“Take your staff and cast it before Pharaoh, it will become a serpent [tanin].” Here it says that Aaron should take his staff and it will become a tanin, while earlier in the book of Exodus (4:2) God commanded Moses to take his own staff and it became a “nachash” [snake]. The commentators are divided on this: some say that tanin refers to a large fish, as Rashi explained on the verse the great taninim (Genesis 1:21), while others say that tanin means a snake, and this is how Rashi explains it here.

And here I have a place to resolve the difference in language, and this is: Because the serpent is a large snake that is exceedingly dangerous, as it is written The venom of serpents is their wine (Deuteronomy 32:33). We learn from this that its venom is greater than that of an ordinary snake. Now, Moses and Aaron performed all the miracles through the utterances of their mouths, like this snake whose main power is in its mouth. And it appears that most of the miracles were performed through the staffs of Moses and Aaron. So that no opponent would have an opening to dispute and say that all the miracles were performed by the power of the staffs, and perhaps they might erroneously claim that there was an element of sorcery in their staffs, therefore they were transformed into snakes to say: just as the snake bites without enchantment with its mouth, so too Moses and Aaron’s power was in their mouths, and the staffs performed all those actions through the power of their spoken words, for the righteous decree and it is established for them. Therefore, both of their staffs became snakes, as it is said Dan shall be a serpent on the way (Genesis 49:17), likewise the staffs of Moses and Aaron would be like burning snakes to harm Pharaoh and all his servants. And know and understand that Moses was a shepherd and leader for Israel with his staff of strength, as a shepherd leads his flock, and he was a ruler and governor also over Pharaoh. But Aaron was only a ruler over Pharaoh and his people alone. Therefore, God commanded that in front of Israel, Moses should cast his staff and it would become a snake on the way to Pharaoh and all his people, biting the horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward — a hint to the horse of Egypt and its rider. And Moses fled from it, because he thought that his staff would always be destructive and harmful like a snake, and this is not consistent with His good nature. Therefore, it was said to him Grasp it by its tail, and it became a staff in his hand. For only its face, meaning the place of the head and mouth, is dangerous to harm and destroy the enemies of the Holy One, blessed be He. Its tail, however, is the opposite of this, for its end is to shepherd Israel, not to harm or destroy, like the tail of a snake that does not harm but is merely like an ordinary staff. So shall this power of the snake be a staff in his hand, as if to say that it would be a harmful snake to Egypt and a staff of strength for Israel at once. Or if you prefer to say that even for Israel it would be both a staff and a snake at once — a staff of strength for the good and a burning snake for the evil, for the bite of the wise is like the bite of a snake — this also explains well why this miracle was performed specifically with Moses’s staff in front of Israel.

However, we have not yet seen any sign that Aaron would rule over Pharaoh and all his people. Therefore, God commanded that in front of Pharaoh, Aaron should cast down his staff and it would become a serpent [tanin], whose venom is greater than that of an ordinary snake. This demonstrated that Aaron too would rule over and dominate Pharaoh, who is referred to as a serpent, as it says The great serpent that lies in the midst of its rivers (Ezekiel 29:3). Since Pharaoh is compared to a tanin, which is larger than a regular snake, they showed him that Aaron’s staff would become a tanin against Pharaoh who is compared to a tanin. An ordinary snake would not be powerful enough against him, as the tanin’s strength exceeds that of a snake. Therefore, God showed him a tanin that would be stronger than Pharaoh. For regarding Pharaoh, it is written the great serpent [התנים הגדול] with a final mem, indicating a female, whose strength is not as great as that of the male tanin [תנין] with a final nun. Therefore, Aaron’s staff became a tanin, for it would swallow Pharaoh who is compared to a female tanin, as it says Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. This was because the magicians said, “We also have a powerful staff that is compared to a tanin,” meaning Pharaoh and his servants. “Why are you boasting about your staff becoming a tanin?” Therefore, they were shown that their serpents were weak like females, and Aaron’s staff would swallow their staffs. There was no need to perform this with Moses’ staff since this miracle had already been performed in front of the Israelites. Additionally, God did not want Moses’ staff to have the venom of serpents when dealing with Israel. Moses’ staff encompassed leadership both toward Israel and toward Pharaoh, so it turned into a snake. But Aaron’s staff, which operated only against Pharaoh, turned into a tanin in order to nullify the power of Pharaoh who is compared to a tanin, as mentioned.

And evidence for this is that in the plague of the river it is said, And take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake — this is Moses’ staff. And it is written about it, Behold, I will strike with the staff that is in my hand upon the waters that are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. But its power was not so great as to destroy all the waters of Egypt, their rivers and their pools. And afterward it is said, Say to Aaron, “Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, etc.” This teaches that the power of Aaron’s staff was greater than the power of Moses’ staff, for Aaron’s staff affected also their rivers and their pools and all their bodies of water. This is because Aaron’s staff was compared to a serpent [tanin], whose venom is greater than that of an ordinary snake. And Moses’ staff was not given great venom because he also used it to shepherd Israel, with whom he needed to behave gently even in times of anger. And this is a precious hint.

However, according to those who say that “tanin” means a fish, we can say that in front of the Israelites, the staff turned into a snake to indicate that initially the Israelites stood upright like a straight rod, but afterward their full stature was lowered to the ground, becoming like creatures that crawl in the dust. And when they would grasp its tail — when they would reach the depths of degradation — they would return to their former state, becoming like this staff. And so it was that Pharaoh increased their servitude at the end, and he attacked them from behind to make them like the tails of smoking firebrands, from which they rose to their elevated status. This would not have been appropriate to do before Pharaoh; therefore, in his presence, the staff turned into a tanin, meaning a fish, to indicate that just as God foiled his plan initially — for Pharaoh wanted to make them like this dry staff that does not reproduce, and thus he said, Lest they multiply — the opposite happened: the dry staff became a fish, as it is written And they shall multiply abundantly in the midst of the earth (Genesis 49:16). So too now, God would foil his plan. Therefore, the tanin did not return to being a staff, hinting that the Israelites would remain in their multiplied state forever. And when it says, Aaron’s staff swallowed, it refers to the tanin that was initially a staff. The Nile, which contains fish, was struck specifically by Moses’ staff, which was initially a snake. But Aaron’s staff, which was initially a fish and now became a staff [not in Pharaoh’s presence], would not be appropriate to kill their fish, since it had been a fish itself. Afterward, He commanded them to take Aaron’s staff to strike all the rivers and lakes. Therefore, it says “the fish in the Nile died, but not those in the lakes and rivers that were struck by Aaron’s staff. He dealt more severely with the Nile because it was their god, so He executed judgments on their gods, showing them that it could not save the fish. But the lakes and rivers were not considered deities, so He did not kill their fish.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘By this you shall know that I am the Lord.’” This language is stated in the first plague of the DeTZaKh series, and similarly in the first plague of the ADaSh series it states that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land, and likewise in the first plague of the BaAChaB series it states that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. The Abarbanel was also alerted by this and explained that Pharaoh disputed three things: The first was the existence of the Holy One, blessed be He, as he denied the Lord and said, He is not (Jeremiah 5:12) and I do not know the Lord (Exodus 5:2). Therefore, in the first plague it states By this you shall know that I am the Lord. The second was that he argued that even if you were to say there is a God in existence, nevertheless He does not supervise the lower beings. Regarding this it states that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. The third is that he disputed the ability of the Holy One, blessed be He, saying that He cannot change nature at all. Regarding this it states that there is none like Me in all the earth, meaning that He can act according to His will.

And I say to add an explanation to his words, to include all three plagues under one category, for the first three plagues came to confirm the existence of the Holy One, Blessed be He. This is because the Egyptians said that the Nile was their god, and there was none other besides it. Therefore, God executed judgments against their deity to demonstrate that there is One higher above all that is high. And so it is concluded in Genesis Rabbah (89:4): “The wicked are sustained over their gods,” as it is said, And behold, he was standing over the Nile, which implies that they considered it a deity. Therefore, regarding the plague of the Nile, it is stated, By this you shall know that I am the Lord, etc. And regarding the frogs that swarmed from the Nile, this showed that even the Nile would bring forth things that confirm the existence of the Holy One, Blessed be He. For Pharaoh was desecrating God’s Name and said, I do not know the Lord. Therefore, the Nile made known that it is proper to sanctify the Name, for the frogs sanctified God’s Name publicly, as it is found (Pesachim 53b) that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah gave their lives for the sanctification of God’s Name, and they learned a kal vachomer [a fortiori argument] from the frogs that went into the ovens. Therefore, those frogs that were in the ovens did not die, as is concluded in the Yalkut on this portion. And regarding the lice, it is said, This is the finger of God. This shows that with this plague even the magicians acknowledged and crowned His name, blessed be He, saying that this plague was from Him, blessed be He. And the admission of a litigant is equivalent to a hundred witnesses.

In the order ADSh [referring to the plagues of Blood, Pestilence, and Boils] is hinted that the Blessed One supervises below in all the details of individuals, to counter those who say that the Holy One, blessed be He, only supervises the general species and not particularly on all the ways of each person. According to their words, everything is mixed in confusion because there is no distinction between one person and another, and between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. Therefore, the mixture [of wild animals] came upon them in confusion. And it is written: And I will set apart on that day the land of Goshen, where My people dwell, that no swarm of flies shall be there — and this is decisive proof that there is a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, supervises every individual person. Therefore, it is said there: so that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth — meaning that My particular supervision extends even to the lower realms. Similarly, with the plague of pestilence, it is written: And the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. This is due to His blessed supervision over particulars. Likewise with boils, where the dust was flying throughout all the land of Egypt, and nevertheless He distinguished between Israel and Egypt. Therefore, the magicians could not stand before Moses — meaning they could not stand in the argument they had with Moses because of the boils, for they gave a reason for every plague except this one for which they could not give a reason. For all the plagues came at once upon all Egypt, and the magicians were included in the plague, but the plague of boils first came upon the magicians and afterward upon all Egypt, as it is said: for the boils were upon the magicians and upon all Egypt. Therefore, they could not stand in the argument, for Moses argued against them that their sin caused them to be stricken first, because until then the magicians had caused Pharaoh’s heart to harden with their magic and their lies.

In the order of Ba’ach’b, Abarbanel explained that they came to confirm the ability of God. And to me it seems that Pharaoh claimed that there are two [divine] authorities. Therefore, in the first plague of the Ba’ach’b order, it says so that you know that there is none like Me in all the earth. This means there is no other authority besides Him, blessed be He, implying that Pharaoh claimed there is another god. And it seems that he claimed this about the constellation of Aries and the sun, for we find that [these] three plagues prevented the light of the sun and the constellations. For when the hail fell, presumably the skies were darkened with clouds so that they could not see the sun during the hail’s descent. And in the plague of locusts it is written and it covered the eye of the earth — that is, the sun, which is the eye of the earth, thus the land was darkened. And likewise in the plague of darkness, and also the plague of the firstborn at night. All this is evidence that Pharaoh claimed that the sun and the constellation of Aries also have great power. Therefore, regarding the hail it says there had never been anything like it, and similarly with the locusts it says before it there were no locusts like it. All this demonstrates the statement for there is none like Me in all the earth. And all the more so the plague of the firstborn, which symbolizes the subjugation of Aries, the firstborn of all the constellations. And this is clearer than Abarbanel’s explanation, and the language of the text proves it by saying for there is none like Me.

“Behold, I will strike with the staff, etc.” Regarding the ten statements of these ten plagues, there are many opinions about why and for what reason these plagues came upon them. All the commentators have gone out to gather reasons, each according to their understanding. I too will not hold back my mouth from bringing thoughts close to the plain meaning of the scriptures.

And behold, the plague of the Nile, was for the sin of Pharaoh saying My Nile is my own, and I have made it myself (Ezekiel 29:3) and for the sin of casting the children into the Nile. And the death of the fish was because they wanted to nullify from Israel the blessing of and let them multiply abundantly like fish in the midst of the earth.

The frogs came, because he [Pharaoh] denied the Lord and said I do not know the Lord. Therefore, the frogs came, which knew the Lord and sacrificed themselves for the sanctification of His blessed name as mentioned above. And the Nile swarmed with these frogs because the admission of a litigant is equivalent to a hundred witnesses, for they [the Egyptians] said that the Nile had an aspect of divinity.

“Lice came upon them,” because everyone who does hard labor is full of lice that come from the sweat that is common due to physical exertion and the heating of the body. And the reason that the dust of the earth turned into lice was because all of their work was in the field, meaning in the dust of the earth, and this is what caused them the sweat and the lice. Therefore, the dust of the earth brought lice also upon the Egyptians.

Wild beasts came upon them, because they had enslaved the Israelites who were compared to animals, as Rashi explained on the verse for they are like animals (Exodus 1:19). And in all the land of Goshen there were no wild beasts, for an animal does not harm its own kind.

There was a plague on the livestock of the Egyptians — Since the tribes [of Israel] were livestock owners when they came to Egypt, and now their occupation was changed to work with mortar and bricks, consequently their own livestock was lost. Therefore, all the livestock of Egypt died.

Boils came upon them, because they separated their wives from their husbands, therefore they were struck with boils for which intercourse is problematic, as it is written and God afflicted Pharaoh, and our Sages explained (Genesis Rabbah 41:2) that he was afflicted with boils for which intercourse is problematic, and this was for Pharaoh like a sign of what was to come.

God caused hail and thunder to be heard by his ears, because he sinned with his voice by saying Who is God that I should listen to His voice? And because he did not want to listen to God’s voice, therefore God forcibly made him hear His voice, the voice of God upon the waters, the voice of God hewing flames of fire which came down to earth. As if to say, if willingly you did not want to hear God’s voice, now hear His voice — the voice of God that frightens Pharaoh and all his army.

The locust plague [arbeh] came upon them, because they attempted to nullify from Israel [the promise of] I will greatly multiply [harbeh arbeh] your descendants (Genesis 22:17), and they said lest they multiply [yarbeh]. Therefore, He sent upon them locusts, since the word arbeh [locusts] also denotes multiplication, as it is written (Judges 6:5) They came like locusts in abundance, and it is written (Jeremiah 46:23) They are more numerous than locusts.

Darkness came upon them, because they caused Israel to hide their children in darkness, just as they hid Moses, therefore in dark places God made them dwell (Lamentations 3:6). And likewise the midwives did all their deeds in darkness, and likewise the Israelites were swallowed up in the ground in darkness, as is stated in the tractate Sotah (11b).

The plague of the firstborn came upon them, because they wanted to destroy His firstborn son, Israel, but the waters of the sea — God did not bring them upon [the Egyptians], rather they themselves, in the wickedness of their hearts, rushed towards it, as will be explained, God willing, in the verse For in the very matter that they plotted against them (Exodus 18:11).