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Why did the tenth plague occur specifically at midnight—a time that mathematically cannot exist? The shiur develops the yesod that chatzos halayla represents an event outside the parameters of time itself, proving that Hashem (ה׳) created time and space rather than existing within them. This wasn't merely a stronger plague—it was the knockout blow demonstrating ein od milvado, nothing exists but God.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a seeming contradiction: Rashi (רש"י) states that Pharaoh foresaw through astrology that the Jews would be affected by the star called "Ro," signifying bloodshed. Yet we have a fundamental principle that ein mazal l'Yisrael—the Jewish people are not subject to astrological signs. How could Klal Yisrael, especially after Har Sinai, be under the influence of astrology? This appears to contradict everything we understand about our relationship with Hashem (ה׳). The shiur then addresses a second difficulty: Why did Moshe say "kachatzos" (approximately midnight) instead of "bachatzos" (at midnight)? Rashi explains that Moshe was concerned the Egyptian astrologers might miscalculate by a few seconds and declare "Moshe badoi"—Moshe is a liar. But this seems absurd—when every firstborn in Egypt is dead, would anyone care about a thirty-second discrepancy? What possible comfort would this give the Egyptians?
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Parshas Bo (Shemos 11:4-5, 12:29); Parshas Ki Sisa; Rashi
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