Moses Our Teacher and the Magicians of Egypt

In Parshat Va'era, we are exposed to a powerful encounter between Moses our Teacher, the messenger of Hashem, and Pharaoh and the magicians of Egypt. With his simple staff, which initially appeared as a toy in the eyes of the Egyptian sages, Moses proves a deep truth: The true greatness of G-d is revealed through simplicity, in a way that leaves Pharaoh speechless and full of awe. In the vivid and sweeping lesson of the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days), we look anew at this story which contains within it a poignant lesson on the power of emunah (faith).

The holy words of our teacher, the Gaon and Tzaddik Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a for Parshat Va'era:

The Magicians – Not Just Simple Sorcerers

The greatest magicians in the world were not just simple sorcerers—no, they were not. They were great sorcerers; they were such great sorcerers, these magicians, that it is impossible to describe the level of sorcery they possessed.

Moses Shows a Sign and a Wonder to Pharaoh

When Moses first came to Pharaoh, the Midrash Rabbah (a collection of homiletic teachings) says that Moses arrived before Pharaoh. The Midrash Rabbah says in Parshat Va'era, Section 9, that Moses came to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to him: "Give us a sign and a wonder."

He said: "So perform a sign, perform a wonder. You say that Hashem sent you? Hashem is G-d? Perform a sign and a wonder."

So what did he do? He took the staff, threw the staff—and it became a snake.

Pharaoh's Mockery: "Child's Play!"

Pharaoh began to burst out laughing. He started making mocking sounds—"koo-koo-koo." A cock-a-doodle-doo has arrived; you have arrived, you cock-a-doodle-doo. He said: "What are you? What are you doing? Taking a staff and throwing it—every infant among us knows how to do this. This is your greatness? When did you learn this?"

He said: "A week ago—he only learned this a week ago."

What made that mockery even greater? "By us, they learn this at age 4 or 5 in kindergarten. You learned this at age—how old are you? 80? At age 80? Aren't you ashamed? You only just learned this now? You already have a white beard and you're playing games of infants in kindergarten?"

Inviting the Sorcerers and the Infants

Pharaoh called for all the wise men and all the sorcerers. And Pharaoh began to mock them, bursting with laughter. He said: "An old man of 80 starts playing with toys, with snakes? An old man of 80 takes a staff and turns it into a snake. What is this? Every child knows how to do this today."

"You don't know, but once children knew this, such things." He mocked them. He made a cock-a-doodle-doo at them, a cock-a-doodle-doo.

"You are a cock-a-doodle-doo," he said to him, "a chicken. Is this all the greatness of your G-d? This is what He knows? This is what He taught you? You only learned this this week? Aren't you ashamed?"

He said what? Immediately he called his wife, he said to her: "Fatima, come. Fatima, come throw your staff."

She threw her staff—it became a snake. "Every woman knows this."

After that, the magicians of Egypt also entered, and he called the infants aged 4-5. The Midrash Rabbah says he called the infants aged 4-5.

Hundreds of Thousands of Snakes in Egypt

Tiny infants aged 4 and 5 arrived. They all threw their staffs and they became snakes.

They arrived—about a hundred thousand infants arrived. They closed all the kindergartens in Egypt. All the kindergartens were closed, and they called all the children to come with the teachers, with the tutors, with the melamdim (Torah teachers).

They all came, each one brought his staff. They threw them, they made a giant square, and everyone threw their staffs.

And there were about a hundred thousand snakes. There were literally a hundred thousand snakes there.

The Staff of Moses – A Great Miracle

"Aren't you ashamed?"

Suddenly, what happened? The snake of Moses returned, turned back into a staff, and began to swallow them all. Swallowing, swallowing, swallowing.

And it did not swell up. It swallows, swallows, and swallows. Like a magnet. You put a magnet among pins, among a million pins.

Pharaoh Panics: "Now I See the Greatness of Your G-d!"

Suddenly, all the sorcerers—all of them, it swallows them all, swallows, swallows, swallows.

And suddenly Pharaoh panicked. It began to approach Pharaoh. The staff approached Pharaoh.

Pharaoh thought that now they were going to swallow him. He gave one last leap, flipping over from his chair.

He said: "Here, in a moment it will swallow me!"

Now he says: "Now I see that your G-d is a great G-d."