Haggadah: A Warning! Moshe’s Development

Moshe and Aharon were on their way to Pharaoh’s palace to warn him of the next plague. “Something has changed,” said Moshe, “God’s charge was to ‘Come to Pharaoh,’ without any mention of another plague. But there was something else…”

“What’s on your mind?” asked Aharon.

“God mentioned Israel for the first time. He wants us to have a story to share with future generations. This visit is about something new. God said that He made Pharaoh’s heart, and those of his servants, stubborn, so that future generations will tell a story of ‘how I made a mockery of Egypt.’ We have to approach Pharaoh in a manner that will stress the mockery.”

“Moshe, it’s clear that God speaks to you in a different way than He spoke to anyone else. Why would He be vague rather than give you more exact instructions?”

“Aharon, there has been something on my mind ever since the first moments at the Burning Bush: When God first spoke to me, He said, ‘And now, go and I shall dispatch you to Pharaoh and you shall take My people the Children of Israel out of Egypt.’ I think that Hashem wants me to take responsibility to take them out of Egypt. He wants me to decide how to approach Pharaoh. This meeting is almost as much about me, as it is about Pharaoh.”

“Well, Moshe, God did say to you, ‘See, I have made you an Elohim to Pharaoh, and Aharon your brother shall be your prophet.’ (Exodus 7:1) God wants you to act as a Power. You have to approach Pharaoh differently. No negotiations, Declarations.”