When Moses and Aaron presented before Pharaoh the first sign of God’s might, transforming Aaron’s staff into a serpent, the Torah relates that Pharaoh called his magicians and wise men, who did precisely the same. The Sages describe how Pharaoh mocked Moses and Aaron, and discuss the greatness of the miracle Aaron performed in the presence of Pharaoh and his servants.

“Pharaoh also summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did so with their artifices” (Exodus 7:11). At that moment, Pharaoh began mocking Moses and Aaron and cackling like a chicken. Pharaoh said to them: Are these the signs of your God? It is the way of the world that people take merchandise to a place where people need it. Does one bring fish brine to Aspamya? Fish to Akko? Don’t you know that all sorcery is in my domain? Sorcery is common here. Immediately, Pharaoh sent messengers and brought children from their schools, and they too performed this sorcery. Moreover, he called his wife and she did so…. He called even the four- and five-year-old children and they did so…. At that moment, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: If a serpent would swallow the Egyptian’s serpents, that would be the way of the world, as a snake swallows a snake. Rather, the staff will return to its original state and swallow their serpents…“and Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs” (7:12)…. It was a miracle within a miracle. The verse teaches that the staff returned to its original state as a staff and swallowed the staffs in the form of serpents. When Pharaoh saw this, he wondered and said: What would happen if Aaron would say to the staff: Swallow Pharaoh and his throne? Now it would swallow him…. A great miracle was performed with the staff, as even though it swallowed all the staffs that the Egyptians had cast down, numerous enough to make from them ten large piles, it did not become thicker. (Shemot Rabba 9)