Vaera CN Source Sheet

(13) The LORD said to Moses, “Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go to worship Me. (14) For this time I will send all My plagues upon your person, and your courtiers, and your people, in order that you may know that there is none like Me in all the world. (15) I could have stretched forth My hand and stricken you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been effaced from the earth. (16) Nevertheless I have spared you for this purpose: in order to show you My power, and in order that My fame may resound throughout the world. (17) Yet you continue to thwart My people, and do not let them go! (18) This time tomorrow I will rain down a very heavy hail, such as has not been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. (19) Therefore, order your livestock and everything you have in the open brought under shelter; every man and beast that is found outside, not having been brought indoors, shall perish when the hail comes down upon them!’” (20) Those among Pharaoh’s courtiers who feared the LORD’s word brought their slaves and livestock indoors to safety; (21) but those who paid no regard to the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the open. (22) The LORD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm toward the sky that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, upon man and beast and all the grasses of the field in the land of Egypt.” (23) So Moses held out his rod toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire streamed down to the ground, as the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt. (24) The hail was very heavy—fire flashing in the midst of the hail—such as had not fallen on the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. (25) Throughout the land of Egypt the hail struck down all that were in the open, both man and beast; the hail also struck down all the grasses of the field and shattered all the trees of the field. (26) Only in the region of Goshen, where the Israelites were, there was no hail. (27) Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I stand guilty this time. The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. (28) Plead with the LORD that there may be an end of God’s thunder and of hail. I will let you go; you need stay no longer.” (29) Moses said to him, “As I go out of the city, I shall spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease and the hail will fall no more, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.

(3) At every plague, he would say to him, "It is so that you know that the Earth is Hashem's," or in order that you may know. But is it not written, "And the Earth I have given to humanity"? This is not a difficulty, because Hashem gave control over the land to humanity, to eat and to drink and to be merry, so long as His creations follow his will, and if they do not follow his will, the Earth is Hashem's.

The skies - Rabbi Moshe said: so it is written: To plant the heavens and to establish the lands, and those who have no sense might think that the dominion of humans over the land is the same as Hashem's dominion over the skies, and this is certainly not true, because Hashem is king over all that he controls, and has only granted permission to humanity – humans are like the officers of God on the land, over everything that is in it, but everything must be done by the word of Hashem.