Vaeira 5786 – Frogs were Taxing everywhere

Border disputes are nothing new and are critical in determining jurisdictions for taxation. In 2022, the deal to resolve the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon opened up natural gas reserves for both countries, leading to billions of shekels in tax revenue for Israel.

Many years ago, Egypt and Ethiopia were involved in a border dispute of their own, each claiming land and natural resources that could be taxed for the good of the country.

Then came the frogs. As the Passuk (27:7) says, the frogs only went within the land of Egypt. The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 10:2) comments that this fact proved useful in determining the exact land border between Egypt and Ethiopia, ending a long-standing dispute.

However, the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 13:5) makes the exact same comment in next week’s Parsha regarding the locusts. The locusts also stayed strictly within Egyptian territory, enabling the determination of Egypt’s borders.

The question is obvious: surely this issue had already been resolved by the frogs?

The Chebina Rov said that all the border posts were knocked down by the hail, so they were back to square one.

This question was posed to Rav Chaim Kanievski, who gave his typical insightful and concise reply: “There’s no stopping Ba’alei Machlokes.” The Egyptians and their neighbours weren’t interested in resolving their issues and moving on toward a peaceful relationship for the good of everybody. No amount of miracles was going to help.

For any frog related or other financial issues you require assistance with please reach out at [email protected].

Good Shabbos.