Derasha 23 on Vaeira 8:15

Parashas Vaeira · Passuk 8:15

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ הַֽחַרְטֻמִּם֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה אֶצְבַּ֥ע אֱלֹהִ֖ים הִ֑וא וַיֶּחֱזַ֤ק לֵב־פַּרְעֹה֙ וְלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֣ע אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה׃ {ס}

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 67b (verified).

Sefaria — Exodus 8:15
Sefaria — Sanhedrin 67b
E-Daf — Sanhedrin 67b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text — Sanhedrin 67b
״אֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים הִיא״. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: מִכָּאן שֶׁאֵין הַשֵּׁד יָכוֹל לִבְרֹא בְּרִיָּה פָּחוֹת מִכְּשְׂעוֹרָה. רַב פָּפָּא אָמַר: אֲפִלּוּ כְּגַמְלָא נָמֵי לָא מָצֵי בָּרֵי, אֶלָּא הָא מִיכַּנֵּיף לֵיהּ, הָא לָא מִיכַּנֵּיף לֵיהּ.

English: “This is the finger of God.” Rabbi Elazar says this teaches that a demon cannot create a creature smaller than a barley grain; Rav Pappa says that even a camel cannot be created by a demon, but larger creatures can be gathered whereas smaller ones cannot.

On the daf / in context: See the cited source for the full section.

Type of Learning

Talmudic analysis of the limits of demonic creation

What Is Learned

Chazal explain why Pharaoh’s magicians could not reproduce the plague of lice: their supernatural agents could not create or gather creatures of sufficiently small size.