Midrash sa Exodo 11:3: Otzar Midrashim, Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Shemot Rabbah & Devarim Rabbah

11) Come and hear: anything of Torah has heaps upon heaps of midrash. And the Holy Blessed One cautioned Israel about them, saying "Look at these serifs. If you replace them you will destroy the universe! For instance, if you make ḥet into hei or hei into ḥet, you will destroy the universe!" For instance "Our souls hope for the LORD"¹"nafshenu ḥikta l-Adonai." If "ḥikta" were replaced with "hikta" this would be read "our souls struck the LORD!" (Psalms 33:20), or "Let all with breath praise Yah,²"kol ha-nshama tehallel Yah" If "tehalel" were replaced with "teḥallel" this would be read "let all with breath desecrate Yah!" hallelujah!" (Psalms 150:6). "What's more, if you make dalet into resh or resh into dalet, you will destroy the universe!" For instance, "Hear, Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one!³"Adonai eḥad" If "eḥad" were replaced with "aḥer," spelled the same in Hebrew without vowels, this would be read "the LORD is another!"" (Deuteronomy 6:4) or "Do not bow down to another deity⁴"el aḥer." If "aḥer" were replaced with "eḥad," spelled the same in Hebrew without vowels, this would be read "Do not bow down to the One Deity!"" (Exodus 34:14). From this can be learned that every single serif in the Torah has heaps and heaps of laws, all the more so an entire letter or an entire word. And the Holy Blessed One saw all the humans He created and found no find a man as worthy to be given the Torah by his hand as Moshe. And why did Moshe merit to be the groom of the Torah? Because of his humility and awe that was in him. From where? As it is written, "And Moshe hid his face for he was afraid to gaze upon God" (Exodus 3:6). The sages said, in reward for three things he did, Moshe merited three things. In reward for his fear, he merited "they were afraid to come near him" (Exodus 34:30). In reward for his hiding his face, he merited to have a glowing countenance. In reward for not gazing, he merited to "see the form of the LORD" (Numbers 12:8) and he merited "they gazed after Moshe until he entered the tent" (Exodus 33:8). And from where is humility found in Moshe? As it is said, "And now, go, and I will send you to Pharaoh, etc." (Exodus 3:10). The sages said, the hei of "go"⁵"lekhah" is closed. And why is it closed? When the Holy Blessed One said to Moshe, "Go and redeem Israel," out of his great humility that he had, he said, "Who am I to go to Pharaoh? Could I bring the children of Israel out of Egypt!?" He said, "There are those greater than me in the family with regards to wealth and silver and gold!" The Holy Blessed One said to him, to Moshe, "You are great," as it is said, "And the man Moshe was very great" (Exodus 11:3).

Another interpretation (of Gen. 28:10): AND JACOB SET OUT. It is written (in Is. 26:20): GO, MY PEOPLE, ENTER INTO YOUR CHAMBERS AND SHUT [YOUR DOORS] BEHIND ME.¹⁶The MT reads BEHIND YOU. HIDE JUST FOR A MOMENT UNTIL MY ANGER PASSES. When you see a fateful hour, do not stand against it but give way to it. Thus it is stated: GO, MY PEOPLE, ENTER INTO YOUR CHAMBERS. Look at me, as it were, for I have perceived an hour < made > fateful through your sins. I did nothing. Instead I gave way to it, as stated (in Lam. 2:3): HE HAS WITHDRAWN HIS RIGHT HAND…. So also you, GO MY PEOPLE. Thus, the one who stands against the hour will fall into its hand; but whoever gives way to the hour will have the hour fall into his hand. Naboth stood against the hour {and stood against it} [and fell into its hand]. When Ahab said to him (in I Kings 21:2): GIVE ME YOUR VINEYARD SO THAT I MAY HAVE IT FOR A VEGETABLE GARDEN. What did he do? He said (in vs. 3): THE LORD FORBID < THAT I SHOULD GIVE YOU MY ANCESTORS' INHERITANCE >. What happened to him? He fell into the hand of the hour, as stated (in vs. 13): AND THE MEN OF BELIAL TESTIFIED AGAINST [NABOTH BEFORE THE PEOPLE…. AND THEY STONED HIM TO DEATH WITH STONES]. Abraham gave way to the hour and fled from Nimrod, the king of the Chaldeans. So the hour returned and fell into his hand when he killed sixteen kings. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:15): THEN HE DEPLOYED < HIS FORCES > AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT. Isaac also gave way to the hour when the Philistines said to him (in Gen. 26:16): GO AWAY FROM US. Immediately < the passage continues > (in vs. 17): SO ISAAC WENT AWAY FROM THERE. Then the hour returned and fell into his hand, as stated (in Gen. 26:26-28): THEN ABIMELECH CAME UNTO HIM FROM GERAR…. SO ISAAC SAID UNTO THEM: WHY HAVE YOU COME UNTO ME …? AND THEY SAID: WE HAVE CLEARLY SEEN THAT THE LORD IS WITH YOU…. Joseph also gave way to the hour. When his brothers sold him, was he not able to say: I am your brother? But he gave way to the hour, and the hour returned and fell before him, as stated (in Gen. 50:18): THEN HIS BROTHERS ALSO WENT AND FELL DOWN BEFORE HIM. Moses gave way to the hour, as stated (in Exod. 2:15): BUT MOSES FLED FROM PHARAOH. So the hour returned and fell into his hand, as stated (in Exod. 11:3): {AND} [ALSO] THE MAN MOSES WAS VERY GREAT IN THE EYES OF PHARAOH'S [SERVANTS] AND IN THE EYES OF HIS PEOPLE. David also gave way to the hour, as stated (in I Sam. 20:1): BUT DAVID FLED FROM NAIOTH. It is also written (in Ps. 3:1): WHEN HE FLED FROM HIS SON ABSALOM. And it is written (in Ps. 57:1): [WHEN HE FLED] FROM SAUL IN THE CAVE. So the hour returned and fell into his hand when Saul said to him (in I Sam. 24:21 [20]): [PLEASE] LOOK, I KNOW THAT YOU SHALL SURELY REIGN AND IN YOUR HAND THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL SHALL ARISE. So < it was > also < with > Jacob, who fled from the hour. (Hosea 12:13 [12]:) THEN JACOB FLED TO THE LAND OF ARAM. And the hour fell into his hand, as stated (in Gen. 36:6): THEN ESAU TOOK HIS WIVES < … > AND WENT INTO A LAND AWAY FROM HIS BROTHER JACOB. Ergo (in Is. 26:20): GO, MY PEOPLE, ENTER INTO YOUR CHAMBERS.

“Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and they did so, as the Lord commanded; Aaron cast his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants and it became a serpent” (Exodus 7:10).
“Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh” – should not Aaron have entered first, as he was greater in years than him? Why Moses? It is because he was greater than him in Egypt, as it is stated: “The man, Moses, too, was very great [in the land of Egypt]” (Exodus 11:3). Alternatively, because the Holy One blessed be He rendered Moses as god over Aaron, as it is stated: “And you will be to him as god” (Exodus 4:16), and it is appropriate for the master to enter first.
“And they did so, as the Lord commanded” – in that they did not do so until Pharaoh requested a wonder, just as the Holy One blessed be He said. At that moment, “Aaron cast his staff.”