‘Go and exact retribution from him’6When God said to Moses: “I have set you as god to Pharaoh,” He was saying: Go exact retribution [hipara] from him. – he said to Him: ‘How will I bring upon him ten plagues?’ He said to him: “You shall take in your hand this staff” (Exodus 4:17). Rabbi Yehuda said: The weight of the staff was forty se’a, and it was made of sapphire, and the ten plagues were etched on it in acronym form, detzakh adash be’aḥav.7This is an acronym of the initials of the plagues: Blood [dam], frogs [tzefarde’a], lice [kinnim] – detzakh; wild beasts [arov], pestilence [dever], boils [shekhin] – adash; hail [barad], locusts [arbeh], darkness [ḥoshekh], firstborn [bekhorot] – be’aḥav.
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘In this order, bring the plagues upon him.’ “And Aaron your brother will be your prophet” – just as the lecturer sits and lectures and the amora8After the lecturer stated an excerpt of the lecture that was heard only by the amora, the amora would repeat it in loud voice and occasionally elaborate upon it for the benefit of the audience. speaks before him, so too, “you shall speak everything that I command you; and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:2), and all the matters were accomplished by the two of them, as it is stated: “Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders” (Exodus 11:10).