues of Hail and Locusts. Regarding the Hail, it is written (Shemos 9:31–32): “The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they ripen late.” This indicates that the hail struck when the barley and flax were already mature and hardened, while the wheat and spelt were still soft and unripe.

Immediately following the hail was the Plague of Locusts (Shemos 10:15): “They consumed all the vegetation of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on tree or plant throughout the land of Egypt.”

The Ramban (Shemos 10:4) concludes from this description that the hail could not have occurred in Teves or Shevat because the barley and flax would not have been hard enough to be destroyed by it. He therefore concludes that the hail occurred in Adar, followed by the Plague of Locusts, Darkness and Firstborn in Nisan. This understanding aligns with the broader view that the plagues lasted a full year as mentioned in the Mishnah.

Rabbenu Bachya (Shemos 10:5) challenges this timeline, arguing that according to this approach six plagues occurred over eleven months, while the pasuk (7:25) tells us that the break between each plague was one week. Based on this, he contends that the plagues began in Av. Then there was a break for three weeks, and the Plague of Frogs was in Elul. According to this calculation, the Plague of Hail must have occurred in Shevat, Locust in Adar, and Darkness in the first week of Nissan. Then there was a break for a week, and the Plague of the Firstborn was on the night of 15th of Nisan.

Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura (Amar Nekei, Shemos 10:5) suggests that according to the agricultural descriptions, the Plague of Hail might have occurred before the winter, when the barley and flax were sufficiently developed, while the wheat and spelt remained immature. However, this interpretation indicates there was a longer pause between the earlier plagues and the Hail.

The Plague of Darkness

When was the plague of Darkenss? According to the Ramban’s calculation it was in the month of Nisan. However, the Ramban himself writes (Shemos 11:4) that the Plague of Darkness occurred before the beginning of Nisan. Perhaps this could be reconciled by suggesting that the Ramban followed a different Midrash every time. Or, perhaps, the plague of locusts occurred in tekufat Nisan – at the end of Adar. As soon as Pharoh asked Moshe to pray for him, the plague ended, and Darkness began right afterwards, in the week prior to Rosh Chodesh Nissan.

The Ba’al Ha’hafla’a (Panim Yafos, Shemos 10:21) mentions this calculation, and raises a question: if every plague was one week, and the Plague of Locust and the Plague of Darkness were both in the month of Nisan, what was so special about Shabbos HaGadol, when the Jews openly took lambs for the Pesach Sacrifice without facing resistance from the Egyptians? If the Egyptians were still experiencing darkness on that date, how could they have witnessed or reacted to the Jews taking lambs?

This brings the Ba’al Haaflah to the conclusion that the Plague of Darkness was only three days long, on the 11th, 12th, and 13th days of Nisan. On that day Moshe warned Pharaoh that the following day would be the Plague of the Firstborn.

According to this interpretation, the Egyptians could still see on 10th of Nisan, and they witnessed the preparation of the lambs without reaction.

According to the Chasam Sofer (Va’era for Shabbos Rosh Chodesh Shevat), the Ten Plagues commenced on Rosh Hashanah. During the initial six months of the twelve-month period of Egypt’s judgment, the Egyptians faced a variety of troubles and calamities that occurred without any warnings from Moshe Rabbenu. Subsequently, over the following seven months, the remaining plagues transpired. Notably, this period coincided with a leap year, extending the timeline to a total of 13 months of plagues.

The Chasam Sofer understands that the Plague of Hail began on Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet. On Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the Plague of Locusts struck but was swiftly halted after Pharaoh implored Moshe and promised to release the Jews. Following this, the Egyptians endured six days of darkness which began without prior warning. Finally, on the 15th of Nisan, the devastating Plague of the Firstborn occurred.

Salves No More

The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 11a) states that the slave labor ended on Rosh Hashanah. Tosafos explains that while the plagues lasted a full year, slavery ended in the middle of the plagues. This raises the question: during which plague did slavery officially end?

The Midrash (Mishnas Rabbi Eliezer, Chapter 19) suggests that this occurred during the Plague of Lice, when the Egyptian magicians admitted, “This is the finger of G-d.” From that point onward, the Egyptians no longer dared to force the Jews to perform brickwork.

Ba’al HaHafla’a (Panim Yafos Devarim 6:20) suggests that it occurred after the Plague of Pestilence. He reasons that the first five plagues—G-d’s “strong hand”—softened Pharaoh’s resolve. Once Pharaoh began to yield, G-d hardened his heart supernaturally to ensure the full punishment of Egypt.

The Sforno (Shemos 6:6) and Or HaChaim (Shemos 5:6; 6:6) argue that it stopped as soon as the plagues began. They interpret the pasuk, “I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians” (Shemos 6:6), to mean that when the plagues began, the Jews were no longer subjected to harsh labor. According to this view, Moshe’s first mission occurred in Nisan or Iyar, but the plagues only began several months later, on Rosh Hashana.

Summary

The timeline of the plagues and related events is outlined in three primary opinions:

  1. Nissan as the Starting Point:
    The Plague of Blood began in the month of Nissan. Each plague lasted approximately a month or slightly longer, with brief intervals in between. Slave labor ended following the Plague of Pestilence.
  2. Tammuz or Av as the Starting Point:
    The Plague of Blood began in the middle of the month of Tammuz or Av. Each plague lasted about a month, except for the Plagues of Darkness and the Death of the Firstborn, which occurred in Nissan. The enslavement ended on Rosh Hashanah, following the Plague of Lice.
  3. Rosh Hashanah as the Starting Point:
    The Plague of Blood began on Rosh Hashanah. On that same day, the Jews’ slave labor came to an end.

 

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