The Shabbat Before Pesach

HaShabbat Shelifnei Pesach

הַשַּׁבָּת שֶׁלִּפְנֵי פֶּסַח

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Hebrew

זוֹ הַחֶרֶב, כַּמָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
וְחַרְבּוֹ שְׁלוּפָה בְּיָדוֹ נְטוּיָה
עַל יְרוּשָׁלָיִם. "וּבְמֹרָא גָּדוֹל,"
זֶה גִּלּוּי שְׁכִינָה, כַּמָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
אוֹ הֲנִסָּה אֱלֹהִים לָבוֹא לָקַחַת
לוֹ גוֹי מִקֶּרֶב גּוֹי בְּמַסֹּת
בְּאֹתֹת וּבְמוֹפְתִים וּבְמִלְחָמָה
וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה
וּבְמוֹרָאִים גְּדֹלִים, כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר
עָשָׂה לָכֶם יְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
בְּמִצְרַיִם לְעֵינֶיךָ. "וּבְאֹתוֹת,"
זֶה הַמַּטֶּה, כַּמָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
וְאֶת הַמַּטֶּה הַזֶּה תִּקַּח בְּיָדֶךָ,
אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה בּוֹ אֶת הָאֹתֹת.
"וּבְמוֹפְתִים," זֶה הַדָּם, כַּמָּה
שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְנָתַתִּי מוֹפְתִים
בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ—
דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימְרוֹת
עָשָׁן.

Sephardi

Zo hacherev, kamah shene'emar:
V'charbo shelufah b'yado netuyah
al Yerushalayim. "Uv'mora gadol,"
Zeh giluy Shechinah, kamah shene'emar:
O hanisah Elohim lavo lakachat
lo goy mikerev goy b'masot
b'otot uv'moftim uv'milchamah
uv'yad chazakah uvizroa netuyah
uv'mora'im gedolim, k'chol asher
asah lachem Adonai Eloheichem
b'Mitzrayim l'einecha. "Uv'otot,"
Zeh hamateh, kamah shene'emar:
Ve'et hamateh hazeh tikach b'yadecha,
asher ta'aseh bo et ha'otot.
"Uv'moftim," zeh hadam, kamah
shene'emar: V'natati moftim
bashamayim uva'aretz—
Dam va'eish v'timrot
ashan.

English

the fields—on the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the cattle, and the flock. "With an outstretched arm." This refers to the final plague when God killed their firstborn with a sword. As it says in the book of Chronicles regarding this sword: His sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. "With a great display." This refers to the revelation of the Divine Presence during the Death of the Firstborns and the Exodus from Egypt. God took us out of Egypt with a great display. As it says in the Torah: Has any god performed miracles when coming to take for himself a nation from within another nation, by challenging the enemy to test his greatness, with signs and wonders, with war, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and with a great display, as all that the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt before your eyes? "With signs." This refers to the signs God did with the staff of Moses, turning it into a snake, and swallowing the other staffs. As it says in the Torah when God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh: You shall take this staff in your hand, with which you will perform the signs. "And with wonders." This refers to the plague of Blood. As it says in the book of Joel: I will show wonders in heaven and on earth, of— blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.

Hebrew

דָּבָר אַחֵר: "בְּיָד חֲזָקָה"
שְׁתַּיִם, "וּבִזְרֹעַ נְטוּיָה"
שְׁתַּיִם, "וּבְמֹרָא גָּדוֹל"
שְׁתַּיִם, "וּבְאֹתוֹת" שְׁתַּיִם,
"וּבְמוֹפְתִים" שְׁתַּיִם.

Sephardi

Davar acher: "B'yad chazakah"
shtayim, "uvizroa netuyah"
shtayim, "uv'mora gadol"
shtayim, "uv'otot" shtayim,
"uv'moftim" shtayim.

English

There is another way of deriving the plagues from this verse: From the words "with a strong hand," we learn about two plagues—one from the word "hand" by itself and one from the extra description "strong hand;" From the words "with an outstretched arm," we learn about two more plagues—one from the word "arm" by itself and one from the extra description "outstretched arm;" From the words "with great display," we learn about two plagues—one from the word "display" by itself and one from the extra description "great display;" from the plural expression of the word "signs," we learn about two more plagues; from the plural expression of the word "wonders," we learn about two more plagues.

Hebrew

אֵלּוּ עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת שֶׁהֵבִיא הַקָּדוֹשׁ
בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל הַמִּצְרִים
בְּמִצְרַיִם, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן:

Sephardi

Elu eser makot shehevi haKadosh
Baruch Hu al haMitzrim
b'Mitzrayim, v'elu hen:

English

These are the ten plagues that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt. They are:

Hebrew

דָּם, צְפַרְדֵּעַ, כִּנִּים, עָרוֹב, דֶּבֶר,
שְׁחִין, בָּרָד, אַרְבֶּה, חֹשֶׁךְ,
מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת.1

Sephardi

Dam, tzefardea, kinim, arov, dever,
sh'chin, barad, arbeh, choshech,
makat bechorot.1

English

Blood, Frogs, Lice, Wild Beasts, Deadly Disease in Animals, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness, Death of the Firstborns.

Hebrew

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הָיָה נוֹתֵן בָּהֶם סִמָּנִים:
דְּצַ"ךְ, עַדַ"שׁ, בְּאַחַ"ב.

Sephardi

Rabbi Yehudah hayah noten bahem simanim:
D'tza"ch, ada"sh, b'acha"v.

English

Rabbi Yehudah would refer to the ten plagues by their first letters to remember their order:1 DeTZa"CH ADa"SH BeACHa"V.

Hebrew

רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר: מִנַּיִן
אַתָּה אוֹמֵר שֶׁלָּקוּ הַמִּצְרִים
בְּמִצְרַיִם עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת וְעַל הַיָּם
לָקוּ חֲמִשִּׁים מַכּוֹת, בְּמִצְרַיִם מַה
הוּא אוֹמֵר: וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַחַרְטֻמִּים אֶל
פַּרְעֹה אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים הִיא. וְעַל
הַיָּם מַה הוּא אוֹמֵר: וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל
אֶת הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְיָ
בְּמִצְרַיִם, וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם אֶת יְיָ,
וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בַּיְיָ וּבְמֹשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ. כַּמָּה
לָקוּ בְּאֶצְבַּע, עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת, אֱמֹר
מֵעַתָּה: בְּמִצְרַיִם לָקוּ עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת,
וְעַל הַיָּם לָקוּ חֲמִשִּׁים מַכּוֹת.

Sephardi

Rabbi Yosei haGelili omer: Minayin
atah omer shelaku haMitzrim
b'Mitzrayim eser makot ve'al hayam
laku chamishim makot, b'Mitzrayim mah
hu omer: Vayomru hachartumim el
Par'oh etzba Elohim hi. Ve'al
hayam mah hu omer: Vayar Yisrael
et hayad hagedolah asher asah Adonai
b'Mitzrayim, vayir'u ha'am et Adonai,
vaya'aminu ba-adonai uv'Moshe avdo. Kamah
laku b'etzba, eser makot, emor
me'atah: b'Mitzrayim laku eser makot,
ve'al hayam laku chamishim makot.

English

Rabbi Yosei the Galilean says: From where do you know to say that the Egyptians were struck by ten plagues in Egypt and were struck by fifty plagues at the sea? Concerning the plagues in Egypt, the Torah says: The sorcerers said to Pharaoh, "It's the finger of God." Concerning the plagues at the sea, the Torah says: The Children of Israel saw the great and mighty hand, which the Lord used to fight and destroy the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord. They believed in the Lord and in Moses, His servant. Now, how many plagues were the Egyptians struck with by "the finger of God" in Egypt? Ten plagues. You must therefore say that if in Egypt, where the Egyptians were struck by a single finger, they were struck by ten plagues, at the sea, where they were struck by "God's great hand" (which has five fingers), they must have been struck by five times that amount—fifty plagues.