In this week’s Parshah, Parshat Bo, the Prophet Moses appears on the surface to make a slightly imprecise statement. While informing Pharaoh about the 10th plague, the slaying of the Egyptian firstborns, Moses tells Pharaoh, “Thus saith the Lord: About midnight I will go forth among the Egyptians” (Exodus 11:4). Why would Moses say “about midnight” and not simply say at midnight? Did Moses not know the exact time when G-d would go out among the Egyptians? This is even more odd since we later read, “And it was at midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborns in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:29). We see here that the tenth plague happened at exactly midnight and not about midnight as Moses says. While the original statement of Moses is not wrong, about midnight could mean exactly midnight, it seems to be imprecise. G-d went out among the Egyptians to strike down the Egyptian firstborns at exactly midnight. Why does Moses, speaking in the name of G-d, say “about midnight”?

The commentator Ibn Ezra offers an explanation. Ibn Ezra writes, “Now it is known that it is beyond the ability of wise men to ascertain the exact moment of noon without great........

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