Fire and Ice

In the seventh of the Ten Plagues, G‑d caused a devastating hailstorm to rain down upon Egypt, striking all the people and livestock that were not indoors, and crushing all the remaining crops and trees. In addition, says the Torah, the balls of ice miraculously contained fire.

The purpose of this unusual and doubly miraculous plague was not only to destroy Egypt’s crops, but also to crush the Egyptians’ delusional arrogance.

Egypt did not depend on rain for the irrigation of its crops. Rather, from time to time the waters of the Nile would rise, and through a system of pools and canals the entire land would be irrigated. This independence from rain led the people of Egypt to believe that they were entirely self‑sufficient and not at G‑d’s mercy for their survival. The prophet Yechezkel therefore describes Pharaoh as “the great crocodile that lies down in the midst of its rivers, who said, ‘My river is my own, and I made myself.’”

As the commentaries explain, Pharaoh felt that “I do not need the heavens, for my river provides all my necessities.”

To strike down their arrogance and false sense of security, G‑d caused a supernatural mix of fire and ice to rain from the heavens.

Ice represents the conceited person’s coldness—his aloofness and indifference to others. At the same time, the arrogant person can be heatedly passionate—about himself. These two manifestations of arrogance are in fact two sides of the same coin: the conceited person’s iciness toward others is due to his adoration of himself.

Accordingly, G‑d crushed the Egyptians’ arrogance with the plague of hail—a combination of fire and ice.

—Reshimos, no. 27