“And Moshe and Aharon went unto Pharaoh and said to him, thus spoke God … If you refuse to let my people go … I will bring locusts ….” (Shemot, 10:3–4) How did Moshe know that he was supposed to warn Pharaoh about the plague of locusts? God never mentions locusts. Rather, he understood from where God tells him to say to Pharaoh, “in order to place My signs before him, and so that you may tell your sons” (Shemot, 10:1). He said specifically, “before him,” or “in his midst,”8B’kirbo, “in its midst,” has the same root as Krav, meaning war. as if to say among themselves, as it is written (Yesahya, 19:2), “And I will set Egyptian against Egyptian, and the Egyptians will then fight among themselves.” This is why the verse says, “[to tell your sons of] the havoc that I have wrought.” The very havoc was the wonder, and wonders do not occur according to nature. On this He said to him, “so that you may tell,” and from here Moshe understood that it is the plague of locusts. There is a good quality to locusts, as “the locusts have no king, yet they all go forth in bands.” (Mishlei, 30:27) Since there is unity and love among they have no need of a king. The need for a king comes from a lack of unity among men. Since there is no hatred among this species, they have no need of a king. When God understood that the Egyptians hate each other and would fight among themselves, He then understood that this would be realized in the world with the plague of locusts, for this species would come to wage war on Egypt. (FN. The phrase “and God understood” is itself a wonder.) And this is true all the more so even for those who are trusted to remain faithful and not spread hatred in their community. So as they do shall be done to them.
וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶל פַּרְעֹה וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה' כוּ' כִּי אִם מָאֵן כוּ' הִנְנִי מֵבִיא מָחָר אַרְבֶּה כוּ'. הָעִנְיָן שֶׁהֵבִין מֹשֶׁה לְהַתְרוֹת לְפַרְעֹה עַל מַכַּת אַרְבֶּה אַף כִּי לֹא נֶאֱמַר לוֹ שֶׁיַּתְרֶה בּוֹ עַל אַרְבֶּה, רַק הֵבִין מִמַּאֲמַר הַש"י שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ לֵאמוֹר לְפַרְעֹה "לְמַעַן שִׁתִי אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה בְּקִרְבּוֹ וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר" כוּ'. מַה שֶּׁאָמַר לְשׁוֹן "בְּקִרְבּוֹ" הַיְינוּ מֵהֶם עַצְמָם כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב "וְסִכְסַכְתִּי מִצְרַיִם בְּמִצְרַיִם" (ישעיהו י"ט,ב'), הַיְינוּ שֶׁהֵם עַצְמָם יִלָּחֲמוּ זֶה בָּזֶה, וְזֶה פֵּירוּשׁ "אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלַּלְתִּי בְּמִצְרַיִם" וְזֹאת הִיא הַפְלֵא וָפֶלֶא שֶׁלֹּא כְּדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר לוֹ "לְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר", לָכֵן הֵבִין מֹשֶׁה כִּי הוּא מַכַּת אַרְבֶּה כִּי בָּאַרְבֶּה נִמְצָא מִדָּה טוֹבָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (משלי ל',כ"ז) "מֶלֶךְ אֵין לָאַרְבֶּה וַיֵּצֵא חֹצֵץ כֻּלּוֹ", הַיְינוּ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּהֶם אַחְדּוּת וְאַהֲבָה לָכֵן אֵין צְרִיכִין לְמֶלֶךְ, כִּי הִצְטָרְכוּת הַמֶּלֶךְ הוּא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין אַחְדּוּת בֵּין בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְהַמִּין הַזֶּה אֵין בָּהֶם שׁוּם שִׂנְאָה לָכֵן לֹא יִצְטָרְכוּ לְמֶלֶךְ. וְכַאֲשֶׁר הֵבִין מֵהַש"י שֶׁהֵם עַצְמָם יִלָּחֲמוּ וְיִשְׂנְאוּ זֶה אֶת זֶה, אָז הֵבִין כִּי יֵצֵא בְּפוֹעַל בָּעוֹלָם עַל מַכַּת אַרְבֶּה שֶׁזֶּה הַמִּין יָבֹא לִלְחוֹם בְּמִצְרַיִם, כִּי זֹאת הוּא כְּנֶגֶד זֶה הַמִּין, וְהוּא אַף בְּמִי שֶׁבּוֹטְחִים בּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׂנְאוּ אוֹתָם גַּם הֵם יִבְגְּדוּ בָּם.
“And Moshe and Aharon went unto Pharaoh and said to him, thus spoke God … If you refuse to let my people go … I will bring locusts ….” (Shemot, 10:3–4)
How did Moshe know that he was supposed to warn Pharaoh about the plague of locusts? God never mentions locusts. Rather, he understood from where God tells him to say to Pharaoh, “in order to place My signs before him, and so that you may tell your sons” (Shemot, 10:1). He said specifically, “before him,” or “in his midst,”8B’kirbo, “in its midst,” has the same root as Krav, meaning war. as if to say among themselves, as it is written (Yesahya, 19:2), “And I will set Egyptian against Egyptian, and the Egyptians will then fight among themselves.” This is why the verse says, “[to tell your sons of] the havoc that I have wrought.” The very havoc was the wonder, and wonders do not occur according to nature. On this He said to him, “so that you may tell,” and from here Moshe understood that it is the plague of locusts. There is a good quality to locusts, as “the locusts have no king, yet they all go forth in bands.” (Mishlei, 30:27) Since there is unity and love among they have no need of a king. The need for a king comes from a lack of unity among men. Since there is no hatred among this species, they have no need of a king. When God understood that the Egyptians hate each other and would fight among themselves, He then understood that this would be realized in the world with the plague of locusts, for this species would come to wage war on Egypt. (FN. The phrase “and God understood” is itself a wonder.) And this is true all the more so even for those who are trusted to remain faithful and not spread hatred in their community. So as they do shall be done to them.