As Moshe (Moses) confronts Pharaoh, initiating the display of signs and plagues as instructed by Hashem (G-d), we encounter Pharaoh's cadre of magician-priests (khartumim) who exhibit the ability to perform similar magical feats.
Remarkably, their response raises intriguing questions.
Rather than refuting or reversing Moshe's miracles to assert equality, they replicate them. This raises a logical query: If their intention is to demonstrate parity with Moshe, why don't they counteract his miracles instead of duplicating them?
The perplexity deepens when, faced with a plague like frogs, Pharaoh doesn't enlist his magicians to resolve it but turns to Moshe for assistance.
This prompts us to explore the motives behind the magician-priests' actions and understand why, in critical moments, Pharaoh seeks Moshe's intervention over his own magical retinue. What were they trying to prove? And what incredible lesson does the Torah have for us, today?