The Ten Makkos: Three Lessons in Emunah, Hashgachah, and Schar Va’onesh

Transcript

They would understand why they water, why these ten makkos. If you look at the Haggadah, Haggadah shel Pesach, we say, Eilu eser makkos sheheivi HaKadosh Baruch Hu al haMitzrim b'Mitzrayim, v'eilu hein. These are, v'eilu hein. The double lashon over here is, it says, Eilu eser makkos sheheivi HaKadosh Baruch Hu al haMitzrim b'Mitzrayim, unless maybe it's a drash from before: yad chazakah, shtayim; zeroa netuyah, or gadol, shtayim; oesh, shtayim; mofesim, shtayim. Eilu eser makkos sheheivi HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and then the eilu hein is mefaresh. In other words, the eilu eser makkos goes back on the previous drushim of the Haggadah, that what? Otot, moftim, yad chazakah, zeroa netuyah, mar'ah gadol. In other words, all this, eilu eser makkos. These are the eser makkos. Eilu hein, these are the pratim, meaning these are the detailed what they were. So we see in the Haggadah that not only we discuss what they were, but the Haggadah, written by the Tannaim, it's beraitot. Breaks it up into categories. Zroa netuyah and meira gadol and oytot and moftim and yad chazakah. What are the different categories of the eser makos? There's yad chazakah, there's zroa netuyah, there's meira gadol. What's the difference between them? They're all the same thing. A patch is a patch. Stirah is a stirah. A smack is a smack, no? A beat, a hit is a hit. No. There's a yad chazakah and there's a zroa netuyah and there's a meira gadol and there's an oytot and there's moftim, and there's hishta'aymut, there's hishta'aymut to this and to that and to this. And not only is there a significance into the breakup, but it is our, I guess, achrayut or our tzorech to understand how we break them up, tap. What is the breakup? What is the setup? Two and two and two, and there's an otot and there's a moftim and there's a yad chazakah and there's a zroa netuyah. What is the significance of all this? Pshat, huh? Pshat. Poshut pshat. Today I will show you that, Baruch Hashem, there's thousands of Hagadot, thousands. I think today it could already reach— it passed the hundreds a few years ago, it passed. Now we're holding in the thousands. They say over that there was a Knessiah Rabbanim in Europe. You know the story with Rav Atlas from the Kovetz Shiurim? You know the story? Something good is coming. There was a Knesiya Gedolah of banim to make takanos, make takanos. So each rav got up and said a different takanah. Rav Atlis, the father-in-law of Rav Elchanan, the Kovetz Shiurim, he got up and said, My takanah is that we should never print any more Hagadot. No, no, no new Hagadot. And he sat down. So they all asked him, This is your takanah? People, previous rabbanim spoke serious takanos. You know, this, let's do this, let's do that. He says, Listen to me. From everything I heard, sounds very big things, but they're also can come out kilkulim. You know, it's not simple. From what I am giving forth as an eitzah, no kilkulim can come out. Only good things can come. Nothing bad could ever happen. D'hainu, there's Torah, pan Torah, pan Torah, pan pirushim, pan, let's say, pilpulim, bilbulim, whatever you want to say. The trick is, learn the pshat. Let's learn the pashut pshat. You read Hagadah, you spend a big part of the Hagadah breaking up the makot. It's tohu and it's ra'inu, and it's otot, and it's moftim, it's yad chazakah, and it's ra'inu, it's stretched out here, it's a hard yad, it's a hit here. What is this?

Well, what's the ...? Otot, moftim. What's otot? What's moftim? What is this? What is the breakup of all the different makot and the categorizing? Another question, which I think is at the heart of the inyan: Why are we not just discussing, commemorating, celebrating the yetziah? Why are we discussing the makot that were on the Mitzrim, b'nofel yifchol kismach? What are we discussing that bichlal? The main issue should be that we left. Why do we take such an important part of the Haggadah? It's so important. Oh, look at the makot that the Mitzrim got. There's nothing to discuss that. There's nothing to celebrate. There's nothing to commemorate in that. But not only that, the Torah tells us that malachim wanted to say shirah on Shvii shel Pesach, v'HaKadosh Baruch Hu said, they couldn't say shirah. Maaseh Yadayi tovim baYam, v'atem omrim shirah? You're saying song, you're saying praise, and that's why Shvii shel Pesach we don't say Hallel, brought down in halacha. Why? Don't be happy and don't commemorate, don't celebrate the downfall of your enemies. So why in the Haggadah are you so busy, ... al haMitzrim, ... and this makos and those makos and then makas haYam and makas ... What do you want? It's the difference. The main thing is you got out. What's the difference how many bombs fell on Mitzrayim and what type of bombs they were? What's the difference? What's the negea l'maaseh? What's the negea? What's the drush, the drushim about it, and the machlokesin about it? What's the point of all this? Dam, Tzfardea, Kinim is a minhag. I don't know if the Sefardim hold from Ashkenaz minhag that they take out from the cup. What's the reason for it? So one of the reasons is, Im lo nochi b'tzarav, brought down in the minhagim, we talk about the makkot of the Mitzriim, not a complete celebration. You show. It's not complete, not complete. It's not a full cup of wine. And they give this reason. This is one of the reasons. One of the reasons the minhagim bring is to show, I mean, listen, it's not a complete... so what are we discussing it so much for? Ma nafshach, if it's to show and it's not for us to commemorate and celebrate, so why taka are we discussing it and emphasizing it and elaborating on it and more makos and more makos and these makos and those makos? Why? Another shaila. If you take a look, Rabbi Yehuda nosein simanim. Yehuda gave simanim. What were the simanim? Datzach, Adash, Bachab. Tell me, what was Rabbi Yehuda's big, you know, in Yiddish you say an uftu, the big thing that he did for us over here? He just made, you know, the first letter of every makkah and he put it together. The big simanim. You need Rabbi Yehuda for this? You know who asks these kashas? The Rishonim. What about Datzach? The big invention of Rabbi Yehuda, yeah, Datzach, Adash, Bachab. Yehuda, you should know you're a genius. Genius! Without Rabbi Yehuda I wouldn't know. I wouldn't know, I wouldn't know that daled is for dam, and tzadi is for tzfardea, and chaf is for kinim, and what does Rabbi Yehuda want? Rabbi Yehuda nosein simanim, in case you won't know, you won't remember what the makkos are. Tzach, dash, bachav, what does it mean and what? So if you look, most Rishonim learn that it's a breakup of different types of makos. We have Datzach, which is makas, oretz, land. Dam, tzfardea, kinim to the land. Adash, arov, dever, shechin, mikrios, bad happenings that happen in the world. Bachav, makos avir. Now, when we say avir, we don't mean that it comes from the earth, from the air, right? From the avir. It doesn't literally mean the avir, avir outside. It means death. Death. Makos avir. People die, plagues, makos avir.

That's what the Rishonim break it up into three categories. Even after the words of the Rishonim, so now what? What's the point of this? Ground makos, there's mikrios, happening makos, and there's makos avior. Okay, thank you, Rabbi Yehuda. Now what? So what? What's the significance? What is Rabbi Yehuda trying to tell me? Why does Rabbi Yehuda want me to stress that there was three types of plagues? There was cruise missiles, and then there was B-bombers, and then there was the E-bomb. What's the difference what kind of bombs they were? What's the difference? These makos, those makos. What does he want? What does Rabbi Yehuda want? Good, after the Rishonim. Okay, good. Okay, now there's different types of makos. There's this, and there's that, and there's these types and those types. Sof sof, what's the difference? What does Rabbi Yehuda want? Ma lotzeh פה לרבי Yehuda? What does Rabbi Yehuda want? Haggadah continues that not only there's eser makos, not only there's simanim, but then there becomes a whole machlokes Tannaim. Rabbi Eliezer Haglili says, Mitzrayim, eser makos; al הים, חמישים makos. The next man d'amar comes along and says, it's not fifty, but rather two fifty. Here, Rabbi Akiva, fifty makos. So the kids are all together, you have two hundred fifty, right? Different opinions in the machlokes Tannaim. How many makos laku al hayam? Lamai nafka mina? What's the difference? What's the difference if it's this amount? What's the difference if it's this amount? What's the difference if it's that amount? So, pashut, you have to say, thank the Ribbono Shel Olam for more, I guess. You have to thank the Ribono Shel Olam for more. Two problems. The first problem is, again, are we thanking Hashem that the Mitzrim got makos? We're not thanking Hashem about that anyway. Again, what is the significance that they got makos? What is the significance of categorizing them, and then what is arguing how many they got? Let's take a, you know, every day they have a briefing from the Pentagon: how many bombs fell out, what's the negeiah, ma zeh negeiah, how many makos they got? What's the briefing over here? Fifty, hundred, hundred fifty. Ela, מה יש להודות? You're not thanking Hashem anyway for the makos to the Mitzrim. You're thanking Hashem for the nes, for the nissim that happened to you, to you. So that's my first shailah. And the second thing is, you see that the Gra already asked this kashya. The Gra asks, why is it necessary to come and discuss all the different makos? Answers the Gra, gevaldige teretz, and he says like this: in perek tes-vav, pasuk chav-vav, the Ribono Shel Olam promises, if you do as hayashar b'einai, kol hamachlah asher samti b'Mitzrayim lo asim alecha, ani Hashem rofecha, ani Hashem rofecha. I am Hashem who heals you, says the Gra. So therefore they argue on how many makos, because the more makos, the more lo asim alecha. The more numbers, the more things we could tag on to machlas asher samti b'Mitzrayim. Means the more we won't get. So therefore, the Tanoim argue. Habeisai, if you pay close attention to this Gra, what is he saying? You're saying in the Haggadah how many, because you want Hashem to know how much He won't give us. What does He want? What does the Gra mean? What is he saying? What is he saying? He's not talking stam in Irish. What is he saying? That if the Tanoim argue in the Haggadah how many, so then Hashem won't give us all. Hashem won't give it to us anyway if these are machlokes, ... What's it to get to the Haggadah? What's the negea to Haggadah how many makos? Legabei even the Gra's pshat, that after we know how many makos, now we know how much Hashem won't give us. And yeah, what does that have to do with yetzias Mitzrayim? There's nothing. It's irrelevant to the Haggadah. And the Eibishter Himself knows how many makos He gave, and that's how many makos He won't give you. So vaiter, what does the Gra mean? What does he mean? What does he say? Now, rabboisai, I want to point out to you that l'churah, this Gra is a tremendous chiddush. This Gra is a tremendous, tremendous chiddush.

And the pasuk, Kol hamachlah asher samti b'Mitzrayim lo asim alecha, ki Ani Hashem rofecha. I am Hashem, your rofeh. L'choorah, there's a contradiction here, because if He won't put it on you, you don't need a doctor. If you're not sick, unless you're a hypochondriac, you don't need a doctor. Only people who imagine diseases must go to a doctor when they're not sick. But if lo asim alecha, then you don't need what? Ki Ani Hashem rofecha. Says Rashi, you know what the pshat is? V'afilu im asim, I won't put it, but if I do put it, Ani Hashem rofecha, I'll heal you. You mind explaining to Rashi then what you had you learn the pasuk then? I won't put it, but in case I do, I'll heal you. So that means He will put it. So then there's no Rashi here. There's no pasuk over here. Just say, Kol hamachlah asher samti b'Mitzrayim, I'll heal you from it. Don't say, I won't put it, and then say, I won't put it, and if I do, I'll heal you. So there's no... what are you saying? Then Rashi says, Inami, another pshat, yeah? Inami, another pshat. You understand, in case these machlos come, Ani Hashem rofecha, I give you a refuah. What's the refuah? Teheiru mitzvos, hayashar b'einai ta'aseh. You should do what I want you to do. That's the biggest refuah. Ani Hashem rofecha. The refuah isn't a medicine in the store. The refuah to these machlos is Ani Hashem rofecha. Keep the mitzvos. So ich freg dir, rabosai, that it's not Kol hamachlah asher samti b'Mitzrayim; it's every machlah. It's every machlah. What does this Gra learn in this pasuk? What the pasuk is then? Wait, what is this pasuk? This pasuk is that in case you get sick from the machlos Mitzrayim, if you keep the Torah and the mitzvahs, it'll go away. So then it's all machlos. It has nothing to do with machlos something in Mitzrayim. You know, we say every day, Refuah tanefesh, refuah taguf. Why do we say first refuah tanefesh or refuah...? Because one results to the other. If you'll have refuah tanefesh, in the mail that brings refuah taguf, right? What's refuah tanefesh? Refuah taguf. So everybody learns there's two types of diseases. There's nefesh diseases, which I guess is the meshugeneh who runs in the street, who's psychologically messed, mixed up. And then there's refuah taguf, physical diseases. Or maybe we could say refuah tanefesh, ruchniyus, refuah taguf, which results from refuah tanefesh, maybe. And that's this Rashi. Don't think medicines are the healer. If you heal yourself, refuah tanefesh, then you'll have refuah taguf. Ulai, ulai, maybe. You have to ask those that make Mishaberachs on every little sneeze that they make. Ask them what they mean by refuah tanefesh or refuah taguf. We could say it means both. Some Rishonim, I think, if I remember correct, I didn't see it this year, but I remember from years ago, refuah tanefesh means ruchniyusdikah, and meileh refuah taguf. But al kol panim, it's a Rashi. First he keeps the Torah and mitzvahs, that's the healing from all diseases. So what do you want from kol machlos? There's nothing to do with the machlos shesamti b'Mitzrayim. It has nothing to do with kol hamachlish ashasamti b'Mitzrayim, and therefore I don't understand what the Gra wants. What does he want? What is he telling me, that the more machlis I make in Mitzrayim, the less will come on me? Not true, because it'll come anyway. Just if you keep the mitzvahs, you'll heal it. So there's no reason to add more and more and more and more machlis. It doesn't mean anything. There's no kol hamachlish ashasamti b'Mitzrayim. It means, period, kol hamachlis. If you learn the Torah, keep the mitzvahs, I'll heal you. What does it have to do with Mitzrayim? It has no shaychus to kol hamachlish. The Gra seems to be learning that, no, there's something about machlis Mitzrayim that you can't get. So the more you doresh it, the more you won't get. Rashi hasn't learned that way. Nobody, I mean, I didn't see any of the Rishonim learn that way. Unless maybe, maybe, maybe I saw a shtickel of Maharal. The Maharal comes along and says that the makos Mitzrayim, interesting, we call them machlos, but they're actually makos, not machlos. The fact that kinim and arov come isn't a machlas haguf.

It's a makah, not a machlah, says the Gra, that that's the pshat in the pasuk. Says the Maharal, that's the pshat in the pasuk. Kol ha-machalos asher samti b'Mitzrayim, which is shelo k'derech hateva, things which are not natural, like osim alecha, things which are natural diseases, you will get, but Ani Hashem rofecha. There's two things here. There's the machlos asher samti b'Mitzrayim, which is shelo k'derech hateva, and then, says the Maharal, if you look, it's in Gur Aryeh as well as Pirush Nachgadah, that what? There's also machlois, machlois, and then it says, Ani Hashem rofecha. Maybe that's what the Gra means. These shelo k'derech hatevas, these mikrim, these scenarios of makah, which is not a physical, normal illness, says the Gra, the more we doresh it, the more we speak about it, the more we say there was, the less of what is going to be on us. Like I tell you, that's zicher not what Rashi is learning. Maybe that's obviously how the Gra was learning the kol ha-machlah, these shelo k'derech hateva scenarios that Hashem made in Mitzrayim. So therefore the Tannaim argue in the Haggadah, lo asim alecha, my kashya. Therefore, back to the original she'eilah: what's the negeiah in the Haggadah? What's the negeiah? Why is it so important? What, you want to know? So you know what? It should be a special day of the year that you sit down and say, listen, today is health day. You know, every year in America they have health day, or non-smoking day, non-this. Same thing, health day. You know what? Lamakos amti b'Mitzrayim. Let's discuss the makos. What's the neged to the Haggadah of Yetzias Mitzrayim? It's not neged. Or obviously, if the Gra says that it is, there must be a shaychus. There must be a connection. There must be a direct shaychus to the mitzvah of Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim, to discuss the makos, to categorize the makos, to be doresh and choker how many makos there were and all what. There's a shaychus to Kol hamachlishesamti, because the more there is, the less will come on us, and it's yene geya. It is nogea to the etzem sipur, sipur of Haggadah. Now, rabosai, understand, all I did with you was learn pashut pshat. So far there's no chidushim here. Simple I brought you a Gra, I brought you a Rashi, I brought nothing on my own. There's nothing here. The only thing is you got to learn it up. You got to see what it says. This is what it is. Shayle is, how do we understand it? What is the Haggadah? It's a big part of the Haggadah, rabosai. Don't think it's a side issue. It's a big chelek of the Haggadah. Oisos, mofos, ... dam, tzfardea, dam, makos and more makos. What do you want? What's going on? Rabosai, I want to show you something interesting about Datzach, Adash, Bachab, the dam, the arov, and the arbeh. The first one of each category, I'm going to send you to the pesukim, and I'll show you that by each one of those makos, it says, L'maan teida, you should know Ki Ani Hashem. Now, you think because I'm such a baki in Chumash I know this? No. The Ritva is me'ir this. Not Barbenel and Kli Yakar; after him maybe they didn't see that the Ritva is already me'ir this shaila. But it's a Ritva. Kvar kodmum, the Ritva. Notice, says the Ritva, that by these three makos, the dam, the arov, and the arbeh, it says Ki Ani Hashem. But I do want to point out that in each one of the three cases, it says it in a different lashon. Rabosai, take a look at zayin, yud-zayin. There by dam it says simply, V'yadatem Ki Ani Hashem. That's all it says, V'yadatem Ki Ani Hashem. Period. B'zot teida, go ahead, Ki Ani Hashem. Nissan will be my recorder for today, okay? B'zot teida, he keeps the record.

Zayin, yud zayin. It rhymes. Zayin, yud zayin. Zot tedaa, ki ani Hashem. יפה מאוד. Adash, oroy, chet, yud chet. It also rhymes. Go ahead. למען תדע כי אני ה'. But it says, b'kerev haaretz. Nissan, you should have chapped that there's a different lashon. Here it says, chet, yud chet. Zayin, yud zayin, chet, yud chet. But the third one I don't have a riddle for you. The third one doesn't match. Sorry about that. So the Gemara is—I'm sorry, I apologize. Maybe you'll think of why, how it... I can't do it. That's past my magic. I learned pshat. The next one happens to be in tet yud daled. I'm not going to rhyme that one. I'm sorry about that. That's just the way the Torah works. Now, see here it says, b'kerev haaretz. What about tet yud daled? Here it's talking about Arbeh, from the Achav, the Achav. Yeah. Yud daled, tet yud daled. Ki ein kamoni b'chol haaretz. So the Ritva already says in all three, what does it say? You will know that I am Hashem. Points out the Ritva, but it's also different leshonos of Lamenteida. It's different leshonos of, you should know. Here it is, Lamenteida, kirev haaretz. Here it's Lamenteida, kein. Here it's Lamenteida, kein kamoni. There is no one like me, which is an interesting lashon, ein kamoni ba'aretz, some lashon. Okay. Why the difference? Why the difference? Why the shinui, and why does it say it by these three cases? Rabosai, I believe that all of you daven Maariv. I believe so. And I believe that even Nusach HaGra, and Nusach Ari, and Nusach Sefarad and Sefardi, and all have the same nusach. Everybody has the same nusach. Ha'oseh lanu nisim, u'nekama b'Faro, otos u'moftim b'admat banecha. We praise Hashem, ha'oseh lanu nisim. He did miracles for us. Nekama b'Faro, oseh osos u'moftim b'admat banecha. The guy shouldvelt, velt, the whole admas banecha, Eretz Yisrael, Knaan, Cham, He did osos u'moftim. Now, rabosai, are we referring to all the same thing, or it's three different inyanim? Ha'oseh lanu nisim. He did for us miracles. He did in the kama of the Paroi, and he did otos u'moftim b'admas Bnei Cham. Are we all referring to the— You don't have otos u'moftim b'admas Bnei Cham? Three things: oisos lanu, nisim; nekamah b'Paroi; oisos u'moftim b'admas Bnei Cham. Tell me, are we— Some sefarim don't say the word nisim. That's what I want. You see, I wasn't sure. I don't know this. Why? Why? Because otherwise, what is the three things? But some sefarim have those— Some sefarim say nisim. Which? Which? Tell me which ones, which ones. That you don't know. Rav Ovadia picks that out. Okay, it's two different here. Okay, good. So machlokes in the machlokes itself. That's good. Typical Yiddish— I told you rule: nisim, Ovadia. What's his kasha? His kasha is, what's the two things? That's what's bothering the nusach. Rav Ovadia takes it out, because what are the two things? And if you are goyres it, so what is it? You know what the answer, rabosai, is? Pay close attention. The Makkas had three reasons for it.

That is the pshat in what he says in Ma'ariv: Oiselanu nisim, kama b'Paro, oisos u'mofsim b'Admas Bnei Cham, because there are three reasons for the makos. Makos was a three-pronged refuah. Nisim lanu, nekamah b'Paro, oisos u'mofsim b'Admas Bnei Cham. There was three ingredients in the makos: three needs, three tzrachim, three reasons, three purposes in the makos. What are they? So, again, I don't tell you my own stuff, because then I'd write Hagadah and make money on it. I tell you what the Rishonim say. That's not an oiver la'asocher, not that interesting. Let me tell you what the Rishonim say. There's a meydiker Ramban. Rishonim don't ask my kasha on the nusach hatefillah, or maybe they do; at least I didn't see they did. Not that I looked, but I didn't see it. But the Ramban, I could tell you, is there. There's an interesting Ramban on Vanochi Hashem Elokecha asher hotzeisicha me'eretz Mitzrayim. Anochi Hashem is learned from asher hotzeisicha me'eretz Mitzrayim. That was the proof for Anochi Hashem. Says the Ramban, what means Anochi Hashem? That's a very loaded statement: I am Hashem. What? What does it mean? There's so much we could go under that heading of Anochi Hashem. What does it mean? Says the Ramban, it's kol kol hayesodos. Anochi Hashem means everything that you have to know about Hashem. And what is it? Let's see if you could guess. Remember I told you that the makkas is for three different reasons? How many things are kolul in the yesodos of Anochi Hashem? Mistama what? No! Three things. Obviously, I'm trying to tie this Ramban into this memorial that we say in the davening, so obviously it's going to be three. What are the three? Yesh nimtza, says the Ramban, that Hashem exists. The second thing, says the Ramban, that He's mashgiach, not from kashrus for four dollars an hour, but mashgiach, mashgiach on the world. Hashgacha pratis. He runs the world. Third thing is that it's b'yado la'asos kirtzono. Hashem does as will in this world, as He pleases, He does in this world. Three things. Three things. Three things. Again, says the Ramban, Anochi Hashem, kolul kol hayesodos, which are three yesodos: that He exists, that He's mashgiach, and that He does kirtzono, as His will in this world. Now let's talk about another Ramban in the end of Parshas Bo. That explains that the makos was to teach us three things about Hashem. You see the connection? This is the connection I'm making, you see? Davni tells us three things about the makos. The Ramban tells us three things about the yesod of Anochi Hashem, which was learned from Aseres HaDibros. And at the end of Parshas Bo, he explains that actually there's three things which are learned directly from the makos. What are they? Metzius Hashem, which is yesh nimtza, hashgacha, and here he switches a little bit, and this we might have to work a little bit on, schar va'onesh. Schar va'onesh. The Ramban says Anochi Hashem, that He does kirtzono in this world, and the Ramban in the end of Bo says what? Schar va'onesh. Schar va'onesh is the third thing we see from the makos about Hashem's Anochi Hashem. So it's not a contradiction, because the world is based on schar va'onesh. We as Jews believe that in this world...

The breakup of it is schar and onesh. Ad kedei kach that Chazal tell us that if a rasha has good in this world, also it works with schar v'onesh. It's to give him an onesh l'olam haba, to give him his reward in this world. In this world, there is two categories. It either goes under the heading of schar, or it goes under the heading of onesh. I, where does nisyonot come into the picture? That's also chelek of schar v'onesh. It's also all about schar v'onesh. But the mechanics—you do yourself a big favor if you pay close attention, because we're learning up through Shainim. It's not enough just to say over the Rishonim; it's to fatach, to understand what the Rishonim are teaching. Schar v'onesh is the breakup of everything that happens in this world. Everything that happens is under the—I, what about nisyonot? It's also under the heading of what? The guidelines and the rules and the regulations of the mechanics of schar v'onesh. So when it says Hashem does in this world as His free will, what does it mean? When Hashem just wants to do things and therefore He does it? No. He gives schar to those that deserve schar. He gives onesh to those that deserve onesh. And that's what it means: He does at will what He wants in this world. Now, rabosai, if you don't mind, we'll go back to the ma'arev. Ha'oseh lanu nisim. He made for us miracles. Now, rabosai, what is the pshat that Hashem did special miracles? For Klal Yisroel, meaning in the makot, gufa, there was miracles, d'hainu, it happened to the Mitzri, not to the Yid. That shows us what hashgacha. Hashem runs the world to a dot. Hashem wants the Mitzriim to be punished. Ha'oisos lanu nisim in the makos gufa, there was nisim. Nekamah b'Pharaoh. What is that? Nekamah b'Pharaoh is punishment, schar v'onesh. Oisos u'mofsim, b'Yad chazakah, that when they left, what did the guy in Mitzrayim realize? There's a God. Yesh nimtza. Hashem exists. The three things that we daven in the prayer, Admairiv, is saying the yesodos that happened through the makos. Oisos lanu nisim. That's how Hashem showed hashgacha pratis. America, it's interesting, they talk about laser-guided to the dot. That's a person's koach. Could you imagine Hashem's koach? Asher hiflo bein Mitzrayim u'vein Yisroel. Unbelievable, that when they took the cup, yeah, the Mitzri took it from the Jew, it turned into dam. Could you have more hashgacha pratis, more laser-guided than that? Shayach, peleh, point, yeah. Joy, tsmachsu, wake them up. How are you? Can't be that boring. Believe me, it's interesting. That I know. I know it's not my fault. So let's, let's, let's get the show on the road here. Come on. Here? Here. Could you imagine that the Mitzri takes the cup, he takes the cup from the guy, from the Jew, and it turns into blood in his hands. You see HaKadosh Baruch Hu. You see Hashem runs the world and He guides the world to a dot. What else do you see? Nekomah b'Paro. Hashem gave nekamah. Hashem gave petch. Hashem gave real stirot to the Mitzriim. Real, right? What's otot u'moftim b'nei Cham? Sheyesh nimtza, the guy realized, bnei Cham, in Kenaan, there's Hashem. Yitro realized, Attah yadati ki gadol Hashem mikol ha'elohim. Hashem. They realized that there's a nimtza, there's Hashem. This was the yesodot of the makot, and that's what we say in the prayer. Now the only thing is, you'll ask me, why do we speak about Osela Nisim first, and then we speak about the nekamah b'Paro, and then the Oseh simosim b'adas bnei Cham?

Because mistama, what's the geir to us, we say first. Mistam, ois lanu nisim, it's more for us, so we praise first what's better for us, first ois lanu nisim, v'kamah bagoyim, as well as you should understand that emunah Klal Yisrael had till here. They just didn't have emunah in hashgacha pratis. You look at the Rishonim, ... Mitzrayim was to teach us. So we talk about what we learned from. First we learned the ois lanu nisim, hashgacha; then we learned the ... hasharva ... and granted there was a ma'alah, that the goyim also realized that there's Hashem, but it's not, not per se, per se, a special for us; it's b'chalal. But the yesh nimtza, Klal Yisrael knew. They just didn't understand what it meant, that the Ribbono Shel Olam is mashgiach, and so on and so forth. Okay, this is a chinuch. Chinuch speaks about these inyanim. What did they know or not know before Yetzias Mitzrayim? They obviously knew Avraham Avinu worshipped Hashem; that they knew. This ... Elokei Avraham nikra Eleinu, that Hashem runs the world, and hashgacha, ayin Chinuch, shema'arich b'inyanim eilu. The yesod of hashgacha pratis was taught to Klal Yisrael over here too. Okay, good? So so far we're clear? Ois lanu nisim, v'kamah bagoyim, v'kamah b'Paroh, oseh moftim ad mas b'neichem. Who? It's not the same. Ois lanu nisim. Notice the hashgacha pratis, that yesh nimtza, Hashem is—there's a God. The goyim learned that there was a God. That's why Amalek still came. Don't forget, Amalek came even after they heard there was a God, but they didn't think there was hashgacha pratis, mikra. That's what you see of Amalek. Even after there's a God, they start drinking a cup, there's no hashgacha. We learned hashgacha right away from Mitzrayim. Okay, this is already old talk. I don't want to go into it. This is already, this is not even ... It's a famous chinuch. Hashgacha pratis is what will be emunah l'klal Yisrael learned in Mitzrayim. According to this, now we can go back to understand: Datzach, Adash, Bachav. Why the three categories? Ah, you see, three things we learned from the makkot. Now we can make the jump that what? That that's maybe what Rabbi Yehuda is saying in the three categories of makkot: Datzach, Adash, Bachav. And if you pay close attention, that's the shinui halashon, maybe, that is in each one. And if you look at the Ritva, the Ritva says more or less what we're saying, more or less. Word less, word more. The first three makkot, Hashem. Till now they were thinking chartumim, everything was kishuf. What did Hashem tell them? V'yadatem l'maan teida ki ani Hashem. First lesson: Ki ani Hashem. Lesson number one. Yesh nimtz— that's the first thing you got to know: Ki ani Hashem. That's step number one. Dam, they thought they the chartumim. Says Rabbi Yisrael, don't make me crazy with chartumim. V'yadatem ki ani Hashem. Dam, tzfardea, kinim. Now by Datzach, again it says, he sends them what? L'maan teida ki ani Hashem, because it's a new lesson, rabboisai, and that lesson is ki ani Hashem b'kerev ha'aretz. Not only yesh nimtza, but what? Mashgiach. V'yadatem ki ani Hashem. It's not enough, because that was lesson number one. That was three months worth of makos. Now we have lesson number two. What's lesson two? Ki ani Hashem b'kerev ha'aretz. Bachav, arbeh, choshech, makas bechoros. Is lesson number three, and therefore again it says, l'maan teida ki ein kamoni b'chol ha'aretz. What is ein kamoni? A very funny lashon. There's no one like me. Klapi other avodah zaras, ein kamoni.

Schar v'onesh. You follow Me, you'll get schar. If you don't follow Me, you'll have onesh, ki ein kamoini, l'havdil, to be mavdil between Elokim ha'emes and elohim acheirim, ki ein kamoini. The difference is schar v'onesh. That's what it means, ein kamoini b'chol haaretz. The first lesson was yesh nimtza. The second lesson was mashgiach b'kerev haaretz. And the third lesson was that the Ribono Shel Olam is the only one that does in this world. Our Ribono Shel Olam does whatever happens is only because—whether it be fifty gods, maybe, okay, there's a Ribono Shel Olam, but there's other gods. No, no, no. Whatever happens is because Hashem wanted it. Schar v'onesh. Ein kamoini. See the difference? Hashem exists. Hashem is mashgiach. Hashem alone. There is no other gods. There's nothing else to worship. Ki ein kamoini b'chol haaretz. Wow. Wow. You get it? There were three lessons. And says Rabbi Yehuda, let's categorize them. The inyanim of the makos, rabosai, was not only a lesson for the Mitzriim, but it was a lesson in emunah for everybody. And the importance of stressing the makos was important because we learned from the makos. There were lessons that everybody had to learn from the makos, and that is that there was a yesh nimtza, and there was a mashgiach, and there was a hakol yachol, and He's the schar v'onesh, and He does everything. And that's why we break it up into categories, and that's why we stress the makos. Because the makos, if it would only be for the Mitzriim, then es binefala yivchal tismo, what are you getting excited about? It's not your business to say shirah, to discuss, to emphasize, to elaborate, to commemorate the makos of the enemy. But if you understood that the makos was not only the enemy, but it's for us, it's for the world, to teach us that there was a nitzach, and there was HaKadosh Baruch Hu was mashgiach, and that ein kamoni bchol haaretz, for everybody to learn. So it's important to discuss the makos. It's important to break up the makos into categories, and that's what Rabbi Yehuda is saying: dalet, adash, beachav. There were three lessons. There were three categories of lessons. With this, rabosai, we can answer a mighty kasha. The Ramban in Zayin, Tes-Vav, as well as in Ches, Tes-Vav—well, actually there he sends you to Ches, Tes-Vav—and he says, by three makos Moshe was sent out, yotzei hamayima likras Paroh. Take a look, very interesting. Three times was Moshe sent to Paroh. When he was going where? When he was going to, to the—Ches-Vav, says the Ramban—the people were going around the melech. When the melech went out, he didn't go alone so the people would see, and it would be an open hatra'ah. Yeah, you're reading it, or are you making me say it by heart? What are you doing here to me? Chet, tes-vav. You don't have it? It's a long one, right, but the last piece, like there's a last piece over there. I know it's a long one. It's a long Ramban. Nice, give it to me before I get a nervous breakdown. Give it to me. Chet, tes-vav, here. V'amar b'miktzas hamakos — read. V'amar b'miktzas hamakos... says the Ramban, some of the makos, it says, go out to yeotz ha'mayim. Why? Al derech hapshat, you hear? So those that don't like pshat should leave right now, because there's nothing exciting in this Ramban. It's a simple pshat. What is the Ramban saying? Nu? The melech used to go out to the waters in the morning. Baby, baby, melech — he's a very chashuv king. Go ahead. ...sheyelech sham.

Now says Ramban, yeah, but why by these three makos? Now, Ramban doesn't tell me which three, which three do you think they are? Let's think if you could guess. Let's think if you guess. If there was three of them that were different, then they were said, ... which three could they be already? Dam, right? Arov, and arbeh. Notice that the first ones of Reb Yehuda's list, those are the three places that it says it. Why does it say? Comes Ramban and he gives a reason. Dam is the first one, first one, so we have to do it before Kolamei. Before Kolamei. Go ahead, read, read, read Ramban. It's the makah rishon. Ooh, it's the first makah. Go ahead. It should be in front of everybody, the king and people, so Moshe's not afraid. Next. Okay, go ahead. No. Kneg Paroh. Arov, right? Interesting, huh? Interesting. The three that Reb Yehuda breaks it up into, it says ... Go ahead, no. What by arov? Why? Also by barad, go ahead, yeah. Yeah. Because ... which is very important. Pay close attention to this Ramban. I hold this Ramban is a key Ramban. For some reason, it gets overlooked. There was death by three makos. It's very important. Pay attention. What were they? Arov, barad. No, no, not by dam. By dam he didn't say there was death. You just made that up. Don't make up stuff in the Ramban. The dam was the first makah. Why did Moshe have to go out and make a whole big spiel about the warning, that yotzei likras hamayim, with the people around him? Because there's ones what? Mitah. There was death. Think about it, rabosai. People don't realize how many makos were just discomforting, fear, and how many makos was death. Arov was death. Barad was death, says the Ramban. And of course, makas bechoros was death. Pay close attention. Pay very close attention. We're going to soon work with this gevaldig. Listen to the Ramban, gevaldig. Arov. Arov? No, which one? Barad, arov, and of course makas bechoros. Yeah, gevaldig Ramban. There was death. You hear? Pay attention. I always wondered, what was the makos? Was it fear? Was it patch? Was it smack? Or was it death? Three out of them were death. Very important Ramban. Very, very key. Very key Ramban. Pay attention. I'm telling you, it's gevaldig Ramban. Okay, now, says the Ramban, so therefore, hinei yotza hamayimah, in such an open hatra'ah, warning in the open, such a public display of warning. Rabosai, the way we learned, ... why? Tzach, adash, bachab is three lessons. It's three different sugyos of makos to teach three different things. It's beautiful. V'hinei yotza hamaimah. The public display of it had to be what? By these three things: the hatra'ah, because these were sugyos. These were categories of makkos, each for a specific target. One was to target ani Hashem, so by dam he comes and tells him, L'maan teida ki ani Hashem. The second one is what? The kerev eretz; he had to make a public display of that hatra'ah. And then the last one is what? Makkos bechoros. And pay attention, we'll soon learn, Hinei ani choshel kol makkeh vosei al libecha. Many Rishonim learn it refers to all the makkos of Achav, Arbeh, kinim. We'll soon see a Rashi, a machlokes, the Gra, Rashi; the Gra, we'll soon get into it. These were warnings for a slew of makkos, for a whole entourage of makkos for different specific targets. One was for ani Hashem, ki ani Hashem. So that was a public hatra'ah, a public display of warning: you should know, ki ani Hashem. The second one was what? L'maan teida ki b'kerev...

And the third one was what? Ki ein kamoni. And that answers the Ramban's kasha in a very simple way. Why did in these three makkos specific, hinei yotze hamayimah? Teretz is exactly what we're learning in the Ramban from the previous Rambans, that there was three categories, three lessons to be taught. Each lesson was brought out with a public display of teaching and warning. Mantehd keni Hashem, mantehd keni Hashem bikarv aretz, u'mantehd ki ein kamoni bchol haaretz. We'll get to bechoros in a minute. Give me a minute. Now, if you take a look, Rashi, and that's why I told you, if you wait a minute, we'll get to it, on the pasuk, tet yud gimmel, where he's warned now for barad, Hashem tells Moshe to tell Paro, Hineni sholeach kol mageifosai el libecha. Paro is pre-warned, you hear? Hashem is going to send all the makkos to his heart, el libecha. It's the famous kasha: why does it say over here, el libecha? Why does it refer to el libecha over here more, more than any other makkah? Why the last group of makkos is el libecha, while the other ones weren't pre-warned with the nusach, I'm sending the makkos el libecha? So if you look at Rashi. Rashi tells us it's referring to makas bechoros, makas bechoros, yeah? So of course it's Elibecha because it was close to his heart, because the rest was not negea to him. Like, Yimach shemo, Sodom, Umorah, he doesn't care. Blow up my country as long as I'm in the bunker, right? But the minute it's נוגע to him, oh, it's a different story. Elibecha means this one will be close to your heart. So the hatraah before Barad was actually a hatraah, what? Of elibecha to makas bechoros, to makas bechoros. Comes along the Mizrachi and says, Iy tachen, it doesn't understand. Why are we warning him now for makas bechoros? Warn him for Barad, warn him for Barad. Says the Mizrachi a chidush, and then says the Gra even a bigger chidush. Says the Mizrachi that you didn't understand the word in Rashi. It doesn't mean bechoros, but bakuros, the first fruit and vegetable. The pasuk tells us in Tes, lamed aleph, Vachita vaseirah huksah. Why did the chita get destroyed first from Barad? Because it was the first to produce, bakuros. The other—I'm sorry, excuse me—the other produce which came later, that was saved. Why? Because it didn't grow yet. It's a pasuk. Says the Mizrachi, Mizrachi rishon, how do you read the Rashi? Don't read the Rashi bechorim, read the Rashi what? Bakuros. It means Barad. So you're going to ask me, so why does it say elibecha? Rashi is coming to answer the elibecha. How do you answer the Elibecha? With the kasha. The whole reason why Rashi learns it's makkas bechoris is because of the Elibecha. It has to be close to your heart. How is this close to your heart, makkas bechoris? So lots of little vegetables get destroyed in the field, so what? So here, I was mekabel in Brisk one teretz, and I see that in Chevron they said the same teretz. And I guess in the Knesses Beis Chizkiyah they said also this answer, because Reb Shalom Shwadron brings this down. But in Brisk, I heard this answer, and it's a gevaldige teretz. The Gemara in Brachos tells us, daf nun tes amud aleph, why Hashem makes thunder, akmumiya shebalev, to straighten out, lifshot akmumiya shebalev, to straighten the crooked heart. Tell me, Barad had something that no other makkah had. Chaylosu Barad, tremendous thunder. That's why it says Elibecha. Elibecha. Why Elibecha? Because Elibecha, the Gemara tells us, thunder is a direct anecdote to a crooked heart, to a crooked heart.

An infectious heart nachlius. This takes care of the problem. That's why it says koilais, and that's why it says, va'elibecha. Now, if you already have music, can't you have a Mordechai ben David? You have to have that nonsense. You're making already in a cell phone, ... music. So ... See, this shniggin or something, or even a Sefardic music or something, vaz-vaz-vaz. The Gra says a tremendous chiddush. Rashi learns it's makkas bechoris. Ask the Mizrachi, why are we telling in by ... about makkas bechoris? Says the Gra, we're not telling about makkas bechoris. It's a mistake in Rashi. Rashi actually wrote mem-beis, mem-beis, makkas barad, and the printer wrote makkas bechoris because he did not read. The name is Gra. By the way, the Gra does that a lot in Chumash. You should know that. He says a lot of printing mistakes, and the makkas bechoris is not makkas bechoris; it's makkas barad, and the printer and... Now, I'm joking. Did you see me laughing? Did you see anybody else laughing? I make jokes. This shiur is not about jokes. Now, according the way we learned, tell me, it's a kasha, kasha, ... Why are we warning about makkas bechoris now? The Torah says understand that the last group of makkos was all the same inyan. It was all about Nekamah b'Paroi. So right now, we're giving him one big hatraah about nekamah b'Paroi, nekamah b'Paroi. It will start with borad and it will end in your house, makkas bechoros. You know? See good? Pshat. That's the difference between drushim and pshat. The way we've established from the Rishonim that the last, achav, the last group, was one specific target. And that target is what? Nekamah b'Paroi. It begins with borad, it begins with koilos, it begins with fear, shock and awe it begins with. And hopefully it ends with the death of Sodom, v'chein hachi here too. It begins with shock and awe, you hear? Borah. And it results in makkas bechoros, and that's why here, here, already we're discussing makkas bechoros, Eli Becha, because it was all about all the makkos, Eli Becha, nekamah b'Paroi, this group of makkos. And that's why here it says Eli Becha. The previous ones was not to what? To punish the Mitzriyim. But the previous ones were for what? The previous ones were to punish—was not to punish, but to say that Hashem exists, Hashem is mashgiach. Here begins the makkos which was directly nekamah b'Paroi. This is where it begins, yes. Ein kamoni. Let's go one step further, boys. Let's discuss one step. Eli Bechor. Eli Bechor. The Sippurna tells us that there was a big difference between makas bechoros and the other makos. The Sippurna could be found in zayin gimmel and zayin daled, b'arichus. He speaks very much b'arichus. The makos were designed till the last minute to make Paro do teshuvah. After that, by makas bechoros, then it was all-out destruction of Paro, destruction, not teshuvah. That's how the Sippurna learns. And be'emes, I think it's muchach in the Haggadah, because when we discuss in the Haggadah, Ilu HaKadosh Baruch Hu did this dayeinu, HaKadosh Baruch Hu did this dayeinu. So what was the first dayeinu? The first dayeinu is, ilu... here, ilu asa בהם שפטים, v'lo... sorry, v'lo... here, ilu hotzianu miMitzrayim v'lo...

Lo asa בהם שפטים, which is the makkas, dayeinu. אילו עשה בהם שפטים ולא עשה בהם אלהיהם, דיינו. אילו עשה בהם אלהיהם ולא הרג את בכוריהם, I thought it's one of the eser makos, no? Isn't one of the ten makos? Why is it that in the Dayeinu do we say first, אילו עשה בהם שפטים, Hashem only did with them makos, you hear, and He didn't do באלוהיהם would be enough. And even if He did makos and He did באלוהיהם and He wasn't הורג בכוריהם, how is הורג בכוריהם not one of the eser makos? And the answer is, like the Seforno, because the last one, the last one was a specific target of death for Paro. This was a nekamah to Paro, that's what it was. Till here was to work with Paro, was to work with him. From here on in, what was it? It was nekamah to Paro, nekamah to Paro. Now, let's understand in the context of שכר ועונש. שכר ועונש, the pshat is from the beginning of Borad, the Ribono Shel Olam was trying, was trying to get him to get schar. The Ribono was trying to get him to do teshuva. Then at the end it turned into what? Onesh. The Ribono Shel Olam began by trying to work with Paro, to work with him. כניחבדתי את לבו, but maybe, maybe, says the Seforno, by makkas bechoros, the makkah wasn't to turn him around, it was only specifically to kill him, specifically to kill him. And, rabosai, let me tell you the significance of this. I have a kashya, bothers me very much. We discussed makkas bechoros, that he killed the bechorim of the Mitzriim. He never killed the bechorim of Klal Yisrael, and that's why it's such a big holiday, such a big Yom Tov, you hear? Erev Pesach. First, well, makas bechoros. Ah, it didn't happen. Liten hamashchis lavo el bateichem l'hashchis. What was this different than any other makah? I don't understand. It's in every makah, liten hamashchis l'hashchis. I don't understand what the difference is. I don't understand. In every makah it was that way. So I was thinking maybe in all of the makos there wasn't death. Maybe that's what it means. Till makas bechoros there was no death. Till makas bechoros there was no death. And since there was no death, so by makas bechoros, kivun shenitnu reshus l'hashchis—oh, that already is why not Klal Yisrael special, Hashem miracle special for Klal Yisrael. But the Ramban tells me that by barad there was also death. So what's makas bechoros different? I don't understand this. Where is the kashya? It bothers me. That's what I'm telling you, Ramban is such a crucial Ramban. It's such a crucial Ramban. And I'll even tell you more. In makas choshech, b'chelek of Klal Yisrael died. Why in makas choshech? Chazal already tell us it was dark, the Mitzrim shouldn't see. You know what I think is very interesting over here? The other makos were makos to bring out a lesson. These makos are makos for schar va'onesh that applies to Klal Yisrael too. When you have a chelek of makos to teach schar va'onesh, then it should apply to the Jews. Kivan shenitnah reshus l'hashchis, which means the Ribono Shel Olam gives the right for schar va'onesh, halalu ovdei avodah zarah, v'halalu ovdei avodah zarah. It's an interesting chiddush, because b'etzem, Klal Yisroel was also. The mashchis only comes if it's shayach l'hashchis. It's not going to come. For example, we find all over people, l'mashal, Dovid HaMelech. Dovid HaMelech, he was learning; mashchis won't hurt you. Dovid HaMelech was learning Shabbos, didn't do any ... so the yetzer hara had to come and find a way out again to stop learning. As a matter of fact, the Gemara says that everybody dies b'ito shel nachash, except for a few people that just died because HaKadosh Baruch Hu said that it has to be death. Ein misah b'lo chet. In sechar v'onesh, it's true the same thing. Again, I know I'm venturing out a little different. Usually I have rayas and proofs, but I'm trying to say it's interesting, the significance of makas bechoros, that b'etzem it's mashma it should have been by the Jews also. Why is it any different than any other makkah? And the teretz has to be, has to...

That there was onesh here also. The last group of makos was to teach schar v'onesh, so those that didn't deserve had to get punished also. And af al pi kein, the Ribono Shel Olam went and ... and He made them karpases to save them. But be'etzem, in schar v'onesh, if lu yetzur they would tzaddikim gemurim, there's no way that the makos would come. Pshat is, kivan shenitna reshus l'hachish, eino mavchin bein tzaddik... It doesn't mean mamash a complete tzaddik. It's not mavchin between one who really deserves and one who doesn't deserve completely. But avadeh, if a person's a complete tzaddik, here, be'etzem, the Leviim. You have to clarify this. What happened by the Leviim? The Leviim were in Mitzrayim. They made the karpases. You have to know the cheshbones. They also put the thing. The makos was supposed to come to them also. I don't have to work on it. All I'm trying to bring out is this yesod: the later makos, the later makos, you see clearly was schar v'onesh. That you see clearly. Okay, now let's get back to pshat a little bit. With this— No, the first ones were about lessons, ki ani Hashem, lessons ki ani Hashem b'kerev ha'aretz. Later on, the lessons were nekamah b'pars schar v'onesh. Three, not just one. Schar v'onesh was on what? On three of them. The last three. No, I understand. So, you see the nechashim, they die. You see that the makos b'chayris was shayach to them also. I know, I'm here. Again, I'm not—this is part of, I'm just trying to be me'orer something. I have a question, which I think the question is a very strong question. Why are we discussing a makas bechoros, that it could have been for Klal Yisroel more than any other makah? That's the kasha. Elamai you're going to say because death—there was death about the previous ones. There was death before all this. I don't understand this. This is my kasha. Real kasha legitimate? Okay, next. Now, with this, I think we can answer an interesting yesod, and we're getting towards the end for those that can't sit anymore. Why was it that we needed ten makos? Why ten? If you want to teach three lessons, so give three makos. What's the point of having ten makos? Ten? Why do you need ten for? What's wrong with having three solid makos to teach? ... But the kasha. So be'emes, there's a Mishnah in Eduyos, perek beis, Mishnah yud. The Mishnah in Eduyos says as follows: the mishpat—yes, the mishpat of the resha'im is Yud Beis Chodesh. It goes through a list of people that were convicted for Yud Beis Chodesh. You want to bring the Mishnah, we read the list. One of them is the mishpat of the Mitzriim. Very interesting. The mishpat of the Mitzriim had to be Yud Beis Chodesh, and since it had to be Yud Beis Chodesh, therefore... Huh? No, it's a perek beis, Mishnayos. Yeah, perek beis, Mishnayos. Here it is. Af hu haya omer, chamisha dvarim shel shneim asar chodesh, mishpat dor hamabul, shneim asar chodesh; mishpat Iyov, shneim asar chodesh; mishpat haMitzriyim, shneim asar chodesh. Had take a year. So between the hasra'ot, the warnings, and the makkos, a year's worth was ten. This is the Brisker Rav. The Brisker Rav learns, and you see from here, that the yesod of the makkos was to punish the Mitzriyim, and since it was to punish the Mitzriyim, it had to take what? What's the problem? That's not what we're saying. We were learning one year. It took from start to finish, the whole makkos was one year, yud-beis chodesh. So the point is, it's not necessarily ten; it's ten in the context of a year. That's the pshat. Since they had to be punished like Gehenna, a year, he brings even Gehenna is a year. He says here, mishpat Mitzriyim, mishpat Gog uMagog, also shneim asar chodesh; mishpat resha'im b'Gehenna is shneim asar chodesh. That's why Kaddish is twelve months.

You don't want to say he's a rasha. The judgment is a year. So it comes out, rabosai, it's not because you needed ten makos; you needed a year's worth of makos. It was a year. It wasn't the ten, it wasn't the numbers. It was a year's worth of makos. So learns the Brisker Rav in the Haggadah. He says a very big yesodus with this. He says, if you take a look by Hallel, what do we say? We say, L'makeh Mitzrayim bivchoreihem. L'makeh Mitzrayim bivchoreihem. Why? Mishum d'HaHagadol ne'emar al etzem yetzias Mitzrayim, v'chol hamakos hayu rak midin shvatim, v'lo l'tachlis shibud Yisrael. It wasn't to send out the Bnei Yisrael, and this is a very important yesod in Yisroel trying to bring out to you. People think that the makos was to soften up Paro, that he should want to send the people. That's no shaychus to that. The makos was never to send them out. What was the makos? The makos was nekamah b'Paro, nekamah b'Paro. It was to punish the Mitzri. The gam es hagoy asher ya'avodu, אומר. Therefore, by Mitzrayim we don't discuss what? Only, L'makeh Mitzrayim bivchoreihem, meaning makos bechoros. He says it's different than all other makos, and he proves it from the same diyuk that we made from the Eloitzianu, right? Hashem took us out, made shvatim dayeinu, and if He did what? If He only harag bechoreihem—I'm saying gave a shvatim v'lo harag bechoreihem would be dayeinu? So you see that it's separate. Because this is about what? This is about nekamah b'goyim, and this, he says, the Brisker Rav is not about nekamah b'goyim, the last, the last, last makkas. L'churah, he's learning mamash exact opposite that we were. We were learning that all the makkos was not nekamah b'Paroi, but the last one was the ultimate nekamah b'Paroi. You see, the Brisker Rav learns exact opposite. All of it was what? All of it was nekamah b'Paroi, and the last one, the last one, was what? Now, the truth is, if you pay close attention, makkas bechoros. How come it's the only one that's called makkah, makkas bechoros? How come it shouldn't be all the makkos? There's dam, tzfardea, kinim, and makkas bechoros. So you see clearly, it's a very interesting diyuk, right? I believe that's what the Brisker Rav is learning, and we're all addressing the same she'eilos but from different angles. Makkas bechoros stands for itself. Notice they're all in pairs of three, and the number what? The tenth one stands out by itself. It's actually pairs of three: dam, tzfardea, kinim; arbeh, dever, shechin; barad, makkas bechoros is a makkah for itself. In the ilu hotzianu miMitzrayim, the Dayeinu, we say it clearly that it's separate. The question is why is it separate? We were learning that it's separate because it's about nekamah b'Paroi, and we brought the Sippur that learns that what? That it's nekamah b'Paroi, specific and not to change him at all. It's all about nekamah b'Paroi, the last group, but the last, last one was only nekamah b'Paroi, makkas bechoros. The Brisker Rav learns punkt farkert. All of them was what? Nekamah b'Pari, Dona Nochi. The last one was to get him to let them go, and that's in fact what happened. At the last minute, he let them go, and that's why in Hallel, when we discuss Yetzias Mitzrayim, l'makeh Mitzrayim bivchoreihem, because that was part of Yetzias Mitzrayim, part of Yetzias Mitzrayim. So according to the Brisker Rav, I understand why it took a year, because since the nekamah b'goyim had to be a year, mishpat rishaim is a year, so it had to be a whole year. The way we're learning it, that actually it was only the end, which was nekamah b'Pari, so the whole year was what? Lessons. So why is it that you needed three, three, and three? So there's a mahalach on this, and this I think with this we'll end. The mahalach learns that since it was lessons of character, hagufa, because these were lessons, because it was there to teach us, it had to be taught slowly. It had to be taught by step by step. If it would be a one-time deal, we wouldn't have learned the lesson. Think of Kriyas Yam Suf. The Gemara tells us, raah shifchah al hayam mah shelo raah Yechezkel ben Buzi. What happened? What happened was it was forgotten right away. The next day they came to Marah and they started complaining. What happened?

It's a one-time thing, a one-time miracle. It's not going to what? It's not going to change. The makos were day by day, years worth of lesson. The makah, the hasraah, the living through it, says the Malbim, beautiful, לאט לאט. Emunah had to be taught little by little. The makos, whereas much as nekamah of the goyim, was also a lesson of emunah for us as well. It was a lesson of emunah for us as well. The Brisker Rav learns—now pay attention where this will end—the Brisker Rav is learning, and he's proving it in the... since I give you just one small piece, it's a long piece in the Brisker Rav, that the way it works is that all of them were one, the nekamah of the goyim. The last one was to let—they should be let out—was for the yetziah. And therefore what happens? Therefore, l'maan Mitzrayim uv'choreihem, when we talk about yetziah, that's all we talk about is the last one. What is everybody trying to understand? How does makas bechoros stand out? And that's the answer, because that one is specific, different than the other ones, says the Brisker Rav. The way we're learning it, that the previous ones were not nekamah b'paro. The previous ones were what? What, l'maan teida ki ani Hashem, like it says in the pesukim. So the problem becomes, so why is it a year's worth? And the teretz is because it had to be taught, like the Malbim says, little by little, dumb, in lessons, in stages. It had to be taught, and mimeila that's what took a year. With this, I go back to the original shaila and we'll end. Why are we talking about the makos? And the answer is, we talk about the makos because it's not about the Mitzriim, the makos. It was about us as much as the Mitzriim. The lessons from the makos were for us, not for the Mitzri. A person always thinks the lessons for the other guy. It's not. Lessons for us. We have to learn from it. And this is why, Rabosai, we have to discuss: is it yad chazakah, is it zroa netuyah, is it osos and mofsim? Because it's all about learning yedias Hashem. We have to categorize. We have to learn from the makos. There's lessons from the makos about Hashem. And like I tell you in the Rishonim, you see that the Ramban says clearly that the yesodos of the emunah, the three of them, are embedded in the eser makos. And that's the drash of the Haggadah: osos, moftim, al chazakah, zroa netuyah. You got to learn up the makos. Now I understand what the Gra means: Kol hamachloh shesamti b'Mitzrayim lo asim alecha. And the more they're doresh, more becomes Kol hamachloh shesamti b'Mitzrayim lo asim alecha. Rabosai, why is it Kol hamachloh shesamti b'Mitzrayim lo asim? Why? What's the reason? What's the pshat? Hashem gives you havtachah, so what is it? It's like the rainbow that Hashem is saying, I saw how bad it was, therefore I won't do it again. Mashma that it's nothing to do with Klal Yisroel. It has to do with—I'm sorry, mashma not bichlal, but Klal Yisroel specific. No? Somebody has a kashya: what does it mean, Kol hamachloh shesamti b'Mitzrayim, I will never put it on you? Why not? No, what's the reason? What's the reason for the pshat in the pasuk? And also, what's the 'Ki Ani Hashem rofecha,' that the Rishonim ask? It's a double loshon. 'Lo asim alecha'—of course, 'Ki Ani Hashem rofecha.' Thank you. Joe, you finally woke up and started saying good. The makos were lessons. The makos were lessons. Ribono Shel Olam doesn't make machloikes to get people sick. Ribono Shel Olam makes makos to teach lessons. V'lo yasim alecha, ki ani Hashem rofecha. The machlah is about me. It's not about getting sick. I'm trying to teach you that I'm existing. And if you learned that lesson in Mitzrayim, there's no reason to have these machlos anymore. That's what the Gra is saying. The Gra is saying, learn the makos. You understand the ki ani Hashem rofecha. That's what you see. That's what we're learning, the lessons of the makos. We're being doresh the more makos, the more lessons in makos. Once you learned the lesson, Hashem says, Why? Because the whole machlah is ani Hashem rofecha. It's not that there's a machlah. It's about me. I'm the rofeh. So therefore, I'm telling you that I could make that there shouldn't be a machlah in the first place, as long as you know that it's ani Hashem and there's no reason for the machlah. That's the pshat in the pasuk. That's what the pasuk is trying to say.

Says the Gra, the more you doirish, the more you doirish in the makkas, the more you realize the Ani Hashem behind the makkas. Kol hamachalah asher samti b'Mitzrayim lo asim alecha. So the kasha was, why are we celebrating the makkas? The answer is we're not celebrating them, but what? We're learning from them. We're taking a lesson from them. We should take the lesson of emunah. We should learn the proper emunah, that emunah means in every facet of our life, Hashem exists and Hashem is mashgiach, and on top of everything, everything is ... does kirtzono. His will and His will only works in this world, and that's what we learn from the eser makkas.