The Order of the Plagues

0:00Why did Hashem bring the plagues in the particular order? Let's review the order of the plagues that they came in. One answer is that Hashem acted like a general who goes to war against his enemy. Blood. Before the general and his army enter the enemy city, he poisons the enemies well so that they will have no more drinking water. In the same way, Hashem first cut off the Egyptian drinking water. Then the general commands his trumpet blowers and drummers to drum and blow their trumpet so loudly that the noise will frighten the enemy. Similarly, Hashem brought frogs making croaking noises that upset the Egyptians terribly, the noise of the frogs. The third, the lice. The general commands his soldiers to shoot arrows at the enemy in order to kill enemy soldiers and frighten the rest of them. In the same way, Hashem brought upon the Egyptians' lice which picked them like arrows.

1:00Wild animals. Before the attack, the general calls on other armies to join them in the fight. Similarly, Hashem called the wild animals together and fight against the Egyptians. The death of the animals. Before the battle, the general sends special messages and finds ways to destroy the enemy's animals. Hashem brought a special plague devor upon the Egyptians' animals and the Egyptians' animal died. Blisters. Hashem looked for ways to destroy soldiers in the enemy camp so that would be fewer soldiers to fight. So Hashem made the Egyptians sick by striking them with blisters. Hell. The general bombs the city with rocks and missiles Hashem sent down hailstorms upon the Egyptians. Grasshoppers. Finally, the general and his army entered the enemy city and destroyed it. Similarly, the grasshoppers destroyed all the fields that were still left over after the plague of hell. Darkness. The general throws many enemies into jail. Hashem brought such a deep darkness that imprisoned the Egyptians

2:05because they could not move. Killing the firstborn, the general kills the enemy's leaders to frighten the people and show them that he is in charge. Similarly, Hashem killed all the Egyptian firstborn because they have firstborn leaders that were the leaders and the priests in Egypt, the Egyptian firstborn. So we got a review of why the Hashem did the plagues in this certain order paralleling the war of a king coming to a foreign nation. He said,