Articles written by Efrat Last

Efrat Last|Jul 24, 2026

Over the past week, I found myself thinking several times about one of the more curious episodes in the book of Exodus. The Torah tells us that during the plague of frogs, the frogs entered not only the fields and homes of the Egyptians, but even their ovens. The sages explain that this, too, was part of the miracle. Left to themselves, frogs do not voluntarily leap into burning ovens; it is contrary to instinct. The image has stayed with me because it captures something deeply unsettling: the experience of watching someone knowingly act agains...