Torah Down Under

The passuk in this week’s sedrah (9:5) says וַיָּשֶׂם ה' מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר מָחָר יַעֲשֶׂה ה' הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה בָּאָרֶץ And Hashem set an appointed time saying, “Tomorrow Hashem will bring this pestilence to the land.” Why does the Torah use the word מוֹעֵד with regards to dever (but not with any of the other makkos )? The Pachad Yitzchak explains as follows: The Maharal ( Gevuros Hashem 57 ) explains that each of the eser makkos corresponded to one of the eser ma’amaros of brias ha’olam . מכה מאמר Connection דם וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת כָּל עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ When people eat, the food becomes part of their blood. צפרדע וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה The creatures of the water became destructive. כנים וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל מָקוֹם...

The passuk says in this week’s sedrah ; וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹקִים אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי ה׳. וָאֵרָא אֶל אַבְרָהָם אֶל יִצְחָק וְאֶל יַעֲקֹב בְּקֵל שַׁקי וּשְׁמִי ה׳ לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם. וְגַם הֲקִמֹתִי אֶת בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם לָתֵת לָהֶם אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן אֵת אֶרֶץ מְגֻרֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר גָּרוּ בָהּ “ Elokim spoke to Moshe and He said to him, ‘I am Hashem . I appeared to Avraham, to Yitzchak and to Yaakov through the name Kel Shakai but through my name Hashem I was not known to them. I have also established my covenant with them to give to them the land of Kenaan, the land of their sojournings within which they dwelled.’” The name Elokim refers to the middas hadin, the strict judgement of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The name Hashem refers to the middas harachamim, the kindness shown by Hakadosh Baruch Hu . How can the passuk say, ‘ Vayedaber Elokim el Moshe vayomer elav ani Hashem ’? If Hashem appeared to Moshe with strict judgement then He did ...