Community Magazine April 2019

adar II - nissan 5779 april 2019 57 How Did the Fish Die? The Nile River turned into blood, with the same taste, smell, and composition of actual blood. Since the human body temperature is 98.6 degrees, the temperature of the Nile became much warmer than normal. The change in temperature killed all the fish in the Nile River. Why Did the Nile Emit Such a Strong Odor? Once the fish began to die, the smell of their rotting flesh, combined with the blood, caused a dreadful stench throughout Egypt. Believe it or not, some Egyptians tried drinking the blood in the river, but they were unable to, because of the putrid odor. Did the Plague Consist of Real Blood? When the Egyptians saw that the fish died in the Nile, they realized that the blood was not just some kind of magic trick or illusion, and that the water had turned into real blood. Blood-colored water would not have killed all the fish, and so the dead fish made it apparent that the river had turned into real blood. (Rabbenu Bahya; Kesef Nivhar; Kesef Mezukak) Did Only the Water Turn to Blood? Even the Egyptians’ fruit was affected by this plague – the juices that were squeezed from their fruits also turned into blood. (Shemot Rabbah 9,10 / Midrash Hagadol 7). Is the Plague Documented in Egyptian Historical Records? In the early 19 th century, an ancient papyrus was discovered in Egypt. It was taken to the Leiden Museum in Holland, and interpreted by A.H. Gardiner in 1909. The papyrus was written by an Egyptian named Ipuwer and appears to be an eyewitness account of the devastation wrought by the ten plagues throughout Egypt. Describing the plague of blood, the text in the papyrus states the following: (see text on the parchment on right) The Ipuwer Papyrus 2:5-6 Plague is throughout the land. Blood is everywhere. 2:10 The river is blood. 2:10 Men shrink from tasting… and thirst for water. 3:10-13 That is our water! What shall we do…? All is ruin. Ipuwer Papyrus