Parsha Corner
Why the Need for Ten Plagues?
By Malkie Janowski
Is there any significance to the number of plagues? Why the need for all 10?
Answer:
The number is indeed significant.
On one occasion, Moses approached Pharaoh and said:
So said the L‑rd G‑d of Israel, “Send out My people, and let them sacrifice to Me in the desert.” (Exodus 5:1)
Pharaoh responded:
Who is the L‑rd, that I should heed His voice to let Israel out? I do not know the L‑rd, neither will I let Israel out. (ibid 5:2)
But in fact, Pharaoh was very familiar with the concept of G‑d. The Egyptians worshipped deities of all sorts, and Pharaoh even considered himself a god. But he did not believe in an omniscient, all-powerful G‑d who created absolutely everything out of nothingness.
We know that G‑d created the world with His speech; to be precise, with ten utterances. But Pharaoh denied these ten divine utterances.
And so, the ten plagues corresponded with the various elements that G‑d created in the world, each one demonstrating that a seemingly stable and independent aspect of creation—something which could easily be attributed to “nature”—was entirely in G‑d’s hands. Continue
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