Turns out, Moses did. And, according to the Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, it didn't go unnoticed.
The story begins, as we know, with God commanding Moses to go to the Israelites in Egypt. But Moses, ever the reluctant leader, replies, "But they will not believe me, nor heed my voice; for they will say: The Lord did not appear to you" (Exodus 4:1). A little sass. Shemot Rabbah sees this as more than just reluctance; it's a full-blown, foot-in-mouth moment. God had already assured Moses, "They will heed your voice" (Exodus 3:18). So, what gives?
The text interprets God's response as a direct consequence of Moses' doubt. "From that [mizeh] which you have done, you must be punished," God essentially says, "as you have slandered My children; they are believers, the children of believers."
Strong words! But, where does this idea of the Israelites being believers come from? Well, it's right there in the text. "The people believed" (Exodus 4:31) after witnessing the signs Moses performed. And, of course, their lineage goes back to Abraham, who "believed in the Lord" (Genesis 15:6). So, according to this reading, Moses wasn't just doubting himself; he was doubting the faith of his people.
Then comes the famous staff-to-snake transformation. God commands Moses to throw his staff to the ground, and it becomes a serpent. Moses, understandably, flees. The Shemot Rabbah sees a deeper meaning here, connecting Moses' actions to the original serpent in the Garden of Eden. Moses, in his doubt, is seen as mirroring the serpent's slander of God, as it is stated: “For God knows [that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will open, and you shall be as God, knowers of good and evil]” (Genesis 3:5). Just as the serpent was punished, so too, Moses, in a way, will face the consequences of his words.
It's a pretty harsh assessment. But the story doesn’t stop there. There's this fascinating little anecdote involving a Roman gentlewoman and Rabbi Yosei. She basically taunts Rabbi Yosei, saying her god (the serpent) is greater because Moses fled from it, while he hid his face from the Israelite God.
Rabbi Yosei, clearly not one to back down from a theological debate, retorted that Moses fled from the serpent precisely because one could flee from it. God, on the other hand, fills the heavens and the earth – where could Moses possibly run? As it says in (Jeremiah 23:24), “Don’t I fill the heavens and the earth – the utterance of the Lord?”
Another interpretation offered is that Moses fled because of his sin – his lack of faith. The text reminds us that "it is not the serpent that kills, but rather the sin that kills," referencing a story about Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa (Berakhot 33a).
Finally, God instructs Moses to grab the serpent by its tail, and it reverts back into a staff. What's the significance of this act for the Israelites? According to Rabbi Eliezer, the serpent represents Pharaoh, who is also referred to as a serpent in (Ezekiel 29:3) and (Isaiah 27:1). Pharaoh, in this view, was a "bar-serpent" who would bite Israel. God is showing Moses that he will strike Pharaoh with the staff, and eventually, Pharaoh will become harmless, like wood.
So, in the end, the staff-to-snake transformation isn't just a cool magic trick. It's a symbol of overcoming doubt, confronting evil, and ultimately, believing in the power of God. It's a message that resonates even today. Do we trust the path laid out for us, even when we have doubts? Do we believe in the potential for transformation, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles? The story of Moses and the serpent challenges us to do just that.
“Moses answered and said: But they will not believe me, nor heed my voice; for they will say: The Lord did not appear to you” (Exodus 4:1). “Moses answered and said: But they will not believe me.” At that moment, Moses spoke improperly. The Holy One blessed be He had said to him: “They will heed your voice” (Exodus 3:18), and he said: “But they will not believe me”? Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He responded to him in kind, providing him with signs based on his words. Look what is written afterward: “The Lord said to him: What is that [mazeh] in your hand? He said: A staff” (Exodus 4:2). In other words, from that [mizeh] which you have done, you must be punished, as you have slandered My children; they are believers, the children of believers. Believers, as it is stated: “The people believed” (Exodus 4:31); children of believers, as it is stated: “He [Abraham] believed in the Lord” (Genesis 15:6). “He said: Cast it on the ground. He cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent. Moses fled from before it” (Exodus 4:3). Moses adopted the way of the serpent who slandered his Creator, as it is stated: “For God knows [that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will open, and you shall be as God, knowers of good and evil]” (Genesis 3:5). Just as the serpent was punished, so, too, this one [Moses] is destined to be punished. See what is written: “He said: Cast it on the ground. He cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent.” Because he performed the action of the serpent, He therefore showed him the serpent, meaning, you performed this one’s action. “Moses fled from before it.” A [Roman] gentlewoman said to Rabbi Yosei: ‘My god is greater than your God.’ He said to her: ‘Why?’ She said to him: ‘When your God revealed Himself to Moses at the bush, Moses concealed his face, but when he saw the serpent, which is my god, immediately: “Moses fled from before it.”’ He said to her: ‘May her bones wither.27Presumably Rabbi Yosei did not direct this curse directly at the Roman woman. This sotto voce comment made before he replied to her challenge is his response to her blasphemous contention that Moses feared the snake more than God. When our God revealed Himself at the bush, there was no place to flee. Where could he flee; to the heavens, to the sea, or to dry land? What is stated regarding our God? “Don’t I fill the heavens and the earth – the utterance of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). However, the serpent, that is your god, when a person flees two or three steps from it, he can be saved; therefore, it is written: “Moses fled from before it.”’ Another interpretation: Why did he flee? It is because he sinned with his words, as had he not sinned, he would not have fled, because it is not the serpent that kills, but rather the sin that kills, as it is written in the incident involving Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa.28See Berakhot 33a. “The Lord said to Moses: 'Extend your hand, and grasp its tail.’ He extended his hand, and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand. So that they will believe that the Lord, God of their fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (Exodus 4:4-5). “The Lord said to Moses: ‘Extend your hand, and grasp its tail.’” We already said how the serpent corresponded to Moses, but what sign was there for Israel in this? Rabbi Eliezer said: That is why the staff was transformed into a serpent, corresponding to Pharaoh, who was called a serpent, as it is stated: “The great serpent” (Ezekiel 29:3), and it says: “Against Leviathan the bar-serpent” (Isaiah 27:1), because he would bite Israel. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Have you seen Pharaoh, who is like a serpent? You are destined to strike him with a staff and in the end he will become like wood. Just as a staff does not bite, so, too he will not bite.’ That is what is written: “Extend your hand, and grasp its tail…. So that they will believe that the Lord…has appeared to you.” ‘Go perform this sign for them, so that they will believe that I have appeared to you.’
