20 Jan MIDDAH K’NEGED MIDDAH – PART ONE

As we learn the parsh-
ios regarding the pun-
ishment of the Egyp-
tians, a central theme

that runs through them

is the attribute of treat-
ing people middah

k’neged middah, measure for measure.
As the Gemara teaches us in Masechtas

Sanhedrin, “B’midah she’adam mo-
deid, mod’din lo – The way a person

acts, that’s the way he is treated.” It
is the meaning of the verse in Tehillim,
“Hashem tzilcha al yad yeminecha –
Hashem is a shadow over your right
hand.” Just like shadows mimic to
perfection a person’s actions, so too
whatever we do boomerangs back at
us, whether for the bad or for the good.

In the opening words of a famous Mish-
na in Pirkei Avos, it says, “Da mah le-
malah mim’cha – Know what is Above

you.” The Baal Shem Tov, zt”l, zy”a,
interprets this to mean, “Know what’s
in store for you from Above: mim’cha,”

by looking at yourself. Meaning,
the way you behave, that’s the way
you’ll be treated. He backs this up
with a flourish showing that the word
mim’cha, spelled mem, mem, chaf, is an
acronym for middah k’neged middah.
The Rambam says that when studying
the makkos on the night of our Passover
sedar, we should point out to our family
the incredible middah k’neged middah
in each of the ten plagues. This is very
important since there are those cynics
who want to explain away the makkos

as ‘natural’ phenomena (cf. the Read-
er’s Digest about the splitting of the

Red Sea). The realization of the con-
stant existence of measure for measure

precludes any element of chance. This
point was made by the wise Yisro when
he explained, “Atah yodati ki Hashem

Hu Elokim, ki badavar asher zadu alei-
hem – Now I know that Hashem is the

true G-d because what the Egyptians
plotted against the Jews befell them.”
So, let’s turn to the first plague of dam,

blood. The Medrash Tanchuma reveals
to us that Paroh, in his desperate attempt

to stem the alarming population explo-
sion of the Jews, (they were all having

sextuplets), forbade the use of mikvaos,
banning the women from immersing in
a mikvah after their menstrual cycle.
As a result, they would be forbidden to
procreate with their husbands. Thus,
measure for measure, Hashem turned
the waters of the Nile into blood.
An even more simple understanding of
the middah k’neged middah was that
Paroh murderously commanded, “Kol
haben ha’yilod hay’orah tashlichuah –
Every boy that is born is to be cast into
the Nile.” Thus, the Nile was full of
Jewish blood and therefore, measure for
measure, Hashem turned it into blood.
The Pe’er Aharon, zt”l, zy”a, who was

murdered by the Nazis (Hashem yin-
kom domo, Hashem should avenge his

blood), says a further middah k’neged
middah. If we remember our history,
when Paroh was suffering from leprosy,
he killed 150 babies in the morning and
150 babies in the evening in order to
bathe in their blood as a dermatological
solution for his malady. Thus, because
he murderously used their blood for his

bathwater, Hashem turned the bathwa-
ter of all of Egypt into blood.

There’s another side to the plague of
blood. The Medrash says that when
Hashem does battle with the people,

he punishes their god first. The Egyp-
tians worshiped the Nile because it

irrigated their land. Therefore, Hash-
em punished the Nile-god by turning

it into blood. This insight explains a
fascinating Ritva, zt”l, zy”a, on the
Haggadah shel Pesach. The Haggadah
teaches, “Uv’mofsim, zeh hadam – And
with wonders, this refers to the blood.”
And then it quotes a posuk from Yael,
“Dam, v’eish, v’simros ashan – Blood,

fire, and pillars of smoke.” The Rit-
va says that Haggadah wondered why

it said mofsim, wonders, in the plural
if it only refers to blood. He answers
that during the plague of blood, the
blood was fiery hot, and caused smoke
to rise throughout the land. Thus, the
meaning of the verse quoted, “Dam,
v’eish v’simros ashan,” fits in well with

Hashem punishing the Nile-god, so to
speak, by burning it. As we sing in

Dayeinu, “V’asah veiloheihem – Hash-
em wrecked vengeance against their

deities.”
As we familiarize ourselves with the
concept of middah k’neged middah, it
should be an incentive for us to adopt

certain behaviors and cultivate import-
ant inhibitions to avoid other behaviors.

If we want warmth, we should be warm
with people. If we want quality time
from others, we should be careful to
give time to those who we care about.
If we want to be treated with patience,
we should act patiently with all of our
associates. If we would like to be dealt
with sensitively, we need to sharpen
our sensitivity to those around us.
On the other hand, if we don’t like to
be screamed at, we should make sure
not to scream at anybody. If we dislike
being spoken to condescendingly or
with satire, we should purge our speech
of such behavior. If we don’t want to

be ignored, we should strive mighti-
ly not to ignore others. The more we

learn about middah k’neged middah,
the more it will impress upon us that
this is what really happens to us in our
journey through life.

In the merit of molding our behav-
ior with the consideration of middah

k’neged middah, may Hashem bless us

with long life, good health, and every-
thing wonderful. (To be continued.)

Contact Rav Weiss for sponsorships or
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or call 718.916.3100.
Transcribed and edited by Shelley
Zeitlin.