1. In this week’s Torah portion Hashem (G-d) sends the tenth and final plague upon the Egyptian people and every firstborn in the land of Egypt died.
2. When Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) forewarned Pharaoh about the impending catastrophe that was about to befall him and his people, he told him that the plague would happen “Ki’cha’tzos Ha’lie’lah – at around midnight”.
Rashi explains that the actual prophecy which Moshe Rabbeinu received from Hashem to tell over to Pharaoh was that the plague of the firstborn would happen precisely at midnight, however Moshe Rabbeinu changed the wording to “at around midnight” because if he would say “precisely at midnight” and Pharaoh and his stargazers would make a mistake as to when the exact time of midnight is, they would say that Hashem was late or early (Heaven Forbid) in bringing the plague.
Sicha of the Rebbe – Parshas Bo
The Rebbe says:
1. In this week’s Torah portion Hashem (G-d) sends the tenth and final plague upon the Egyptian people and every firstborn in the land of Egypt died.
2. When Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) forewarned Pharaoh about the impending catastrophe that was about to befall him and his people, he told him that the plague would happen “Ki’cha’tzos Ha’lie’lah – at around midnight”.
Rashi explains that the actual prophecy which Moshe Rabbeinu received from Hashem to tell over to Pharaoh was that the plague of the firstborn would happen precisely at midnight, however Moshe Rabbeinu changed the wording to “at around midnight” because if he would say “precisely at midnight” and Pharaoh and his stargazers would make a mistake as to when the exact time of midnight is, they would say that Hashem was late or early (Heaven Forbid) in bringing the plague.