Element of Surprise

God said to Moshe and Aharon, saying, "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Provide a wonder for yourselves,' you shall say to Aharon, 'Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh – it will become a snake.'" Moshe came with Aharon to Pharaoh and they did so, as Hashem had commanded; Aharon cast down his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a snake.
(Shemos 7:8-10)

The epic battle of wills begins. God tells Moshe and Aharon that Pharaoh is going to want to see a wonder, a miracle that verifies that God Almighty Himself in fact sent them. He wants to see something powerful, unique, and compelling. God tells them the game plan – you’re going to throw your staff down and it will turn into a snake – and the Torah says that they came to Pharaoh and they “did as God commanded."

When the Torah says that they did as they were commanded, it is a statement of praise – "Look, they listened to God!" But what was so impressive that warrants commending them? God gives them a miracle to perform – wouldn't anyone do it? What's the big deal? Furthermore, the Torah praises their coming to Pharaoh. Strangely, it does not commend their actual performance of the miracle, which is written after this commendation. Isn’t that what really deserves to be praised?

And what was the response to this miracle? Moshe and Aharon became the laughingstock of Egypt. Every Egyptian knew this simple parlor trick, even little children. As the Midrash says:

Pharaoh started to laugh at [Moshe and Aharon] and said to them, "This is the sign of your God? Don't you know that all magic is in my domain?" He immediately summoned schoolchildren and they also [threw down their staff, which turned into a snake]. Then he called his wife who also did it… as did the magicians of Egypt and four- and five-year-old boys.
(Midrash Rabbah, Va’eira 9:6)

Pharaoh mocks them, saying that their little trick is like bringing coal to Newcastle. Imagine what Moshe and Aharon are thinking. Pharaoh is anxiously waiting to see what this God of the Jews is capable of doing, and this is the big miracle God wants us to perform? Throw the stick and it will become a snake? Imagine if God would tell you that He is sending you to MIT as a messenger of the Creator of the universe to show them that God indeed exists. When the team of professors asks you to perform a miracle to demonstrate God’s power, the Almighty instructs you to take out a safety match and strike it. Lo and behold: fire!

Are you prepared to go before the panel of professors and make a fool of yourself? "Safety matches? That's a good one! This guy is certifiably crazy.”

In a nutshell, that was the plan Moshe and Aharon had going in to confront Pharaoh. All God told them was to throw down the staff and it will turn into a snake. In their mind, that was the entire plan. They are standing in front of Pharaoh, who has called in everyone to take a look at these two fools.

This is why God praises them for going to Pharaoh: "Moshe came with Aharon to Pharaoh and they did so, as Hashem had commanded." They knew they were entering the lion's den completely unarmed. Yet they did not question the Almighty and did exactly as He requested.

Caught Off Guard

Then God turns the table on Pharaoh and his followers; the entire spectacle was a setup. "And the staff of Aharon swallowed their staffs" (Shemot 7:12). After the snakes reverted to staffs, wooden sticks all over the floor, Aharon's staff devoured their staffs. That one was not in the Egyptian repertoire of magic tricks. It was unquestionably a miracle.

"Pharaoh strengthened his heart and he did not heed them, as Hashem had spoken" (ibid 7:13). Pharaoh had to strengthen his heart. That means he was scared out of his wits but he overcame his inner fear. The Midrash says he thought that if their staff could swallow up all those sticks, it could just as easily turn on his throne and wipe him out.

God’s orchestration was genius. If Moshe and Aharon would have come before Pharaoh and immediately played their hand, casting the staff down and swallowing up their sticks, the impact would have been far less. Pharaoh was waiting to see a miracle; he had steeled himself. He was ready for it and would not have had to harden his heart. He would have been impressed, but not scared.

And who would have heard of the miracle? Only Pharaoh and a few of his ministers would have seen it, and they would have made sure it remained a state secret. The Egyptian populace would never have known about it. What happens instead? Pharaoh calls in everyone – the schoolchildren, the wise men and magicians, his wife. It’s on the front-page news! Everyone is in hysterics laughing at Moshe and Aharon.

The element of surprise is a key to an effective military strategy, as ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu writes in The Art of War, “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.” So while everyone is laughing and their defenses are down, Hashem suddenly sends the entire Egyptian nation a chilling message that shocks them to their core: you are vulnerable, you can be devoured, and you are messing with the miraculous power of the God of the Jews. And Pharaoh and the Egyptians are shaken.

God had an exact plan and wanted to make sure the entire people heard His message. So if you ever find yourself questioning one of Hashem’s directives, worried that you are going to look foolish, remember Moshe and Aharon and the staff that turned into a snake. Hashem knows exactly what He is doing. We just need to be patient sometimes in order to see it.