5771

Moshe Rabbeinu’s prayer to Hashem requesting that the frogs be removed and the plague come to a halt was effective. The frogs returned to the river where they belonged. In Parashas Chukas (Bamidbar 21:4), Moshe also prayed to Hashem that He remove the fiery snakes that were wreaking havoc in the Jewish camp. His prayer was not effective. It only worked after Hashem advised Moshe to make a fiery snake out of copper and place it on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten by the fiery snake and looked at Moshe’s snake was spared. Chazal ask, “Does a serpent cause…

Moshe Rabbeinu raises the issue of his speech impediment. He feels that, as a result of his inability to speak eloquently, he is not qualified to serve as Hashem’s spokesman to Pharaoh. Furthermore, if the Jewish People had not listened to him, how could Pharaoh be expected to listen? Rashi cites the Midrash which notes that this is one of the ten kal v’chomer, a fortiori logical arguments, in the Torah. A kal v’chomer reasons: If a rule or fact applies in a situation in which we have limited reason for it to apply, certainly it applies in a situation…