Some people simply never learn. For nearly a year, Pharaoh was relentlessly struck by one devastating plague after another, yet he stubbornly refused to let the Jewish people leave Egypt. Time and again, during each plague, he begged Moshe to intervene and put an end to the calamities afflicting his land. Though he made repeated promises to release the Jews, he never truly admitted fault or took responsibility. Each time disaster struck, Pharaoh implored Moshe to stop the suffering—but his stubbornness remained unshaken.

וַיִּקְרָ֨א פַרְעֹ֜ה לְמֹשֶׁ֣ה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַעְתִּ֣ירוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְיָסֵר֙ הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים מִמֶּ֖נִּי וּמֵֽעַמִּ֑י וַאֲשַׁלְּחָה֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וְיִזְבְּח֖וּ לַיהֹוָֽה׃

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with יהוה to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to Hashem .”

Sometimes he would offer unrestricted freedom, only to renege when the plagues ceased. Never, except on one occasion, did Pharaoh admit that G-d was correct and he was corrupt.

That exception was the plague of hail. In fact, the plague of hail was so powerful that evenHashem Himself categorized it in a unique way. Moshe quoted Hashem to Pharaoh

כִּ֣י ׀ בַּפַּ֣עַם הַזֹּ֗את אֲנִ֨י שֹׁלֵ֜חַ אֶת־כׇּל־מַגֵּפֹתַי֙ אֶֽל־לִבְּךָ֔ וּבַעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ וּבְעַמֶּ֑ךָ בַּעֲב֣וּר תֵּדַ֔ע כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין כָּמֹ֖נִי בְּכׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

For this time I will send all My plagues upon your person, and your courtiers, and your people, in order that you may know that there is none like Me in all the world.

https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.9.14

Why did Hashem consider the hail a more powerful act than His turning water into blood, or delivering pestilence, or wild animals or frogs? 

True, the hail did miraculously contain a fire ensconced in the ice, but all the plagues had miraculous attributes to them. Turning the Nile into blood is not an everyday occurrence either! What characteristic did the hail have to label it “all my plagues?”

Even more troubling is Pharaoh’s response. After the plague strikes Egypt 

וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח פַּרְעֹ֗ה וַיִּקְרָא֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֣ה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֔ן וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֖ם חָטָ֣אתִי הַפָּ֑עַם יְהֹוָה֙ הַצַּדִּ֔יק וַאֲנִ֥י וְעַמִּ֖י הָרְשָׁעִֽים׃

Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I stand guilty this time. Hashem is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.

https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.9.27

What caused Pharaoh to utter those submissive words at this particular time? Didn’t he already see blood, frogs, pestilence, boils, wild animals, and a host of different miraculous misfortunes that befell his people? What was so special about the fire and ice that fell from the heavens that charred even this man’s cruel temper?

Being that I furnish hotels, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky reminded me of an interesting story. 

one of America’s wealthiest and most prominent families during the Gilded Age, was infamous for its internal feuds. William had a contentious relationship with his aunt, Caroline. 

Caroline was the reigning queen of New York high society and fiercely protective of her social standing. She maintained the famous “Four Hundred”—a list of New York’s elite families, which she deemed the only ones worth associating with. William’s father, John, was snubbed by Caroline and excluded from her inner circle, which deeply offended William. This feud sowed the seeds of bitterness between William and Caroline.

In 1890, William inherited over 100 million dollars, his father’s vast fortune, becoming one of the wealthiest men in America. However, his disdain for Caroline and his general frustration with American society led him to relocate to England, where he became a British citizen and later a peer, earning the title Viscount.

Before leaving New York, William sought a way to spite his aunt. He decided to demolish his family mansion, which stood next to Caroline’s grand residence on Fifth Avenue, and replace it with something that would disrupt her genteel lifestyle.

In 1893, William built a Hotel on the site of his former mansion. It was a luxurious, 13-story hotel, towering over Caroline’s home at 350 Fifth Avenue. It had 530 rooms, 350 baths, and a whopping 970 employees. The Hotel catered to the new wealthy elite—industrialists and financiers whom Caroline often dismissed as vulgar “new money.”

The hotel was seen as a deliberate affront to Caroline, whose home was now overshadowed by the bustling activity of a high-end hotel. It was an audacious move, as Fifth Avenue was still a residential area at the time.

Caroline, never one to back down, responded by encouraging her son, John(William’s cousin), to build his own rival hotel. In 1897, John constructed a Hotel, an equally opulent structure, right next to the cousins. The two buildings stood side by side, separated only by a narrow alleyway, symbolizing the bitter divide between the two branches of the family.

Realizing the potential for profit, Williams manager brought the two feuding cousins together and they eventually decided to “bury the hatchet”—or as some say, replace it with a hyphen. 

They merged their hotels, connecting them with a grand corridor known as “Peacock Alley.” 

The combined hotel, renamed after William Waldorf and Caroline Astor as the Waldorf-Astoria, opened in 1897 and became one of the most luxurious accommodations in the world setting new standards for hospitality, offering unprecedented amenities such as electric lighting, private bathrooms, and telephones in every room. It quickly became a symbol of wealth and sophistication, attracting elite guests, including U.S. presidents, royalty, and celebrities.

• The original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was eventually demolished in 1929 to make way for the construction of the Empire State Building.

• A new Waldorf-Astoria was built on Park Avenue in 1931, continuing the legacy of luxury and innovation.

Today there are luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotels throughout the world. 

The rabbi noted, There are many opposing forces in the world. However, when they work in tandem, they are the most powerful force possible. 

During this plague, fire and ice, two opposing forces in the world of nature disregarded their differences all in the service of the Supreme Commander. When Hashem announced that He will send all of His plagues, he was referring to conflicting forces that work harmoniously. After that, even Pharaoh was sensible enough, albeit for a short moment, to see his frailty and delusions. 

When even the worst of men see fire and ice dance together on one mission, there is nothing he can do but watch in amazement and admit, “Hashem is the righteous one and I and my people are the wicked ones.” 

When opposing opinions gather for one objective – to do the will of Hashem – they are as unstoppable as the hail that brought Pharaoh to his knees.

Based on Parsha Parables of my dear friend Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky