Vaera | Pharaoh's Wizards (and the Parenthetic Phrase), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

Why did the חרטומים imitate the first two plagues - and why were they stymied at the third?

חרטומי מצרים - the wizards of Egypt - make 5 appearances in the Exodus narrative; the first and last are easily understood but the 2nd (in the context of the plague of blood) the 3rd (frogs) and the 4th (lice) are difficult to decipher. By reading some of these passages as parenthetic texts (מאמר המוסגר), a solution is suggested.

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