When Moshe approaches Pharaoh, he is instructed by Hashem to be prepared to give a sign. Aharon throws down his staff which turns into a snake. Pharaoh's magicians copy Aharon, and Pharaoh is unimpressed.

שמות ז

ח) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֔ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ט) כִּי֩ יְדַבֵּ֨ר אֲלֵכֶ֤ם פַּרְעֹה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר תְּנ֥וּ לָכֶ֖ם מוֹפֵ֑ת וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן קַ֧ח אֶֽת־מַטְּךָ֛ וְהַשְׁלֵ֥ךְ לִפְנֵֽי־פַרְעֹ֖ה יְהִ֥י לְתַנִּֽין׃ (י) וַיָּבֹ֨א מֹשֶׁ֤ה וְאַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַיַּ֣עֲשׂוּ כֵ֔ן כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֣ה יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיַּשְׁלֵ֨ךְ אַהֲרֹ֜ן אֶת־מַטֵּ֗הוּ לִפְנֵ֥י פַרְעֹ֛ה וְלִפְנֵ֥י עֲבָדָ֖יו וַיְהִ֥י לְתַנִּֽין׃ (יא) וַיִּקְרָא֙ גַּם־פַּרְעֹ֔ה לַֽחֲכָמִ֖ים וְלַֽמְכַשְּׁפִ֑ים וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֨וּ גַם־הֵ֜ם חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י מִצְרַ֛יִם בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶ֖ם כֵּֽן׃ (יב) וַיַּשְׁלִ֙יכוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מַטֵּ֔הוּ וַיִּהְי֖וּ לְתַנִּינִ֑ם וַיִּבְלַ֥ע מַטֵּֽה־אַהֲרֹ֖ן אֶת־מַטֹּתָֽם׃ (יג) וַיֶּחֱזַק֙ לֵ֣ב פַּרְעֹ֔ה וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖ע אֲלֵהֶ֑ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה׃ (יד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה כָּבֵ֖ד לֵ֣ב פַּרְעֹ֑ה מֵאֵ֖ן לְשַׁלַּ֥ח הָעָֽם׃

Shemot 7

8 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Provide a sign for yourselves,' you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your staff, [and] cast [it] before Pharaoh; it will become a serpent.’” 10 [Thereupon,] Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the Lord had commanded; Aaron cast his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 [Then,] Pharaoh too summoned the wise men and the magicians, and the necromancers of Egypt also did likewise with their magic. 12 Each one of them cast down his staff, and they became serpents; but Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs. 13 But Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the Lord had spoken. 14 The Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is heavy; he has refused to let the people out.

Why was this Moshe and Aharon’s opening move? Hashem had promised to take the Jewish people out with signs and wonders. Why did he instruct Moshe to open with the equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of his hat?

ספורנו שמות ז:יב

יב) ויהיו לתנינים – על תבנית ותמונת תנינים, אבל לא בתנועתם. ויבלע מטה אהרן את מטתם – שיראו שהאל יתברך לבדו הוא הנותן נשמה ורוח, ולא היה כח בחרטומים לתת תנועה בתנינים. (יד) כבד לב פרעה – אף על פי שראה ההבדל בין המופת שעשיתם אתם ובין מעשה הכשפים.

Sforno 7:12

12) And they became snakes, they looked and felt like these kinds of monsters. They were not able to move like these monsters move, or even not at all. And Aaron’s staff swallowed their staff, this would demonstrate that only the God in heaven can grant life to inert phenomena, something Pharaoh’s sorcerers were unable to do. (14) Pharaoh’s heart is heavy, even though Pharaoh could not help but notice the qualitative difference between what the sorcerers had done and what Moses and Aaron had accomplished.

The Sforno explains that Pharaoh’s magicians used sleight of hand to replicate Moshe and Aharon’s sign. The magicians could not make anything actually move of its own accord. Aharon’s snake however could move on its own and swallowed up the fake snakes of the magicians. Despite this difference, Pharaoh remained unmoved.

שמות ז

(כ) וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵן֩ מֹשֶׁ֨ה וְאַהֲרֹ֜ן כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר׀ צִוָּ֣ה יְהֹוָ֗ה וַיָּ֤רֶם בַּמַּטֶּה֙ וַיַּ֤ךְ אֶת־הַמַּ֙יִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּיְאֹ֔ר לְעֵינֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה וּלְעֵינֵ֖י עֲבָדָ֑יו וַיֵּהָ֥פְכ֛וּ כׇּל־הַמַּ֥יִם אֲשֶׁר־בַּיְאֹ֖ר לְדָֽם׃ (כא) וְהַדָּגָ֨ה אֲשֶׁר־בַּיְאֹ֥ר מֵ֙תָה֙ וַיִּבְאַ֣שׁ הַיְאֹ֔ר וְלֹא־יָכְל֣וּ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִשְׁתּ֥וֹת מַ֖יִם מִן־הַיְאֹ֑ר וַיְהִ֥י הַדָּ֖ם בְּכׇל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (כב) וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֛ן חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י מִצְרַ֖יִם בְּלָטֵיהֶ֑ם וַיֶּחֱזַ֤ק לֵב־פַּרְעֹה֙ וְלֹא־שָׁמַ֣ע אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה׃ (כג) וַיִּ֣פֶן פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַיָּבֹ֖א אֶל־בֵּית֑וֹ וְלֹא־שָׁ֥ת לִבּ֖וֹ גַּם־לָזֹֽאת׃

Shemot 7

20 Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord had commanded, and he raised the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile before the eyes of Pharaoh and before the eyes of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile turned to blood. 21 And the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile became putrid; the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile, and there was blood throughout the entire land of Egypt. 22 And the necromancers of Egypt did likewise with their secret rites, and Pharaoh's heart was steadfast, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had spoken. 23 Pharaoh turned and went home, and he paid no heed even to this.

The pattern repeats itself during the first plague. Moshe and Aharon turn the river into blood. The Egyptian magicians also mimicked this in some fashion. Pharaoh remains unimpressed. But in addition to noting that “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them”, another verse is added which at first glance is superfluous. “And Pharaoh turned away, and we came to his house, and he did not take any of this to heart” (7:22).

ספורנו שמות ז:כג

ולא שת לבו גם לזאת – להבין ההבדל אשר היה גם בזאת, בין הפועל האלהי לפועל המכשפים, שפעולת האל יתברך היתה שינוי בטבע היאור, אשר הוא כולו בלתי נפסד, והפך אותו לטבע דם אמתי, עד שמתו בו הדגים, ופעולת החרטומים היה שינוי בדבר נפסד ואולי באחיזת עינים.

Sforno 7:23

He did not pay attention, even to this, to recognize the difference between what God had done and what his sorcerers had done. God’s activity had produced a total change in the nature of the river Nile, a phenomenon which had been considered as inviolate, constant, incapable of being abolished. It had now been turned into “real blood,” so much so that all the fish had died. The changes effected by the tricks of the sorcerers were performed on phenomena that were unstable to begin with. Possibly, all the sorcerers produced was make believe, an illusion of blood.

The Sforno emphasizes that again there was a significant distinction between the miraculous nature of the change brought about through Moshe and Aharon, and the illusions carried out by the Egyptian magicians. Pharaoh ignored this difference, “turned away and did not take any of this to heart”.

We observe an interesting phenomenon. Pharaoh persists in his beliefs, despite clear evidence to the contrary. He is first confronted with an observable distinction between the real and fake snakes. Then the scale was increased, the entire river was turned to blood. Perhaps Pharaoh argued it was just a difference in quantity, his magicians could do something similar on a small scale. All he needed was a small opening to maintain his belief.

We see this phenomenon play out in many areas. It is difficult for people to change their opinions. They resist accepting that their beliefs are wrong. Sometimes they will go to great lengths to maintain their current belief system.

תלמוד בבלי מנחות פה.

אמרי ליה יוחנא וממרא למשה תבן אתה מכניס לעפריים אמר להו אמרי אינשי למתא ירקא ירקא שקול.

Talmud Bavli - Menachot 85a

The Gemara relates the conversation that took place: Pharaoh’s two leading necromancers, Yoḥana and Mamre, said to Moses: Are you are bringing straw to Afarayim? Performing necromancy in Egypt, the world leader in sorcery, is like bringing straw to Afarayim, which is rich in the finest grains. Moses said to them: It is as people say: To a city rich in herbs, take herbs. If you want to guarantee that people will appreciate your merchandise, bring it to a place where they are familiar with it.

Perhaps in addition to lesson for Pharaoh, there is an idea for the Jewish people. Many things appear similar on a surface level. Hashem intended through Moshe to set up a contrast. But in order to appreciate what is truly valuable, a degree of honest investigation is necessary.

Maimonides - Letter to Yemen

Likewise a person ignorant of the secret meaning of Scripture and the deeper significance of the Law, would be led to believe that our religion has something in common with another if he makes a comparison between the two. For he will note that in the Torah there are prohibitions and commandments, just as in other religions there are permitted and interdicted acts. Both contain a system of religious observances, positive and negative precepts, sanctioned by reward and punishment. If he could only fathom the inner intent of the law, then he would realize that the essence of the true divine religion lies in the deeper meaning of its positive and negative precepts, every one of which will aid man in his striving after perfection, and remove every impediment to the attainment of excellence. These commands will enable the throng and the elite to acquire moral and intellectual qualities, each according to his ability.

References

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

Steinsaltz, A., In Weinreb, T. H., In Schreier, J., & Hotsaat Koren (Jerusalem),. (2017). Koren Talmud Bavli, the Noe edition: Talmud Bavli. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bentorah.substack.com