Blood, frogs, and lice

Abstract

This article analyses the initial three plagues through the eyes of various Torah commentaries and synthesizes scientific explanations within the discussions. The approach, noted by Rav E. Munk [1], is as follows: “In the miracles recorded in the Torah, the supernatural is often interwoven with the natural and the plagues may be defined as miraculously intensified forms of the diseases and other natural occurrences encountered in Egypt.” Rav E. Dessler [2] explained that there is no essential difference between the natural and the miraculous. We term an act as a miracle when HaShem causes a novel occurrence, unfamiliar to us. Everyday natural events, those governed by the so-called laws of nature, are also miracles, but their common occurrence and recognizable patterns dilute their significance.