There are few people I have met who have accomplished as much as Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald. It is a daunting task to calculate how many people have been inspired by his Beginners’ Service, how many such services have been formed because of his example, how many people have sat at his Shabbat table and been transformed, how many people have been touched by NJOP, how many people he regularly calls to offer warm words of support. He regularly called me when I was seriously ill to let me know that I was in his thoughts and prayers and was not alone. How many of us can do as much as has Rabbi Buchwald?

And yet; he suffers. He is tortured by the thought that there are so many he has yet to touch. He once told me in response to a compliment, “It’s only a drop in the bucket.”

I once visited Reb Shlomo zt”l in his room upstairs at the Carlebach shul and saw the huge garbage bags filled with small pieces of paper with the names, adresses and phone numbers of all the people he met over the years all over the world; he intended to hand the bags to Mashiach to make sure that not a single “holy yiddele” would miss the news that the Messiah had come. “That’s awesome,” I said, “this is your ticket into Gan Eden (Paradise).” To which he responded, “It’s only a drop in the bucket!”

Why is it that it’s the people who do the most who are most aware of, “It’s only a drop in the bucket”? Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, says it. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai says it. These people seem to have a greater sense of the possibilities of life.

I realized that we mention “It’s only a drop in the bucket,” in the Haggadah: We take a drop from our cups of wine for each of the Ten Plagues, as if to say, “What we are describing is only a drop in the bucket of what God did with this plague!” “This plague, one of the ‘big things’ we celebrate, is not even a drop in the bucket of what God does!”

We use the “It’s only a drop in the bucket” approach again with Dayeinu; or, “We are limited,” in our ability to appreciate all the good that God does for us!”

Reb Shlomo, and ybcl”c, Rabbi Buchwald, remind us that it’s not enough to say, “It’s only a drop in the bucket”; we have to live it!

Perhaps this is the reason that the Kohen takes small drops of the blood of the guilt-offering and the oil and drips them on the Metzorah who is coming to be purified; “This is only a drop in the bucket; it’s up to you to make it more!”

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

In Devonshire, toads were burned because they were believed to be in league with the devil, while in Cambridgeshire, toads were said to be able to predict storms. In the same country there were “toadmen” who had devilish power over horses and were able to make them either controllable or uncontrollable at whim.

The last known record of the practice was as recent as 1938. To become a toadman it was necessary to skin a toad or alternatively to pin it to an anthill until its bones were picked clean. The aspiring toadman would carry the bones in his pocket until they were completely dry. Then, waiting for the full moon, he would plunge the bones into a stream at midnight. Directly they were immersed, the bones would scream aloud one would drift of on its own. Providing he was able to rescue this bone, then the demonic league would be made and a fully-fledged toadman would emerge.  (The Devil’s Dominion)

There’s more than one way to be attacked by a frog! I imagine that the Egyptians reacted to the plague of frogs with fear of being attacked by Toadmen, or Toads “in league with the devil.”

It begins with a superstition; another type of slavery: Toads are in league with the devil. The next step is to figure out a complex ceremony or process through which we can figure out how to access the toad’s power. The Egyptians were big on magic and superstition. The plague of Blood attacked their belief in the mysterious, ‘godly,” powers of the Nile. The plague of Frogs attacked their belief in “magic.” It forced them to confront their superstitious fears, and prove to them that they too were slaves; slaves to their fears. The Children of Israel did not fear the frogs. They were free of them, (a taste of freedom), and free of the fear (more freedom).

The Seder is a complex ceremony filled with mystery and secrets behind each step. It’s ripe for superstition. I know people who use breaking the Matzah to break their enemies. They dip the Karpas with the belief that it will bring them wealth. Frankly, it’s no more than superstition; another form of slavery. I guess we could call them Toadmen!

We do believe that everything we do during the Seder matters, but not as a superstition, but as a form of changing ourselves; growing into greater human beings, not Toadmen.

We can use each step of the Seder to work on ourselves:

Kadesh: Setting a goal of achieving Sanctity in all we do.

Urchatz: Honoring our actions with preparation. I wash my hands before visiting the ill just as I wash before I pray. I wash my hands before comforting a mourner. I wash my hands before calling my Rebbi to wish him a Good Shabbos.

and there’s more…

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The westerly wind whines sharp,

wild geese cry in the sky, the frosty morning’s moon.

Frosty the morning’s moon,

horses clatter hard,

stifled the sound of the trumpet.

“Loushan Pass” by Mao Zedong, 1935

No, I’m not becoming a communist. I am intrigued by the idea of Mao as a poet, and wonder whether Pharaoh was as well.

I can imagine him going out to the Nile early in the morning when the plague of Hail was just beginning, terrified by the noise, perhaps even more than the hail itself, and composing a similar poem. All of Egypt’s chariots and might army, all of its work projects, were silenced. The only sound was that of the sky thundering, shaking his kingdom.

What was he thinking? I suspect that he had to laugh at himself, chuckle over the irony that he, the man who turned his back to Moshe and Aharon, pretending to not even hear them demand the release of the Children of Israel, could now, not even hear himself. He could hear only God’s message, brought by Moshe. He now had to listen; there was nothing else to hear.

How interesting that we too constantly remind ourselves to hear: Shema Yisrael, Hear O Israel. God wants us to hear His message. He wants us to pay attention. He wants us to listen to our words as we pray. He wants us to hear the way Pharaoh heard God’s message on the morning of the Hail; Listen as if it His, is the only sound in the world.

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My wife is convinced that I need our dog’s “help” to shovel the snow. Unfortunately, Pip doesn’t realize that he is outside to help. He believes that we are outside to play. He thinks the shovel is a toy and, he does what dogs do when they want to play; he barks, non-stop, and shockingly loud for such a sweet boy. I can’t complain about Mommy’s baby or send him back inside because his Mommy’s bite is worse than Pip’s bark.

I want some quiet. I love to hear the shovel scraping the ground and scooping the powdery snow. There are few people outside. The streets are still. I am working, but I am relaxing. I need the silence, just to hear my own thoughts.

I can understand why “Kolot”, loud noises, characterizes the plague of Hail. People often miss that the Slaying of the First Born is portrayed as causing screaming and crying in Egyptian neighborhoods and absolute quiet in the Jewish areas; not even a Pip barked. The Egyptians were assaulted by noise. The Jews were blessed with silence. The world of both nations was changing. The Egyptians were not afforded an opportunity to reflect on all the lessons assaulting them. They did not have any thinking space. The Egyptians could not change or repent. Those things demand a certain silence, and they, had none.

The Jews had silence. They broke that silence only when they began to share their stories with each other and their children. They had enough quiet time to think. They could contemplate their new realities.

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We could see the other plagues. We saw the blood, frogs, wild animals, hail, boils and locusts. We saw their animals die. Ironically, we cannot actually see this plague: darkness. The Egyptians appear blind. Moshe told us that they are suffering darkness, but all we see is their moving around as blind people.

When we gathered this morning we could see that the Egyptians are not even moving. It’s as if they are stuck in cement. We see them suffer, but we cannot see from what.

This is also the first plague in which some of us are dying. Only we can see the funerals and graves. Something has changed. We were told to search the Egyptian homes for their hidden treasures, but to not steal. Frankly, we are happy to do as instructed. We are all uncomfortable during this invisible plague, and we’re all frightened by the deaths of so many of us.

People aren’t talking. There is quiet in every Jewish home. There is disquiet in our hearts. It took time for us to adjust to the new realities of our lives as we watched God punish our masters. Our work ended; we are no longer slaves but we are not yet free. We are no longer Egyptians, but we do not yet feel that we are Israel. Our children are beginning to ask questions to which we have no answers. This plague of darkness is a time of darkness for us as we wait and wonder what next.

My friend commented how ironic it is that we, in a dark fog, fell into the trap of slavery, and now, at the end, it is the Egyptians who live in darkness. Everyone was silent after his comment. We are ashamed of how easily we fell into the Egyptian trap. Many are blaming about our ancestors. Some are critical of Jacob and his sons for leading us down into Egypt more than two centuries ago. “My heart is full of dark feelings,” I unknowingly said aloud. My friends looked up, mouths agape; my words had hit a painful mark.

We decided to speak to Moshe and Aharon and voice our fears, and just then, the elders sent a mass email and text message summoning all of us to a meeting.

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The hail came down on Egypt, and smote every man, beast and herb in the field. Yet, in Chapter 9, verses 31 and 32, it says: The flax and the barley were smitten, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom (they were grown up). But the wheat and the rye were not smitten because they were not grown up.

Rashi explains that since they were not grown up, they were tender and bent with the wind. The grown produce had hardened, and therefore could be broken and destroyed.

I find it interesting that these sentences are placed after Pharaoh tells Moses he has had enough.   And Moses stopped the hail. Why are sentences 31 and 32 separated from the main part of the hail story?

I think they are put separately to call attention to an important lesson.

When people are young, they are searching and looking for a way of life.  They may hear one idea and start to implement it. Then they hear another idea and investigate that one. Then they decide to go on one path and this becomes a hardened ideology.

The problem is, sometimes life presents us with new ideas and new realities. And human nature seems to stifle people in their ability to then bend to a new reality. They do not think through the new situation. Rather, they stick to their guns defending what they are doing. They are hardened. When they are that hard, they may be broken and swept away to make room for a new reality that provides better answers for the current situation.

This can be seen very clearly from the siege of the Second Temple.  Rav Yochanam Ben Zakai was smuggled out of Jerusalem so he could meet with the  Roman General Vespasian. Vespasian granted him one request. Rav Yochanan did not respond by asking Vespasian to spare Jerusalem. Instead he asked for the school of Yavneh. There is a disagreement among the sages of the Gemara as to whether he should have asked for Jerusalem. Rav Yochanan decided this was not the time to ask for something he might not get. What was the result? Jews are studying Judaism today. We do not know, given all the wars in the Middle East throughout the centuries, whether the temple would have survived. There is a good chance the Temple would have been destroyed after the Bar Kochba revolt 65 years later. Rav Yochanan  understood when to bend.

Another example is one many people experience. They may be in a profession for years. They are comfortable in their knowledge. But new technology requires them to change the way they operate. Not bending and learning can cost them their career. Or, they may be unhappy with their career. But, to change would require changing their income, their distance from work or other major variables. They may be hardened to any change, even if it would be more advantageous in the long run. They will not be as happy or fulfilled.

Let us learn from the wheat and the rye.

May we all have the wisdom to know whether it is time to stand our ground, or to bend.

The blood has been gone for a few days. The city is humming again, except for all the work projects that have stopped. The Egyptians stay away from us. Everyone is wondering whether the blood plague was the end of it. I already overhear some of my former masters whispering, “We’ll get them back and make sure they suffer.”

The word on the street is that Moshe is going to the palace today to confront Pharaoh. We are all betting on whether Pharaoh will officially declare the end of the slavery. I don’t know about this “Let My people go,” business. Where will we go? Why would I want to go into the desert to serve God? Then what?

No one knows what’s going on.

There’s this weird noise coming from the Nile. Frogs! Millions of them! People are running. It’s unbelievable, but the frogs are staying away from the Jews and attacking the Egyptians. They’re swarming all over them, hopping through the windows and doors. The Egyptians are running into their homes and then running out. They have nowhere to run. The frogs are all over the Egyptians, but they are staying away from us! How does this happen?

We are all standing around watching this bizarre scene. I don’t know whether the frog attack itself is the big miracle or the amazing fact that they do not even come near the Jews. How did Moshe do that?

One guy next to me says, “Obviously, God is protecting us. He is protecting each one of us as individuals.” Why? Why would such a powerful God protect me, a slave? I don’t understand. Is it just because I am a descendant of Jacob? Does this guy really believe that God is paying attention to me as an individual?

I understand that He wants to punish the Egyptians, but why is He protecting me?

My children can’t stop talking about God’s love for us. They are speaking about the Jews as supermen. The kids have quickly forgotten that we were slaves just a few weeks ago. They are convinced that God will always make us feel so special.

I see the “love,” but I also see His Power and anger. Which God will we be serving in the desert? I assume we’ll be going soon, because there is no way that the Egyptians will not give in right away. How could they not?

I am not sure whether to be excited or scared of God: This is great, but what happens when He becomes angry with us.

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He set him up!

“Moses said to Pharaoh, “glorify yourself over me – for when should I entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, to excise the frogs from you and from your houses?

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

(Read verse 8:4) What happened?

“Glorify yourself over me.” The plagues, their warnings, even their endings, were designed to force Pharaoh and the Egyptians to confront themselves.

Which was worse?

The plague or their internal battles and questions?

There’s more..

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The entire city is shut down. Rumor has it that the entire country is at a standstill. I don’t have to go to work on the pyramids today, it seems that the entire slavery structure has collapsed.

The Egyptians look at us differently. They no longer have that disgusting arrogant look in their eyes as they abuse us and demand that we do all their work for them. Their eyes are dark from thirst. They look at us with desperation. The same taskmasters who, just a week ago, were whipping us to work are now shamefully knocking at our doors begging for water. A few days ago I was, “Slave!” Now they call me Mr.

I handed my old boss a glass of water, which immediately changed into blood as soon as he grasped the glass. I could tell that he was tempted to toss the blood in my face in his frustration and desperate thirst, but he was actually so frightened of me that he controlled his reaction. This is great!

I don’t have to go to work in the morning. My friends and I gather each day drinking fresh water from the local well, sharing our experiences and feelings.

To be honest, rather than celebrate, we are all actually uneasy. We wonder what will happen next.

Are we, as Moses said, going to leave” Where will we go? Why can’t we stay here in Egypt and live as we did in the good old days of Joseph? Why can’t we turn the Egyptians into slaves?

Moshe hasn’t spoken to us since before his very cool snake trick. I can barely understand him when he speaks. I am just one of thousands in the crowd and his speech isn’t that clear, but why is he silent?

I decided to go to his house and found large crowds gathered waiting to hear what he has to say, but he remains silent.

I see his brother Aaron speaking calmly with a bunch of the guys. He’s really a nice and warm fellow.

“So, tell me,” he is saying, “what does it feel like to have water when the Egyptians only have blood? Do you feel that God is taking care of you?”

To tell you the truth, I’ve been so overwhelmed by everything that’s happening, that I haven’t thought about God and me. I mean, I have a problem with God: “Why did He let this happen to us in the first place?

I must have spoken aloud because Aaron turned to me and said, “Are you sure that God placed you in this situation? Weren’t your parents so desperate to prove their loyalty to Pharaoh that they were tricked into slavery?”

I turned my back to him and left. I don’t have to hear this.

I wonder, “If I turn my back on Aaron, will I still have water?”

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In his autobiography, Vladimir Nabokov describes the gratitude he feels in the presence of a rare butterfly. “This is ecsatsy, and behind ecstasy is something else, which is hard to explain. It is like a momentary vacuum into which rushes all that I love. A sense of oneness with sun and stone. A thrill of gratitude to whom it may concern – to the contrapuntal genius of human fate or to tender ghosts humoring a lucky mortal.”

When we describe the Ten Plagues, the miracles of the Exodus, and the Splitting of the Sea to our children in the Haggadah, we want them to feel exactly as Nabokov felt about his rare butterfly, without the “tender ghosts humoring a lucky mortal.”

We want them to feel so overwhelmed by God’s miracles and love that they experience ecstasy and the thrill of gratitude. That is why the Haggadah is not satisfies with Ten Plagues and one miracle at the Sea, but expands the Plagues into 40 and then 50 and insists that 50 miracles, no, 200, no, 250 miracles occured at the Sea. We want our children to experience the same ecstasy that our ancestors felt while observing the Plagues and while crossing the Sea.

We want that ecstasy to expand into the thrill of gratitude and we therefore list the 15 miracles of the Dayeinu immediately after the description of the Splitting of the Sea.

The ecstasy and gratitude must be “like a momentary vacuum into which rushes all that I love,” so we conclude Maggid with that most powerful expression of love – the Hallel.

We do not need the rare butterfly. We need only to reflect on our history.

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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.