16 Apr PESACH: ITS A MIRAGE

The first of the
ten plagues which
G-d brought upon
the Egyptians was
“Dam” – the plague of blood, when
G-d transformed the water in the river
to blood. The Torah (Shemot 7:21)
tells that as a result of this plague, all
the fish in the river perished, causing
the river to emit an offensive odor –
“Va’yib’ash Ha’ye’or.”
Rav Avrohom Schorr (contemporary),
in his He’lekah Ve’ha’libub
commentary to the Haggadah, cites
the Sefas Emet (Rav Yehuda Aryeh
Leib Alter of Ger, 1847-1905) as
explaining the symbolic significance
of this aspect of the plague. He writes
that Beneh Yisrael sensed the “stench”
of the land of Egypt, and recognized
that they could no longer remain there.
Earlier, when Moshe had conveyed to
them G-d’s promise of redemption,
they did not listen (6:9). But now they
began realizing that they could not
live in the decadent society in Egypt,

and this is the meaning of “Va’yib’ash
Ha’ye’or” – that they could no longer
tolerate the “stench” of the impurity of
the society among which they resided.
Rav Schorr added that fish are
sometimes used as a symbol for
physical desires. When Beneh Yisrael
were in the desert and complained
about the manna, longing to enjoy a
variety of food, they reminisced about
the fish that they were fed in Egypt
(“Zacharnu Et Ha’daga” – Bamidbar
11:5), and the Sages explained that
Beneh Yisrael on that occasion
were also complaining about the
Arayot. Fish, then, are a symbol for
unrestrained indulgence in physical
pleasures. As the plagues began, the
“fish” of Egypt “died” in the eyes of
Beneh Yisrael. The people began to
realize that the pleasures which the
society around them celebrated and
pursued were just a mirage, that the
joy they bring is temporary and not
real, and that the decadent lifestyle the
people around them lived was actually

“malodorous,” and
not something to be
embraced.
Rav Schorr explained
on this basis the
Midrash’s depiction
of Beneh Yisrael and
Egyptians drinking
during the plague of
blood. The Midrash
relates that even
if someone from
Beneh Yisrael was
drinking from the
same cup as an
Egyptian, he would receive water, but
the Egyptian would receive blood.
Rav Schorr writes that this symbolizes
Beneh Yisrael’s changed perspective.
They now viewed physical indulgence
differently than the Egyptians did;
although they lived with the Egyptians,
they had a very different outlook and a
very different attitude.
The Yeser Ha’ra seeks to mislead us
by showing us a mirage. Forbidden

activity appears to us as something
valuable and important, as something
we need to indulge in, which will bring
us joy and satisfaction, when in truth,
it is valueless and even harmful. We
need to try to change our perspective,
and regard forbidden pleasures as
“malodorous,” as something to reject
and stay away from, so that we, like
our ancestors in Egypt, will be worthy
of our final redemption, speedily and
in our times, Amen.