וְעָבַר ה' לִנְגֹּף אֶת-מִצְרַיִם, וְרָאָה אֶת-הַדָּם עַל-הַמַּשְׁקוֹף, וְעַל שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת; וּפָסַח ה' עַל-הַפֶּתַח, וְלֹא יִתֵּן הַמַּשְׁחִית, לָבֹא אֶל-בָּתֵּיכֶם לִנְגֹּף – And Gd will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when Gd sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Gd will pass over the door, and will not allow the angel of death to come to your houses to smite you. [Exodus 12:23] This verse seems to introduce a contradiction into our understanding of the story because the Midrash attributes to Gd as saying “I passed over the Land of Egypt; Me and not an angel, and I smote every first born.” If this midrashic statement from Gd is accurate and the very hand of Gd enacted the smiting of the first born, how do we understand this Biblical verse telling us that Gd did not allow the angel of death to visit the Israelite houses – after all, Gd is the one delivering the death to the first born children? The Vilna Gaon reminds us that death is a part of everyday life and during the course of any given day people die of various causes – a death delivered by the assigned angel of such. On the night of the original 'Passover', Gd did not allow the death of any Israelite who marked his lintel with blood. Thus, Gd prevented the angel that accompanies natural death from visiting on that very same night and no natural death was known that night to any Israelite.
וְעָבַר ה' לִנְגֹּף אֶת-מִצְרַיִם, וְרָאָה אֶת-הַדָּם עַל-הַמַּשְׁקוֹף, וְעַל שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת; וּפָסַח ה' עַל-הַפֶּתַח, וְלֹא יִתֵּן הַמַּשְׁחִית, לָבֹא אֶל-בָּתֵּיכֶם לִנְגֹּף – And Gd will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when Gd sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Gd will pass over the door, and will not allow the angel of death to come to your houses to smite you. [Exodus 12:23] This verse seems to introduce a contradiction into our understanding of the story because the Midrash attributes to Gd as saying “I passed over the Land of Egypt; Me and not an angel, and I smote every first born.” If this midrashic statement from Gd is accurate and the very hand of Gd enacted the smiting of the first born, how do we understand this Biblical verse telling us that Gd did not allow the angel of death to visit the Israelite houses – after all, Gd is the one delivering the death to the first born children? The Vilna Gaon reminds us that death is a part of everyday life and during the course of any given day people die of various causes – a death delivered by the assigned angel of such. On the night of the original 'Passover', Gd did not allow the death of any Israelite who marked his lintel with blood. Thus, Gd prevented the angel that accompanies natural death from visiting on that very same night and no natural death was known that night to any Israelite.
