I always thought this midrash was an example of middah keneged middah - the frogs affected the Egyptians in the same way that the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites. Thus "the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied" parallels the Egyptian hitting a frog and additional frogs spraying off of it, while "it shall be, when there is war, they will join with our enemies and fight us" parallels the frog which called to the others and they came.
It may just be a coincidence. People spend hours tying themselves in knots, asking questions about contradictions between midrashim and other sources when they were never meant to be taken literally. It's more relevant to ask what is the symbolism behind the idea of new frogs coming out of their mouths?
I believe that the realistic approach to this Medrash is one that applies to so many: it was a play on the wording of the text to teach a lesson . In this case our Chachamim are demonstrating that in a fit of rage and fear one can multiply the very problem one is attempting eradicate. One frog scares you so you continually beat it and find that that knee jerk reaction only multiplies the problem.
I always thought this midrash was an example of middah keneged middah - the frogs affected the Egyptians in the same way that the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites. Thus "the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied" parallels the Egyptian hitting a frog and additional frogs spraying off of it, while "it shall be, when there is war, they will join with our enemies and fight us" parallels the frog which called to the others and they came.
I especially appreciate the honest modesty of the (Rashi-like!) admission לא ידעתי with which R Slifkin concludes this posting.
It may just be a coincidence. People spend hours tying themselves in knots, asking questions about contradictions between midrashim and other sources when they were never meant to be taken literally. It's more relevant to ask what is the symbolism behind the idea of new frogs coming out of their mouths?
I believe that the realistic approach to this Medrash is one that applies to so many: it was a play on the wording of the text to teach a lesson . In this case our Chachamim are demonstrating that in a fit of rage and fear one can multiply the very problem one is attempting eradicate. One frog scares you so you continually beat it and find that that knee jerk reaction only multiplies the problem.