by Rabbi Avi Billet
In the prelude to the 10th plague, the verse says (11:5) וּמֵ֣ת כָּל־בְּכוֹר֘ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒ מִבְּכ֤וֹר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשִּׁפְחָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר אַחַ֣ר הָרֵחָ֑יִם וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר בְּהֵמָֽה: In the actual plague it says (12:30) - וַיְהִ֣י׀ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֗יְלָה וַֽיקֹוָק֘ הִכָּ֣ה כָל־בְּכוֹר֘ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒ מִבְּכֹ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשְּׁבִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית הַבּ֑וֹר וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר בְּהֵמָֽה: Both describe that the death toll encompasses the first borns, from the first born of Pharaoh to the lowest status Egyptian (though it changes from the warning to the actuality as noted in bold above– which will be addressed below), and the first born animals. The verses which follow each of the above verses talk about how there will be, and indeed there was, a terribly huge cry in all of Egypt, with the verse in chapter 12:31 concluding with our title – no house was spared.
How could that be? If a first born for the purpose of this plague is a male, not every household’s firstborn is a son. The father might not be a firstborn. And if he has only daughters, then how could his house NOT be spared? [Rashi and Ibn Ezra say that the Pasuk is generalizing, and that since it was a majority of houses, that is what the Pasuk refers to, even though it says no house was spared…]
There are many answers to this question, which both explain the discrepancy in the verses noted above, as well as the question of the females. Perhaps the most ecumenical answer is given by Alshich (12:30) when he notes that the people realized this was not a punishment to each individual, but really a plague upon all of Egypt. Even if a household did not suffer a direct loss, they felt that their nation had been handed a devastating blow (ואין זו מכת בכורות כי אם מכת מדינה כולה) and understood they were defeated by the God of the Israelites.
Midrash Rabba 18:3 – “It’s either the first ‘drop’ that any male ‘gave’ to each Egyptian female. Or that each first ‘drop’ creates a male so ALL sons died.” [Netziv notes (12:30) that because there is equality among soldiers, they lose their “bechor” status, and thus are spared. However, they remain suited to drown at the sea.] “Female firstborns also died, except for Batya (some pronounce it Bithya), daughter of Pharaoh, because Moshe was her good advocate…”
Note that this is a unique opinion [Toldot Yitzchak mentions this Midrash, most commentaries and most other Midrashim do not]. Interestingly, Rav Ovadiah Yosef in Yechaveh Daat 3:25 uses this Midrash as a source for the custom some first-born females have to participate in the Fast of the Firstborns on Erev Pesach.
Most of the answers given by the commentaries have their basis in some Midrash or other. They don’t always quote the original source, except to say “the Midrash says” – but the things which are to be presented now can be found, in general, in the Pesikta, Medrash Aggadah, Mechilta of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Midrash Sechel Tov, Yalkut Shimoni, etc.
Rashi (12:30) notes that if there was a firstborn, he died. No firstborn? The head of the household died, as he can be referred to as a “B’chor” (per Tehillim 89:28). Alternatively, the Egyptian women had many extra-marital partners. Every child they had was a firstborn to his respective father, so there were many “firstborns of the father,” even if only one “firstborn of the mother.” (Sifsei Chachamim, Rabbenu Bachaye, Alshikh, Maharal, and more also touch on this notion in greater detail). Rashi also notes in 12:29 that the deaths happened to non-Egyptian firstborns who were in Egypt as well (more on this when we discuss the שבי/שפחה discrepancy towards the end).
Another approach is recounted in a number of Midrashim (ie Mechilta), and recorded by Hadar Zekenim, Daas Zekenim, Chizkuni, R’ Chaim Paltiel) which suggests every Egyptian house had one or both of the following: a dead person (who might have been a firstborn) buried in the house, a life-size likeness of a dead person as a memorial. Either that likeness fell and broke, or some kind of animal – in some versions a dog, and in some a rat – pulled the corpse out of its burial spot, essentially freaking out the family, causing them to relive their trauma, and to experience “every household had a corpse in it.”
A different possibility, raised in Midrash Aggadah and recounted by Alshikh and Riv’a, has the firstborns seeing the Israelites gathering the lambs for the Korban Pesach, and when inquiring about it, finding out that on the night the Israelites are to eat the lambs, God will be killing the firstborns! To hopefully prevent their own deaths, they mounted a coup against Pharaoh and their fathers for not allowing Bnei Yisrael to leave! In their armed encounter, many died as demonstrated by the verse למכה מצרים בבכוריהם, that Egypt was struck by their own firstborns!
All the Midrashim, Rashi, Chizkuni, Maharal, Rashbam, Targum Yonatan (and others) suggest that the reference to מבכור פרעה teaches us either that Pharaoh was a firstborn and was somehow spared (for other reasons), or that it refers specifically to Pharaoh’s firstborn son who was to die. Malbim says ONLY A FIRSTBORN was allowed to be king. In this way the plague was SO devastating to Egypt, because not only did it kill Pharaoh’s heir to the throne, it meant that NOONE could become a king going forward.
Regarding the שבי/שפחה discrepancy, there are a number of views presented. Firstly, בכור השפחה refers to the firstborn of an Egyptian maid, the almost lowest social status in Egypt. The בכור השבי means the firstborn of a captive, the lowest social status in Egypt.
R’ Yitzhak Arama says they were the same people. They are just referred to as בני שפחה during the day, but they are locked up, and thus בני שבי, at night. The warning was given during the day, and the plague took place at night. Alternatively, since the warning was about the בני שפחה, they ran away to avoid the plague. An act of sedition, they were pursued, captured, and put into prison.
Chizkuni gives two possibilities: The first - the בני שפחה chose to become שבויים in order to be spared the plague, a plan which backfired on them. (how they ‘chose’ this is not clear)
The second approach mentioned by Chizkuni (which appears in different versions in Midrashim) is that the בני שפחה were happy when they heard they were to die as well, because it demonstrated that in God’s eyes, they were equal in status with the Egyptians! This angered the Egyptians, who imprisoned them. So their status changed to captives, but their inability to avoid the plague did not.
Mechilta records how the בני שפחה were Egyptians, but since the בני שבי were outsiders, they thought they’d be spared. In fact, they were confident they’d be spared, which would demonstrate their god was more powerful than the Israelite God. He also says they were happy that the Israelites were enslaved (even though they shared a similar predicament), and that joy was not going to go unpunished.
Malbim summarizes the three categories, besides everyman Egyptian, who suffered firstborn losses. The שבי – to show their gods were not stronger than Hashem. The שפחה – because they were happy about the status of the Israelites. The animals – because the Egyptians viewed them as gods. Netziv notes that the שבי/שפחה emphasis was simply to distinguish them from ישראל, and to demonstrate the קדושה status of the Israelite firstborn, which is emphasized several times towards the end of the Parsha. Bechor Shor suggests the שבי were included in the plague so they wouldn’t be able to claim “Egypt was punished for imprisoning us.” Taking the focus off the oppression meted out to the Israelites would have been a terrible abuse of God’s power, not to mention a חילול השם.
This last answer is quite relevant when we hear any argument against Israel couched in dog-whistle anti-Semitism, suggesting that Israel’s existence is a threat to the world in any way. Blame for what happens to those who target Israel and who target Jews rests solely on those who do those horrible, unprovoked crimes. [If the existence of Israel and Jewish people is “a provocation,” then actions against Israel and Jewish people are always “unprovoked.”]
There were many lessons that Egypt, in its totality, needed to receive through the plague of the firstborns. From Pharaoh, to everyman, even to the slave and the captive. A message needed to also be sent that the gods of Egypt were powerless against Hakadosh Baruch Hu, a lesson which was delivered through every plague as well
Believers understand this. And this is one of the reasons why we continue to tell the story to every generation, so our children and grandchildren will come to know what we have come to understand clearly. God is in the world and looking out for us. Sometimes, things are difficult. Sometimes very difficult. Sometimes there is Hester Panim and we don’t understand what we are doing wrong and why God has chosen a certain path for us. Sometimes there is evil in the hands of man, and we are challenged to unify and to fight it as best we can. Sometimes we have friends who join us in the fight, sometimes we must go it alone. Though the message is that we are never really alone.
This is the story of the Bnei Yisrael, and one of the most powerful messages God sent to their oppressors.
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