It is said that Pharoah was not overly impressed with first two plagues because his own sorcerers could reproduce them, it was only when HaShem made the plague of lice which showed that HaShem had control even over the tiniest of creatures did Pharoah realize that HaShem was literally running the world to His will. But why did HaShem make plagues that the Egyptians could replicate at all – surely ten new extraordinary and impossible plagues would have had more of an effect then two copy cats at the
start. An answer could be that HaShem, who knew that in future years (ie. today) where we are so technically advanced, we could possible come to believe that Moshe created a light show or magic tricks to fool a simple people, and had the miracles happened today they would be easily recognizable as slight of hand. Therefore, in showing that the Egyptians could actually reproduce two of the miracles (that we cannot do today), we quell the temptation to say that a simple group of people were fooled by clever Jews with a set of magic tricks.
– developed from a d’var Torah said by Rabbi Stephansky in Whitefield Kollel, Manchester. Although as I write this an obvious question seems apparent, why two plagues, surely one would have proven the above point?! A simple answer could be that if one had been reproduced, it could be classed as a fluke but two plagues shows that they did have mastery of the water and the land (to some extent). But please add your own answers, comments etc.
