Va’eira

The passuk states Pharaoh will say “תנו לכם מופת.” What does Pharaoh mean to request with a מופת? Onkelos translates מופת which generally means a wonder, as an אות a sign. Rashi explains a sign reflects that there is power in the One who sent you. Hashem says, Pharaoh will want to see proof that the One sending Moshe has power and ruler ship, so he will ask you “give a sign for yourselves that there is strength behind your sender.”

Hashem says, you should say to Aharon, “Take your staff and throw it before Pharaoh and it will become a serpent.” This reflects that Hashem is in control of making the inanimate staff into a movable serpent. Aharon did this, and Pharaoh called his magicians who did the same. After this the passuk states ויבלע מטה אהרן את מטתם and Aharon’s staff swallowed their staffs. The Gemara explains that a miracle happened within a miracle. What was this unique type of miracle?

Rashi explains that the passuk states ויבלע מטה אהרן and Aharon’s staff swallowed, and not ויבלע תנין אהרן Aharon’s serpent swallowed. This infers that only after the serpent returned back into a staff did it then swallow the others. The Maharsha explains that the double miracle was this: First, if it would have been a serpent and swallowed the other serpents it would have been a nes. Now that it only swallowed after it returned into being a staff, this is an additional nes. The Maharsha is bothered this seems to be two separate miracles, how is this a miracle within a miracle?

The Re’eim explains that the passuk states ויבלע מטה אהרן את מטותם and Aharon’s staff swallowed their staffs. This reflects that first all the serpents returned back into staffs and then Aharon’s staff swallowed their staffs. Based on the Re’eim we could explain a miracle within a miracle differently. The first miracle was that Aharon’s staff would have swallowed serpents, although staffs don’t swallow anything. And secondly Aharon’s staff swallowed their staffs only after they all returned into being staffs, which is an additional miracle, doubled!

The Midrash Tanchuma understands if the serpent would have swallowed them while it was a serpent it would not have been any miracle at all, since it is common for a serpent to swallow other serpents. Rather, first it became a staff and then it swallowed them. Also, if one were to pile up all of the staffs which the magicians threw down that became serpents there would be ten piles, yet Aharon’s staff swallowed them all and did not become any thicker. When Pharaoh saw this he said, “If Moshe will tell the staff to swallow Pharaoh and his throne it would do that too!” The Maharsha says this explanation fits the lashon of a miracle within a miracle: the staff of Aharon swallowed while being a staff, and the swallowing did not cause an increase in size although it swallowed many piles of serpents or staffs.

May we learn from the sign and the wondrous miracle of the staff that Hashem is the One and only One with complete power and control!