משך חכמה — שלושת האותות למשה

Q — What is the inner message of each of the three signs given to Moshe — staff-to-snake, healthy hand-to-leper, water-to-blood?

A — Each is a two-stage act in which the SECOND stage carries the message: (1) snake reverting to a staff — Pharaoh the great serpent will become harmless wood; (2) leprous hand restored — Israel, currently corrupted by Egyptian avodah zarah, will be purified into a "גוי קדוש"; (3) clean water turning to blood when removed from the river — Israel's segulah expresses itself ONLY in their natural place, Eretz Yisrael; in foreign soil their distinctive nature cannot manifest, so the Exodus must include entry to the Land.