THE FOURTH PLAGUE

A Nation is Born - Rabbi Avigdor Miller


"The Plague called Arov needs especial explanation. The word denotes "mixture", but it bespeaks no calamity and therefore seems to lack clarity. But we learn from this nane (Arov) that mixture is in itself a misfortune for the world, for Hashem ordained orderliness for the benefit of men. The various species by the plan of The Creator, keep apart from each other and refuse to mate out of their kind. It is Hashem's plan that many feed on other species, thus protecting the world from imbalance and over abundance of any single kind. This profoundly cunning system is essential to the worlds welfare, and mixing of species is highly undesirable and sometimes extremely harmful

Likewise, the mixing of Israel with other nations is greatly undesirable. "Behold a nation that dwells alone!" (Bamidbar 23:9). It is Hashem's plan that Israel remain aloof from all alien influence. But here in Egypt, where the nation of Israel was born, they were being kept in forced contact with the Egyptians, who refused to allow Israel to leave. This was a frustration of Hashem's plan, even more disasterous than the mixing of the animal species. The Arov came to demonstrate this principle."