Pharoahic or Phyrric Victory In this week's portion Moshe warns
the Egyptian nation about the last and most devastating of the
ten plagues - Death of the First Born. Therefore, he tells the
Egyptian ruler, "Thus says Hashem, 'At about midnight I will go
about Egypt and strike the first born'" (Exodus 11:4) The vague
expression "about midnight" is noted by Rashi who quotes the
Talmud in Tractate Berachos. In actuality, it was the plague
occurred exactly at midnight (Exodus 12:29). Why then, would
Hashem Whose all encompassing magnifying eye can discern
milliseconds as if they were eternities, need to identify the
time of striking with the vague reference "about midnight." Why
didn't Moshe warn the Egyptians that at the exact strike of
midnight Hashem would smite the Surely the indefinite timing was
not done to catch the Egyptians off guard. Hashem could have
told them the exact second and they would have been helpless and
defenseless in an attempt to stop Him! The Talmud explains that
Moshe was reluctant to sa