Plague of Lice

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The Divine Finger in the Plague of Lice

TANAKH

The Egyptian magicians could not replicate the plague of lice, proving its divine origin. The book of Exodus describes how the plague of lice afflicted both humans and animals, demonstrating God's power over the earth.

Then יהוה said to Moses, “Say to Aaron: Hold out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, and it shall turn to lice throughout the land of Egypt.” And they did so. Aaron held out his arm with the rod and struck the dust of the earth, and vermin came upon human and beast; all the dust of the earth turned to lice throughout the land of Egypt. The magician-priests did the like with their spells to produce lice, but they could not. The vermin remained upon human and beast;

Exodus 8:12-14

Divine Lice Infestation

COMMENTARY

The plague of lice was not just an ordinary infestation but a supernatural manifestation of God's power. Rabbi Eliezer Foah’s 17th-century commentary on the Haggadah, the guiding text of the Passover seder, delves into the severity and divine nature of the plague of lice, emphasizing its role in demonstrating the Yad HaShem (the hand of God).

2. עֶבְרָ֣ה “Wrath” - Lice were on humans and animals and stung them like needles. The Midrash states that there were fourteen types of lice which the Holy One brought upon the Egyptians. The smallest of them were the size of a chicken egg and the largest was the size of a goose egg. There were fourteen types so that the Egyptians would know that this was not an ordinary plague, as the Egyptians said, “It is the finger of God.” (Ex.8:15) Rather it was Yad HaShem

Midrash BeChiddush on Pesach Haggadah, Magid, The Ten Plagues 9:2

The Magicians' Limitations

COMMENTARY

The magicians of Egypt could replicate the first two plagues but failed to replicate the third, acknowledging it as 'the finger of God.' Yaakov Ettlinger’s commentary on the Pesach Haggadah, the guiding text of the Passover seder, highlights the limitations of Pharaoh’s magicians and the demonstration of God’s superior power.

There are other differences as well. During the first two plagues, Pharaoh's magicians were able to replicate Moses' plague but they were unable to replicate the third plague. They acknowledged that it was "the finger of God" (Ex. 8:15), and they were unable to perform such an act. During the second grouping of plagues, even though the Torah does not say that the magician replicated the plagues, it implies this. During the sixth plague the Torah says: "the magicians were unable to confront Moses because the inflammation…

Minchat Ani on Pesach Haggadah, Magid, The Ten Plagues 17:4

Divine Retribution in the Plague of Lice

CHASIDUT

The plagues in Egypt were not random acts of destruction but divine retributions for specific sins committed by the Egyptians. Rabbi Mordechai Leiner of Izbica, in his Hasidic commentary Mei HaShiloach, explores the moral and ethical dimensions of the plagues, particularly the plague of lice.

The seven plagues in this week’s Parsha correspond to the verse (Mishlei, 6:16), “these six does God hate, and seven are an abomination to His soul.” King Shlomo’s intention was to make an order of the sins, so therefore he started with small sins, and then after the serious ones. Yet here, when the Egyptians were punished for all these sins saturated into their hearts, they were first punished for the serious ones. The plague of blood corresponded to “spreading discord among brothers,” as the attribute that does the most to keep us far from God is anger…

Mei HaShiloach, Volume I, Exodus, Vaera 4

The Ethical Choice in the Third Plague

MIDRASH

Aaron, rather than Moses, was chosen to strike the dust of the earth due to the ethical consideration that Moses should not harm the dust that protected him. The midrash Shemot Rabbah, a medieval midrashic work on the book of Exodus, offers a moral and ethical explanation for why Aaron was instructed to bring about this particular plague, emphasizing the significance of the dust turning into lice as a punishment for the Egyptians.

“The Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron: Extend your staff, and strike the dust of the earth, and it will become lice throughout the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:12).
“The Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron: Extend your staff, and strike the dust of the earth” – Rabbi Tanḥum said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘It is not proper that the dust that protected you when you killed the Egyptian will be stricken by you.’ Therefore, they were stricken with these three plagues by means of Aaron…

Shemot Rabbah 10:7

Lice from the Dust

COMMENTARY

The natural origin of the lice suggests a specific type called 'pedoux' that naturally come from the dust. Bekhor Shor, a 12th-century French Jewish commentator, provides a rational and accessible explanation of the plagues of Egypt.

And strike the dust of the earth and it will be as lice. It seems to me that these are the black lice they call pedoux because it is their manner to come from the dust, while the lice they call puce only come from human sweat. And it was the manner of the plagues to come from their place of generation — frogs from the river, and rain and hail from the sky, and such with all of them, and accordingly these lice must generate from the dust, and maybe there were many kinds of worms and pedoux and other midges whose generation is from the dust.

Bekhor Shor, Exodus 8:12:2

Humility in the Face of Hubris

COMMENTARY

Human achievements and technological advancements can lead to arrogance, but ultimately, humans are small in the grand scheme of things. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in his commentary on the Torah portion Vaera, explores the theme of humility as an antidote to hubris, using the third plague as a key example.

Technological prowess has led human beings, time and again, to believe that they were like gods. They could scale the heavens, bend nature to their purposes, and construct vast edifices to their glory. Yet in their wake they left a trail of devastation, and the civilizations they built declined and died, to be remembered only in relics and ruins. Humility is the only antidote to hubris. However great we are, we are small in the scheme of things. That is what God showed the Egyptians in the plague of lice.

Covenant and Conversation; Exodus; The Book of Redemption, Vaera, A Handful of Dust 17

Retribution for the Egyptians

MIDRASH

This divine retribution was aimed at the Egyptians for their intent to destroy the Israelites, whose descendants were as numerous as the dust of the earth. Louis Ginzberg’s early 20th-century work, Legends of the Jews, synthesizes a vast array of Jewish folklore and biblical stories into a continuous narrative.

God sent vermin upon them, saying, "Let the lice made of the dust of the earth take vengeance upon the Egyptians for having desired to destroy the nation whose seed is like unto the dust of the earth."

Legends of the Jews 2:4:277

When Demons Fall Short

TALMUD

The magicians of Pharaoh recognized an act of God because they were unable to replicate it, as demons cannot create entities smaller than a barley grain. The Talmud in Tractate Sanhedrin explains the limitations of demonic powers and how this led to the recognition of divine intervention.

With regard to the verse: “And the magicians said to Pharaoh: This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:15), Rabbi Eliezer says: It is derived from here that a demon cannot create an entity smaller than the size of a barley grain. Consequently, the magicians were not capable of duplicating the plague of lice, and they realized that this was not an act of sorcery but was performed by God.

Sanhedrin 67b:15

Divine Protection During the Ten Plagues

COMMENTARY

The ten plagues did not affect the Jews, illustrating divine protection that is not explicitly stated in the Torah. Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller's commentary on Pirkei Avot, written in the early 17th century, explores this miraculous safeguard experienced by the Israelites during the plagues, including the plague of lice.

TEN MIRACLES WERE DONE FOR OUR ANCESTORS IN EGYPT. Rav: they were spared during the ten plagues. Rambam: and this is miraculous, without a doubt. The Torah writes of each plague that it was brought only upon the Egyptians with the exception of the plague of lice in which this is not made explicit; it is understood, however, that it did not touch the Jews. These plagues were present in their areas but did not affect them, as the Sages explain.

Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avot 5:4:1

The Sorcerers' Affliction

COMMENTARY

Even the Egyptian sorcerers, who were supposed to have magical powers, were not spared from the affliction. Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, in his medieval Torah commentary, Tur HaArokh, discusses the third plague in Egypt and its impact on both humans and animals, including the sorcerers.

ותהי הכנם באדם ובבהמה, ”and the vermin kept afflicting man and beast.´ The sorcerers themselves were also afflicted by this plague.

Tur HaArokh, Exodus 8:14:3

Pharaoh's Temporary Repentance

SECOND TEMPLE

The suffering inflicted on Pharaoh and the Egyptians brought about a temporary moral awakening in Pharaoh, highlighting both psychological turmoil and divine intervention. Josephus, the 1st-century Jewish historian, details these events, emphasizing their profound impact, including the devastating plague of lice.

3. Accordingly, God punished his falseness with another plague, added to the former; for there arose out of the bodies of the Egyptians an innumerable quantity of lice, by which, wicked as they were, they miserably perished, as not able to destroy this sort of vermin either with washes or with ointments. At which terrible judgment the king of Egypt was in disorder, upon the fear into which he reasoned himself, lest his people should be destroyed, and that the manner of this death was also reproachful, so that he was forced in part to recover himself from his wicked temper to a sounder mind…

The Antiquities of the Jews 2:14:3

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