Pharaoh still refuses to let the Jews leave Egypt, so G-d brings more plagues
on Egypt. In the eighth plague, a very strong wind brings in great swarms of
locusts, which are like grasshoppers. There are so many of them that they
darken the earth and eat all the greenery, plants and fruits from the trees, and
there is no more food in the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh refuses to let the Jews go, so in the ninth plague, G-d brings a
very thick darkness on Egypt. For seven full days, all of Egypt (except
for the homes of the Jews)is covered in complete and total darkness. The
Egyptians can't see anything at all, and for the last three days of the plague,
the darkness is so thick that they can't even move!
Pharaoh still remains stubborn, so G-d will bring one final plague
upon him and his people. But before that, G-d gives the Jews some important
things to do. In fact, the Jews now get their very first mitzvah--a special
commandment from G-d. Eventually, the Jews receive many mitzvot, but this first
one establishes that special connection. In this mitzvah, the Jews are
commanded to set up a calendar based on the cycle of the moon. And this is
the same Jewish calendar that we use today, over three thousand years later! Next the Jews must each bring
a sacrifice of a goat or a lamb and brush the blood on to their doorposts. This way, when the final plague comes, G-d will know which houses to pass over.
(All these miracles are celebrated on a special Jewish holiday called
Passover--because G-d passed over the Jewish homes.) The Jews must then
eat the roasted meat with Matzah and bitter herbs.
Now, for the tenth and final plague: On the fourteenth of the month of Nissan, at
exactly midnight, every Egyptian firstborn dies.
Pharaoh is terrified, for he
himself is a firstborn; he jumps out of bed and rushes to find Moses and Aaron.
When he does, he simply shouts frantically, "Go! Go! Leave this land, you and
all the Jews. Take your sheep and your cattle and whatever you want. JUST GO!"
And with that, after 210 years of slavery, Pharaoh practically chases the Jews
out of Egypt. So they leave quickly, so quickly, in fact, that their dough does
not have time to rise and and becomes matzah--the very same flat bread that we
eat on Passover. But they do have time to ask the Egyptians for their gold and silver, emptying Egypt of all its wealth.
Now that the Jews are free, G-d tells Moses about the holiday that they will
be celebrating each year to remember the occasion, Passover, by eating Matza and
telling the story to their children. The Jews also receive the mitzvah of
Tefillin, special boxes that are put on the head and arm to remind us of our
exodus from Egypt and the connection we feel to G-d since then.
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