Mishnah 4 - Chapter 5 - Pirkei Avot
Mishnah 4 - Chapter 5 - Pirkei Avot
עֲשָׂרָה נִסִּים נַעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרַיִם וַעֲשָׂרָה עַל הַיָּם. עֲשָׂרָה נִסְיוֹנוֹת נִסּוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אֶת הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא בַמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יד), וַיְנַסּוּ אֹתִי זֶה עֶשֶׂר פְּעָמִים וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹלִי
Chapter 5 / Mishnah 4 : Transliterated Pirkei Avot
Asarah nissim na'asu la'avoteinu vemitzrayim va'asarah al hayam. Asarah nisyonot nissu avoteinu et hammakom baruch hu vammidbar, shenne'emar (vmdvr d), vaynassu oti zeh eser pe'amim velo shame'u bekoli
Chapter 5 / Mishnah 4 - Pirkei Avot translated into english
Ten miracles were wrought for our ancestors in Egypt, and ten at the sea. Ten plagues did the Holy one, blessed be He, bring upon the Egyptians in Egypt and ten at the sea. [With] ten trials did our ancestors try God, blessed be He, as it is said, “and they have tried Me these ten times and they have not listened to my voice” (Numbers 14:22).
Description / commentaries - Pirkei Avot - Mishnah 4 - Chapter 5
Ten miracles were performed for our fathers in Egypt, [their being saved from the ten plagues, and all of them (the plagues) having been against the Egyptians and not against Israel], and ten on the sea: [one — the splitting of the sea; two — (Habakkuk 3:14): "You pierced with his own staffs the head of his outspread (troops)"; three — the sea floor became dry, without clay and tar, viz. (Exodus 14:29): "And the children of Israel walked on the dry land in the midst of the sea"; four — the sea floor that the Egyptians pursuing Israel trod upon dampened into clay and tar, viz. (Habakkuk 3:15): "Many waters clayed"; five — the waters that solidified on the sea floor did not become one mass but small units like bricks and paving stones aligned with each other, viz. (Psalms 74:13): "You crumbled the sea with Your strength" — the sea became pieces; six — the solidified water hardened and became as hard as rocks, viz. (Ibid.): "You broke the head of sea-serpents (the Egyptians) against the waters"; seven — the sea broke into twelve pieces, so that each tribe cross on its own path, viz. (Ibid. 136:13): "To Him who cut the sea into pieces"; eight — the sea froze into sapphire, onyx, and glass so that the tribes could see each other, the pillar of fire lighting them, viz. (Ibid. 18:12) "The darkness of waters [became like] the clouds of heaven," "as the appearance of the heavens in brightness" (Exodus 24:10); nine — there issued forth from it sweet water, which they drank, viz. (Ibid. 15:8): "running waters"; ten — after they had drunk their fill of them, what was left of them froze and became mounds, viz. (Ibid.) "The waters were piled up; the running waters stood up as a wall."] The Holy One Blessed be He brought ten plagues upon the Egyptians in Egypt ["datzach" "adash" "bachav"] and ten upon the sea, [corresponding to the ten "fallings" (of the Egyptians) in the song at the sea: (Exodus 15:1) "He cast into the sea"; (Ibid. 4) "They were mired in the Red Sea"; (Ibid. 5) "The depths covered them"; (Ibid.) "They dropped to the depths"; (Ibid.) "They plummeted like lead" — ten fallings. ("The earth swallowed them up" (Ibid. 12) is not included in the "fallings," this being to their benefit, that they merited burial.] Our forefathers tried the L rd with ten trials in the desert: [two at the sea, one at their descending there, viz. (Ibid. 14:11): "Are there no graves in Egypt?" and one upon ascending thence, viz. (Ibid. 18:23): "And they came to Marah… and they complained"; one in Refidim (Ibid. 17:2): "And the people quarreled with Moses"; twice with the manna: (Ibid. 16:29): "Let no man go out" — and they did go out; (Ibid. 19): "Let no man leave over of it" — and they did leave over; twice with the quail: the first — (Ibid. 3): "when we sat over the flesh-pot"; the second (Numbers 11:4): "And the rabble among them"; one with the golden calf and one (each) with the pretext-seekers (mithonenim) and the spies, the tenth trial,] viz. (Numbers 14:22): "And they have proved Me this ten times and did not heed My voice."