Comentario sobre Exodo 4:2

מזה בידך WHAT IS THAT IN THINE HAND? —The reason why the words מה זה are written here as one word is to afford the opportunity to explain it thus: on account of this (מִזֶּה) that is in thine hand thou wilt make thyself liable to punishment because thou hast harboured suspicion about worthy persons (Exodus Rabbah 3:12). The real meaning, however, is that it is a question such as one puts to his fellow: “You admit that this object in front of you is a stone?” The other replies, “Yes”. The former says, “Well, I’ll turn it into wood”.

מה זה בידך?, here is a staff which is an inert object, and the hand which is something very much alive. I will demonstrate that I can kill that which is alive and bring to life that which is dead. I will make your hand useless and your staff will suddenly come alive.

?זיאמר ה׳ מזה בידך "G'd said: "what is this in your hand?" This question cannot be compared to when G'd asked Bileam (Numbers 22,9) "who are these men?" Our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 19 state that Bileam should have answered G'd that He was well aware of even a chamber-pot Bileam had in his bedroom, how much more so would He be aware of who the messengers were who had come to him that evening? However, the two situations cannot be compared. When G'd asked Bileam who the men were who had come to him, Bileam had some excuse to assume that G'd really was not aware of their identity; When He asked Moses what the latter held in his hand, it was daylight and G'd had obviously seen it. The question therefore could only be a rhetorical one. G'd only wanted Moses to confirm what it was he held in his hand. Moses complied and said "it is a staff."