“What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff,” etc. In these three signs, there are many opinions due to the question about them. What is the strength of one over the other, as it says, And it shall be, if they do not believe the voice of the first sign, etc. What seems most reasonable to me is that the first sign indicates that Israel was originally, in the days of the Patriarchs, in their full stature and authority, like this staff standing upright, symbolizing authority, as it is written The Lord will send the staff of your strength out of Zion, etc. (Psalms 110:2). But afterward, through their sins, they became like a snake. Just as the snake originally walked with an upright posture, but because it spoke slander against its Creator (Exodus Rabbah 3:12), it was lowered to crawl on the ground with its full height, so too Israel was initially upright, but because they adopted the behavior of the snake and had informers and slanderers among them, they became like dust to be trampled along with the venom of ground-crawling creatures. And when the cause of their lowliness is removed, they will return to their elevated status. This is what is meant by What is that in your hand? And he said, A staff. And He said, Cast it to the ground, and it became a snake. Through this, God gave him a sign about the Egyptian exile, its cause, and how Israel was compared in it to a snake.

And Moses fled from it. He was fleeing from the mission because he thought that since [God] had compared Israel to a snake, perhaps, God forbid, they had no remedy, just like the snake, for in the future all will be healed except for the snake (Tanchuma 1:10). And if so, why am I being sent to Pharaoh if they will forever be like creatures that crawl in the dust?

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand and seize its tail.’” The tail signifies the utmost lowliness, and God hinted to Moses that He would add to the Israelites’ lowliness. They were already as low as creatures that crawl in the dust, and they would experience even greater degradation, like the tail of the snake which is the lowest part of its body. Their lowliness would increase, as indeed happened when Pharaoh said, Let the work be heavier upon the men, by not giving them straw. And from that lowest level, from the depths of degradation, they would rise and return to their former greatness, becoming like an upright staff. This was hinted to Moses when God told him, Seize its tail, and he stretched out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand. This was a very apt symbol for what would eventually happen to them, for He declares the end from the beginning — revealing to Moses that they would become like the snake’s tail, meaning they would experience additional lowliness beyond their already low state, but from there they would rise to become a ruling staff that would dominate Pharaoh and all his people. In this way, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Moses a sign that it is in His power to bring low and to raise up from the dunghill the needy. And later in Parashat Va’era (7:9), the matter of the snake will be explained, God willing, in a different way — see there.

And it shall be if they do not believe in this sign alone, for they may say that since they have informers among them like the venom of those who crawl on the earth, their full stature has been lowered to the ground; therefore, as long as this cause remains, there is no remedy. Therefore, it is said, And the Lord said to him again, “Put your hand into your bosom.” With the word again He indicated that the first sign showing the cancellation of the effect is not sufficient, for no effect can be canceled as long as the cause remains. Therefore, you need a second sign indicating the cancellation of the cause, and the cancellation of the cause indicates the cancellation of the effect, for they depend on each other. We have already said that the sin of the tongue caused all this to them, whether through the sin when Abraham said, How shall I know?, or through the sin when Joseph brought their evil report, for through this the matter developed and they went down to Egypt, or because there were informers among them, as it is said, Indeed the matter is known. The Holy One, blessed be He, showed him that the cause was canceled, for from now on they no longer have evil speech among them. He hinted at the matter when it was said, Put your hand into your bosom, and, behold, it was leprous as snow. According to our Sages (Exodus Rabbah 3:13), Moses became leprous because he spoke evil of Israel when he said, But behold, they will not believe me. This is a sign that there are no longer those who cause division and speak evil speech in Israel, for if there were those who cause division and evil speech among them, Moses would not have been punished for them. For our Sages have said (Jerusalem Talmud, Peah 1:1) that it is permitted to speak evil of those who cause division. Rather, because this affliction was healed from Israel, Moses was punished for them. As our Sages have said (Leviticus Rabbah 32:5), Israel was redeemed because there was no evil speech among them. Also, according to its simple meaning, the healing of Moses’s hand hints that the sin of the tongue was healed from Israel, which is the cancellation of the cause, which is a sign of the cancellation of the effect, namely, the Egyptian exile. Later, in the portion of Korach, in the verse, As the Lord spoke by the hand of Moses to him (Numbers 17:5), with God’s help, another reason for the leprosy of Moses’s hand will be explained.

“And it shall be if they do not believe even these two signs.” Because they will say, “Did not God promise Abraham saying, ‘And also the nation whom they shall serve, I will judge’? And what is the sign that He will judge nations and fill them with corpses?” To this He said, And you shall take from the water of the Nile and pour it onto the dry land, etc., and they shall become blood on the dry land. It is known that the plague of the Nile was a plague against the god of Egypt, as they all believed in it, as our Sages said (Bereishit Rabbah 89:4), “The wicked are sustained over their gods, as it is said, And behold, he stands over the Nile, etc.” And all of Egypt is struck when the Nile is struck, because all their prosperity depends on the Nile. And the plague of the Nile was a great wonder showing that God would send upon them wrath, anger, and trouble against them and their gods. And so the first plague was against the Nile. This was the beginning of their downfall through the Nile turning to blood. Similarly, the final plague was through the waters of the Red Sea. And after they see all these wonders, they will be assured that He raises the poor from the dust by nullifying both the cause and effect, and by fulfilling the promise And also the nation whom they shall serve, I will judge.

Send, please [na], by the hand that You will send. Some say that Moses prophesied that he would not ultimately bring them into the Land [of Israel], therefore [he said] send, please, now, for na indicates the present, by the hand that You will send in the future. And some say that Moses said, “Even if I begin to go on this mission, I know that I do not have the strength to complete all the tasks because I am slow of speech, and You will ultimately send another in my place. Therefore, send, please, now by the hand that You will send afterward.” But the correct [interpretation] is that he said this about Aaron, his older brother, because he [Aaron] would ultimately have a part in the entire mission. Therefore, he said, “Entrust the entire mission to his hand,” lest he be displeased with Moses. And the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him, “And he will see you and rejoice in his heart and this is easy to understand.