Plague Math

Haggadah Section: -- Ten Plagues

Rabbi Yosi the Gallilean said: How do you know that the Egyptians were stricken by ten plagues in Egypt, and then were struck by fifty plagues at the sea? Of one of the plagues Egypt it is said, "The magicians said to Pharaoh `This is the finger of God.' At the Red Sea it is said, "Israel saw the great hand that the Eternal laid against Egypt; and the people feared the Eternal, and they believed in the Eternal and in Moses, the servant of the Eternal."  If one finger of God in Egypt caused ten plagues, we may assume from this that the whole hand of God at the Red Sea would cause fifty plagues.

Rabbi Eliezer said: How can one show that each individual plague which the Holy One brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt consisted of four plagues?

For it is said: "The Eternal sent against them in burning anger, Wrath, Indignation, Trouble, and Messengers of Evil": Wrath is one, Indignation makes two, Trouble makes three, and Messengers of Evil makes four.  If this is true, then in the Egyptians were struck by forty plagues, and at the sea they were stricken by two hundred plagues.

Rabbi Akiva said: One could show that that each individual plague which the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt consisted of five plagues. For it is said: "God sent against the Egyptians Bruning Anger, Wrath, Indignation, Trouble, and the Messengers of Evil." Bruning Anger is one, Wrath is two, Indignation is three, Trouble is four, and Messengers of Evil makes five. Thus you must now say that in Egypt they were struck by fifty plagues, and at the sea they were stricken by two hundred and fifty plagues.

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