שמות, פרק י׳, פסוק י״ב

Following Pharaoh's persistent refusal to free the Israelites, the time arrives to unleash the plague of locusts upon Egypt. God commands Moses to perform a symbolic action that will summon a massive swarm of insects to completely devour whatever agricultural yield survived the devastation of the hail.

The primary approach among commentators is that Moses's gesture is simply meant to initiate the plague. However, other commentators view the command as a specific directional instruction. Moses is required to stretch his hand toward the south or east, the origin point of the swarm. Much like a person waving to call a friend from a distance, this action is meant to rouse the locusts from their resting place in the east and draw them into Egypt, a region where they do not naturally reside [ספורנו, העמק דבר, רש"ר הירש, שפתי כהן]. A more vivid perspective suggests that Moses performs a tangible symbolic act, either holding a physical locust in his hand, tying one to his staff, or verbally declaring the insect's name while extending his arm [אור החיים, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אבן עזרא בשם ר' משה הכהן]. Conversely, others completely reject the idea of a physical insect being used. They explain that unlike previous plagues, such as blood or frogs, where the physical action directly hinted at the nature of the plague, simply raising a hand in the air carries no inherent connection to locusts. Therefore, Moses must explicitly focus his thoughts on the locusts to summon them [גור אריה].

Moses is instructed to stretch his hand over the land of Egypt rather than over the sea, even though the winds carrying the swarm originate from the water. God specifically reserves the act of stretching a hand over the sea for the future splitting of the Red Sea, choosing not to employ that gesture here [חזקוני].

The core miracle of this plague is not the mere existence of the insects, as locusts are a common phenomenon in eastern regions. Rather, the miracle lies in God's absolute and precise control over the winds, which deliver the swarm to Egypt at the exact necessary moment and eventually carry them away [אברבנאל]. Some suggest that this specific swarm was prepared in advance, waiting in existence for the exact moment Moses's gesture calls them forth [אלשיך]. This unprecedented swarm consists of numerous species of varying colors and is so massive that it completely darkens the land [צאינה וראינה].

The ensuing devastation is absolute, as the locusts consume all the foliage and everything that remains from the hail [העמק דבר]. The survival of certain crops prior to this plague is not a matter of chance, but rather an intentional preservation. The hail does not randomly spare the wheat and spelt as insignificant debris. Instead, God deliberately keeps them intact with careful planning, specifically so they can serve as the designated food for the subsequent plague of locusts [הכתב והקבלה, מלבי"ם, אלשיך].