The Third Plague: Lice  מכת כינים
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 וַיֹּאמֶר ה', אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, אֱמֹר אֶל-אַהֲרֹן, נְטֵה אֶת-מַטְּךָ וְהַךְ אֶת-עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ; וְהָיָה לְכִנִּם, בְּכָל-אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם. וַיַּעֲשׂוּ-כֵן, וַיֵּט אַהֲרֹן אֶת-יָדוֹ בְמַטֵּהוּ וַיַּךְ אֶת-עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ, וַתְּהִי הַכִּנָּם, בָּאָדָם וּבַבְּהֵמָה:  כָּל-עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ הָיָה כִנִּים, בְּכָל-אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם 
       שמותח: י"ב-י"ג --   

And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.' And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were gnats upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.
-- Exodus 8: 12-13

The Plague:
The third plague afflicting Egypt was lice. As per God's instructions related to him by Moses, Aaron used his staff to strike the dust, and turned into a mass of lice. This plague devastated the people of Egypt, as its victims were greater in number than of all the other plagues.

The Egyptian sorcerers admitted their inability to replicate the lice epidemic, recognized the lice outbreak as the act of the a superior power, "the finger of God." 
 

Why Lice?
The plague of lice also targeted an entity held holy by the Egyptians.  For the Egyptians, who worshiped a multitude of gods, worshipped "Ged, the Earth god."  As the lice originated from the dust of the earth, this plague too displayed God's superiority and His almighty powers including the waters and the earth.

Additionally, we see a "Measure for Measure" here too.  Like the Egyptian masters that exerted their power and invaded every aspect of their Jewish slaves' lives, stripping them of privacy that lends to dignity, so did the lice invaded every aspect of the Egyptians' lives, crowding them relentlessly everywhere they went.

The Pharaoh, as he did during the Blood and Frogs plagues, relented and promised to let the Israelites leave once the plague is eliminated. However, once the lice was removed, Pharaoh's heart hardened and the reversed his position.

The Ten Plagues of Egypt: Information and more
   ▪ Ten Plagues of Egypt, an Overview
   ▪  Plague of Blood (דָם): Ex. 7:14–25
   ▪ Plague of Frogs (צְּפַרְדֵּעַ): Ex. 7:25–8:11
   ▪ Plague of Lice (כינים): : Ex. 8:16–19
   ▪ Plague of Wild Animals / Swarm of Flies (עָרוֹב): Ex. 8:20–32
   ▪  Plague of Livestock Death (דֶּבֶר): Ex. 9:1–7
   ▪ Plague of Boils (שְׁחִין): Ex. 9:8–12
   ▪ Plague of Hail (בָּרָד): Ex. 9:13–35
   ▪ Plague of Locusts (אַרְבֶּה): Ex. 10:1–20
   ▪ Plague of Darkness (חוֹשֶך): Ex. 10:21–29
   ▪ Death of the Firstborn (מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת): Ex. 11:1–12:36

The Ten Plagues of Egypt - a Passover (Pesach) brings you much more about the holiday, its meaning and its traditions... See the links below.

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• The Ten Plagues of Egypt
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