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The parallel in Shemos Rabbah makes this an unusually striking example of textual corruption. Where the Yalkut Shimoni reads כחלזון הזה היה יורד ומקצץ את האילנות—“it descended like this chilazon and cut down the trees”—Shemos Rabbah has יורד כפילקין וקוצץ את האילנות.
Kohut later on demonstrates that the latter is the authentic reading, pointing to additional parallel versions such as בפלכין / בפילקיס, and identifies the word with the Greek πέλεκυς (pelekys), meaning an axe. The sense is therefore straightforward: the hail came down with the force of an axe, chopping down the trees. Kohut accordingly concludes that חלזון in the Yalkut arose through a scribal corruption of פלכון/פילקין, rather than representing a different type of creature called a chilazon. This is particularly important when discussing the meaning of חלזון in Chazal: what at first appears to be a remarkable zoological counterexample disappears once the parallel Midrashic texts and the underlying Greek are taken into account.
It should be noted that Alexander Kohut, the author of the Aruch HaShalem, was associated with the nineteenth-century “Historical” school and was among the founders of the original Jewish Theological Seminary. This has no bearing, however, on the narrow textual point being made here. Kohut is cited not as a halachic or hashkafic authority, but as a philologist identifying a Greek loanword and comparing variant Midrashic texts. Indeed, his proposed reading does not depend upon accepting his authority: Shemos Rabbah itself preserves כפילקין, while other parallel texts preserve similar forms, and the Greek πέλεκυς (pelekys), “axe,” explains both the word and the context of וקוצץ את האילנות. Jewish scholarship has long distinguished between an author’s religious outlook and the usefulness of his linguistic or textual research. Marcus Jastrow is an obvious example: despite his own nineteenth-century religious affiliations and reforms, his dictionary remains a standard reference work even in the yeshiva world. The question in such a case is not who proposed the reading, but whether the manuscript evidence, parallel texts, language, and context support it.
Yalkut:
כחלזון הזה היה יורד ומקצץ את האילנות
Shemos Rabbah:
יורד כפילקין וקוצץ את האילנות
Greek:
πέλεκυς = axe
Main Text
(שמות ט טז) וְאוּלָם בַּעֲבוּר זֹאת וְגוֹ’. הוּא נִשְׁתַּיֵּר מִכָּל הַבְּכוֹרוֹת. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר “מִבְּכֹר פַּרְעֹה”, בָּא הַכָּתוּב לְלַמֵּד עַל פַּרְעֹה שֶׁהוּא בְּכוֹר, אוֹ לֹא בָּא לְלַמֵּד אֶלָּא עַל בְּנוֹ שֶׁהוּא בְּכוֹר, כְּשֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר (שם) “הַיֹּשֵׁב עַל כִּסְאוֹ” הֲרֵי בְּנוֹ אָמוּר, הָא מַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר “מִבְּכֹר פַּרְעֹה”, בָּא הַכָּתוּב לְלַמֶּדְךָ עַל פַּרְעֹה שֶׁהוּא בְּכוֹר וְנִשְׁתַּיֵּר מִכָּל הַבְּכוֹרוֹת. וּבַעַל צְפוֹן נִשְׁתַּיֵּר מִכָּל הַיִּרְאוֹת, כְּדֵי לְפַתּוֹת לִבָּן שֶׁל מִצְרִיִים, עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר “מַשְׂגִּיא לַגּוֹיִם וַיְאַבְּדֵם”. (שמות ט יח) כֵּיצַד הָיָה הַבָּרָד יוֹרֵד. רַבִּי פִּנְחָס וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה הַלֵּוִי, אֶחָד מֵהֶם אוֹמֵר, כַּחִלָּזוֹן הַזֶּה הָיָה יוֹרֵד וּמְקַצֵּץ אֶת הָאִילָנוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים עח, מז) “יַהֲרֹג בַּבָּרָד גַּפְנָם”. וְחָד אֲמַר, כַּחֲנָמַל הַזֶּה הָיָה יוֹרֵד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) “וְשִׁקְמוֹתָם בַּחֲנָמַל”. הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר כָּעֵת מָחָר. שָׂרַט לוֹ שְׂרִיטָה אַחַת עַל הַכֹּתֶל. אָמַר לוֹ, לְמָחָר כְּשֶׁתַּגִּיעַ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְכָאן אֲנִי מוֹרִיד בָּרָד עָלֶיךָ. אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיָה כָמֹהוּ. כָּמוֹהוּ לֹא הָיָה אֲבָל עָתִיד לִהְיוֹת, אֵימָתַי הוּא מְתֻקָּן, לְסַנְחֵרִיב, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי סִימוֹן, רַבִּי חֲנַנְיָה אוֹמֵר, לְמַכַּת גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר “וְגֶשֶׁם שׁוֹטֵף וְאַבְנֵי אֶלְגָּבִישׁ”. (שמות ט יט) שְׁלַח הָעֵז אֶת מִקְנְךָ. אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ, בְּכָל הַמַּכּוֹת לֹא אָמַר פַּרְעֹה ה’ הַצַּדִּיק אֶלָּא בְּמַכַּת הַבָּרָד בִּלְבָד, לָמָּה, שֶׁאָדָם כְּשֶׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ לְהִלָּחֵם עִם חֲבֵרוֹ וְנִצַּח אוֹתוֹ, פִּתְאוֹם הוּא בָא עָלָיו וְהוֹרְגוֹ, אֲבָל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לְפַרְעֹה, וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח הָעֵז אֶת מִקְנְךָ”. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אָמַר, (להלן פסוק כז) “ה’ הַצַּדִּיק”.
“וַיֵּט מֹשֶׁה אֶת מַטֵּהוּ עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם” המכות האלו שלוש על ידי אהרן ושלוש על ידי משה ושלוש על ידי הקדוש ברוך הוא ואחת על ידי כולן דם צפרדע כנים שהיו בארץ על ידי אהרן ברד ארבה חשך על ידי משה לפי שהן באויר שכך שלט משה בארץ ובשמים ערוב דבר מכת בכורות על ידי הקדוש ברוך הוא ושחין על ידי כולן. “וַה’ נָתַן קֹלֹת וּבָרָד” כל מקום שנאמר וה’ הוא ובית דינו שלמעלה שנאמר (בראשית כא א) וה’ פקד את שרה הוא וסנקליטון שלו וה’ נתן קולות וברד הוא וסנקליטון שלו. “וַתִּהֲלַךְ אֵשׁ אָרְצָה” נדונו כמשפט הרשעים בגיהנם היה יושב נכוה בברד עומד נכוה באש. “וַיְהִי בָּרָד וָאֵשׁ מִתְלַקַּחַת בְּתוֹךְ הַבָּרָד” נס בתוך נס רבי יהודה ורבי נחמיה חד אמר כפרנותא דרומנא דחרציניתיה מתחמיא מלגיו וחד אמר כהדין עששיתא דמיא ומשחא מתערבין כחדא ונורא דליק מן גויהון משל למה הדבר דומה לשני לגיונות קשין שהיו נלחמין זה עם זה לימים הגיע זמן מלחמתו של מלך ועשה המלך שלום ביניהם ועשו שליחות המלך ביחד כך אש וברד צהובין זה לזה כיון שהגיע זמן מלחמתה של מצרים עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא שלום ביניהם והכו במצרים הוי ויהי ברד ואש מתלקחת מהו “מִתְלַקַּחַת” מת לקחת לאחר שמכהו הברד לוקחו האש ושורפו. “וַיַּךְ הַבָּרָד בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם” ירד הברד והיה עשוי אנבטאות אנבטאות ומסבב את מקניהם ולא היו יכולים לצאת והיה המצרי מביא את המאכלת ושוחטה והעוף יורד עליו מלמעלה ואוכלו שנאמר (תהלים עח מח) ויסגר לברד בעירם ומקניהם לרשפים מהו ומקניהם לרשפים אלו העופות כמה דאת אמר (איוב ה ז) ובני רשף יגביהו עוף. “וְאֵת כָּל עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה הִכָּה הַבָּרָד וְאֶת כָּל עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה שִׁבֵּר” (במדרש תהלים) (תהלים עח מז) יהרוג בברד גפנם ושקמותם בחנמל רבי יהודה בר רבי שלום אמר מהו בחנמל בא נח מל ורבי פנחס אמר יורד כפילקין וקוצץ את האילנות. “רַק בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן {וְגוֹ’ לֹא הָיָה בָּרָד}.” למה ניצלת לפי שפטרונה עומד עליה הדא הוא דכתיב אשר שם בני ישראל לא היה ברד:
English Translation
“However, for this reason…” (Shemos 9:16). Pharaoh was left alive from among all the firstborn. And so the pasuk says, “from the firstborn of Pharaoh.”
Does the pasuk come to teach us that Pharaoh himself was a firstborn, or perhaps it is only telling us that his son was a firstborn? When the pasuk says, “who sits upon his throne,” his son is already mentioned. If so, what does “from the firstborn of Pharaoh” teach us? It comes to teach that Pharaoh himself was a firstborn, and he was left alive from among all the firstborn.
Similarly, Baal Tzefon was left standing from among all the Egyptian avodah zarahs, in order to entice the Egyptians and draw them after it. Regarding this the pasuk says, “He leads the nations astray and destroys them.”
“Behold, at this time tomorrow I will cause it to rain…” (Shemos 9:18). How did the hail come down? Rebbi Pinchas and Rebbi Yehudah HaLevi disagreed. One of them says: It came down like this chilazon and cut down the trees, as it says, “He killed their vines with hail” (Tehillim 78:47). The other says: It came down like this chanamal, as it says, “and their sycamore trees with chanamal.”
“Behold, at this time tomorrow I will cause it to rain.” Moshe scratched a line on the wall and said to Pharaoh: “Tomorrow, when the sun reaches this point, I will bring down hail upon you.”
“Such as there had never been before.” There had never yet been hail like it, but there will be such hail in the future. When is it prepared for? Rebbi Simon says, for Sancheriv. Rebbi Chananya says, for the plague of Gog and Magog, as the pasuk says, “a flooding rain and great hailstones.”
“Now send and gather in your livestock” (Shemos 9:19). Chazal said: Throughout all the makkos, Pharaoh never said “Hashem is righteous” except by makkas barad. Why?
Normally, when a person wants to fight his opponent and defeat him, he comes upon him suddenly and kills him. But HaKadosh Baruch Hu said to Pharaoh beforehand, “And now, send and gather in your livestock”—He even warned him to bring his animals into safety before the makkah came.
At that moment Pharaoh said, “Hashem is righteous.”
“Moshe stretched out his staff toward the heavens.”
These makkos were divided as follows: three came through Aharon, three through Moshe, three directly through HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and one through all of them together.
Dam, Tzefardeia, and Kinnim, which were connected with the earth, came through Aharon. Barad, Arbeh, and Choshech came through Moshe, since they were in the air; for Moshe had mastery, so to speak, over both earth and heaven. Arov, Dever, and Makkas Bechoros came directly through HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Shechin came through all of them together.
“And Hashem brought thunder and hail.” Wherever the Torah says “וַה׳ — and Hashem,” it means HaKadosh Baruch Hu together with His Beis Din above. Thus it says, “And Hashem remembered Sarah”—He and His heavenly court. So too, “And Hashem brought thunder and hail”—He and His heavenly court.
“And fire went down to the earth.” The Egyptians were judged like resha’im in Gehinnom: if a person was sitting, he was burned by the hail; if he stood up, he was burned by the fire.
“And there was hail, with fire flashing within the hail.” It was a nes within a nes.
Rebbi Yehudah and Rebbi Nechemiah disagreed about how this looked. One said it was like a pomegranate, whose seeds can be seen from within. The other said it was like a glass lamp, in which water and oil are mixed together and the fire burns from within them.
What can this be compared to? To two powerful armies that were constantly fighting with one another. Eventually the time came for the king to wage his own war. The king made peace between the two armies, and together they carried out the king’s mission.
So too, fire and hail are naturally opposed to one another. But when the time came for the war against Mitzrayim, HaKadosh Baruch Hu made peace between them, and together they struck the Egyptians. This is the meaning of:
“And there was hail, and fire flashing within the hail.”
What does מִתְלַקַּחַת — “flashing” mean? It can be read as מת לקחת — “waiting to take.” After the hail struck a person, the fire would take hold of him and burn him.
“The hail struck throughout the entire land of Egypt.” The hail came down and formed enclosures upon enclosures, surrounding their livestock so that the animals could not get out.
An Egyptian would then come with a slaughtering knife to shecht one of the animals, and a bird would swoop down from above and eat it. As the pasuk says:
“He delivered their animals to the hail, and their livestock to the reshafim.”
What does “their livestock to the reshafim” mean? It refers to the birds, as another pasuk says:
“And the בני רשף fly upward.”
“The hail struck all the grass of the field, and every tree of the field it broke.”
The Midrash Tehillim explains the pasuk:
“He killed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with chanamal.”
Rebbi Yehudah bar Rebbi Shalom said: What does בַּחֲנָמַל — “with chanamal” mean? It is a combination of the words בא נח מל—“it came, settled, and cut.”
Rebbi Pinchas said: It came down like pilkin—like axes—and chopped down the trees.
“Only in the land of Goshen, where Bnei Yisrael were, there was no hail.”
Why was Goshen spared? Because its patron/protector was standing over it. That is what the pasuk means when it says:
“Where Bnei Yisrael were, there was no hail.”
