This week's Torah portion, Va'eira

This week's Torah portion, Va'eira, narrates the encounter between Moses and Aaron, and Pharaoh, King of Egypt.

Giving Moses certain instructions, G-d stipulated that if Pharaoh were to ask him to demonstrate a "wonder," Aaron was to throw down his staff, and it would be miraculously transformed into a serpent.

And so it came to pass. Yet, after Aaron performed this feat, Pharaoh called for his wise men and magicians and asked them to do the same.
"And they cast down every man his staff, and they became serpents; but Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs."

Although the entire incident demands further study, one question stands out. Why was this "extra" miracle necessary - the swallowing up of all the other staffs - and what is its special significance, considering that G-d didn't mention it to Moses beforehand?

It must be understood that all of the miracles and plagues that were visited on Egypt were not merely for the purpose of punishment, but to break through the Egyptians' opposition to G-d.

Fundamental to the Egyptians' belief system was the notion that G-d has no practical influence and involvement in the world.

After creating the physical universe, G-d "stepped back" and gave the job of managing it over to the forces of nature, the Egyptians maintained.

Each one of the ten plagues was designed to refute a particular aspect of this mistaken belief.

The miracle of Aaron's staff swallowing up the staffs of the magicians expressed this central theme and served to prepare the Egyptian people for what was coming.

In his encounter with Pharaoh, Aaron stood for the forces of sanctity; his staff was symbolic of the G-dly power that is inherent in holiness.
The serpent is symbolic of Egypt, as it states, "Egypt is a great serpent lying within its rivers."

When Aaron's staff was transformed into the serpent, he thereby demonstrated to Pharaoh that the very existence of the serpent itself - i.e., Egypt - was dependent upon G-d.

What was Pharaoh's answer? He immediately called for his magicians to duplicate the feat, "proving" to Aaron that Egypt had powers of its own and had no need for the G-d of the Jews.

When Aaron's staff swallowed up the others, it demonstrated for all to see that the might and power of Egypt was only an illusion, without independent existence.

With this miracle, G-d showed Pharaoh and his wise men that His sovereignty over creation extended even to them, forming the first chink in the Egyptian ideological armor. The ten plagues that followed corresponded to the ten levels of impurity that were invalidated one by one.

Furthermore, an important lesson in our service of G-d may be derived from this story, most notably the importance of emulating Aaron, who "loved peace and pursued peace, loved mankind and drew them closer to Torah."

Even when necessity dictates that we deal in a strict manner with others, we must always make sure that we employ "the staff of Aaron" - and are guided solely by the highest principles of love for our fellow Jew.

Adapted from Likutei Sichot of the Rebbe, Vol. XXVI