How did the messengers to Moshe and Aharon manage to get to them through the hail?

Question

During the plague of hailstones, Paroh calls Moshe and Aharon. Shmos 9 (27).

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

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

He asks them 9 (28)

הַעְתִּ֙ירוּ֙ אֶל־ה׳ וְרַ֕ב מִֽהְיֹ֛ת קֹלֹ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים וּבָרָ֑ד וַאֲשַׁלְּחָ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תֹסִפ֖וּן לַעֲמֹֽד׃

Plead with the LORD that there may be an end of G-d’s thunder and of hail. I will let you go; you need stay no longer.”

We see that when he sent for them, the plague was still ongoing and continued until Moshe davenned 9 (33)

וַיֵּצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֜ה מֵעִ֤ם פַּרְעֹה֙ אֶת־הָעִ֔יר וַיִּפְרֹ֥שׂ כַּפָּ֖יו אֶל־ה׳ וַֽיַּחְדְּל֤וּ הַקֹּלוֹת֙ וְהַבָּרָ֔ד וּמָטָ֖ר לֹא־נִתַּ֥ךְ אָֽרְצָה׃

Leaving Pharaoh, Moses went outside the city and spread out his hands to the LORD: the thunder and the hail ceased, and no rain came pouring down upon the earth.

How were the messengers to Moshe and Aharon able to get to them through the hail?

Answer 1

The Chizkuni on 9 (29) says

כצאתי את העיר לפי שאמר למעלה אשר ימצא בשדה וירד עליהם הברד, עכשיו בעת המכה שלא יאמרו ירא הוא לצאת בעבור הברד, אמר כצאתי את העיר אפרש כפי ולא אירא מן הברד. ד״‎א כצאתי מאתך לבא אל העיר, אפרש כפי בתוך העיר. וכן הוא אומר ויצא משה מעם פרעה את העיר וגו'. ד״‎א לפי הפשט מכת ברד נכרת בשדה יותר מבעיר לכך אמר כצאתי את העיר ואראה בשדה השחתת הברד ואתפלל לפי הצורך.

1] “as soon as I leave the boundaries of the city;” seeing that earlier the Torah had written (verse 19) that anyone who will still be found outdoors will become a target for the hail, now, at the time when the plague was in full swing, the people might say that Moses was afraid to venture outside on account of that hail, Moses announces that he will open his hands in prayer as soon as he is beyond the borders of the city, and that the hail will not stop him from leaving the city.

2] An alternate explanation for this phrase: Moses announces that as soon as he leaves the palace to go into the city, he will spread out his hands in prayer while inside the city. This is also what the Torah reports in verse 33: ויצא משה מעם פרעה את העיר וגו', “as soon as Moses left the presence of Pharaoh and went into the city, etc;”

3] Yet another explanation: according to the plain meaning of the text the plague of hail was far stronger in the fields than in the city, [as there were no trees and grain fields inside the city to destroy, Ed.]. This is why Moses boasted that he would brave the hail and then begin his prayer as necessary.

• From these explanations, it could be suggested that messengers could seek Moshe and Aharon if they were still in the city either without or with reduced risk.

• The Shaarei Aharon suggests that the hail was not continuous but intermittent (as in showers) and so it might have been possible to send messengers immediately after a big shower.