Parashas Bo · Shemos 11:4 · TT note 1
Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi
Torah Temimah on Shemos 11:4, note 1 (on כַּחֲצֹת הַלַּיְלָה) points to Berachos 3b.
Sefaria — Exodus 11:4
Sefaria — Torah Temimah on Exodus 11:4
Sefaria — Berachos 3b
E-Daf — Berachos 3b
English: Did David know exactly when midnight was? Even Moshe our teacher did not know, as it is written: “About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt.” What is the meaning of “about midnight”? If the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself said “about midnight” to Moshe — is there doubt before Heaven? Rather: He said to him “at midnight,” and Moshe came and said “about midnight,” which shows that Moshe was uncertain about the exact moment.
Derash on the wording כַּחֲצֹת (“about midnight”) versus an exact midpoint, clarifying that the approximation is Moshe’s speech to Pharaoh, not uncertainty before Heaven.
The passuk’s “about midnight” teaches that Moshe phrased the time approximately when addressing Pharaoh, while the decree itself was fixed at midnight. The Gemara uses this to contrast human limitation even in prophecy with the exactness of Heaven’s word.