שמות, פרק ט׳, פסוק ד׳

The plague of pestilence strikes the animals, drawing a miraculous and precise boundary between Egyptian and Israelite property. This event is designed to prove God's direct, personal providence, showing that His care extends beyond the people themselves to perfectly guard their possessions [מלבי״ם]. The separation between the two camps is absolute [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר].

The true wonder of this separation lies in the nature of the disease. Pestilence spreads through the air, meaning the contaminated environment naturally should have infected all livestock in the region. Yet, even when Egyptian and Israelite animals grazed side by side in the exact same field, breathing the exact same air, the disease only struck the Egyptian herds [שפתי כהן, ביאור יש״ר]. The narrative frames the Egyptians between two mentions of the Israelites to emphasize that the core of the miracle focused on the active protection of Israel [שפתי כהן].

The scope of God's protection was incredibly detailed. It covered animals fully owned by the Israelites, but it also extended to any creature in which an Israelite held a partial share, a legal claim, or some other financial benefit, even if the animal was primarily in the possession of an Egyptian [מלבי״ם, העמק דבר]. This sweeping defense was largely due to the merit of the righteous individuals within the nation. However, the property of wicked Israelites was also spared, preserving those assets so they could eventually be passed down to their righteous heirs [העמק דבר].

The survival of the animals was absolute, meaning not a single physical creature was lost [אבן עזרא, נתינה לגר, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The protection was so thorough that not only did every animal survive, but not a single limb on any animal lost its vitality or suffered harm [הכתב והקבלה]. This shield covered every creature in the Israelite camp. Even the dogs, which are typically the first to fall victim to such diseases and cry out, remained completely untouched [שפתי כהן]. The specific word used to confirm that not a single thing died serves as a deliberate play on words with the name of the plague itself, the pestilence [קאסוטו].