Hashem told Moshe to perform the makah of דם. Hashem said (7:15-17) פ ַּרְעֹה אֶל לֵ ךְ ה ִנֵּה ...אֵל ָיו ָּוְאָמ ַרְת ,ָבְּיָדֶך תִּק ַּח ׁלְנָחָש נֶהְפ ַּ ךְ ֶׁראֲש וְהַמ ַּטֶּה ...בַּבֹּק ֶר לְדָם וְנֶהֶפ ְ כוּ בַּיְאֹר ֶׁראֲש הַמ ַּיִם עַל בְּיָדִי ֶׁראֲש בַּמ ַּטֶּה מ ַכֶּה א ָנֹכִי, "Go to Pharaoh in the morning... that staff that was turned into a snake you shall take in your hand. You shall tell him... 'I shall strike the waters that are in the river, and they shall change to blood.'"
The Berzhaner Rav zt'l (Techeles Mordechai) asks that Hashem could have said simply, ָבְּיָדֶך תִּק ַּח וְהַמ ַּטֶּה, "Take your staff in your hand". Why was it important, at this time, to say, ָבְּיָדֶך תִּק ַּח ׁלְנָחָש נֶהְפ ַּ ךְ ֶׁראֲש וְהַמ ַּטֶּה, "that staff that was turned into a snake you shall take in your hand."
The Berzhaner Rav's answer is based on the Gemara (Bava Basra 16b): "This אילה, her womb is narrow. When she squats to give birth, I prepare a snake to bite her." She isn't able to give birth; her womb is too narrow. She shouts in her labor pains (as Rashi writes on the words [Tehillim 42:2] ֲרֹגתַּע כְּא ַיָּל). Hashem has compassion on her, and a snake bites her womb. When this occurs, the אילה thinks that Hashem isn't helping her. She thinks that Hashem is adding more yesurim to her already painful birth pains. הּ"יָּ יִסְּרַנִּי יַס ֹּר, she feels that Hashem sent her yesurim upon yesurim. Actually, the snakebite on her womb is her salvation. This opens her womb, and she can give birth.
Hashem told Moshe, ׁלְנָחָש נֶהְפ ַּ ךְ ֶׁראֲש וְהַמ ַּטֶּה ָבְּיָדֶך תִּק ַּח, "The staff that was turned into a snake you shall take in your hand". I want you to remember the snake, and what it does for the אילה. The same happens to you. When I sent you to Pharaoh to tell him to send the Yidden out of Mitzrayim, Pharaoh increased the workload. You thought it was bad for the Jewish nation. As you said (Shemos 5:22-23) זֶּה לָמ ָּה ה ַזֶּה לָעָם הֲר ֵעֹתָה לָמָה ....וַיֹּאמ ַר 'ה אֶל ֶׁהמֹש ָׁבוַיָּש וְה ַצֵּל ה ַזֶּה לָעָם הֵרַע ָבִּשְׁמֶך לְד ַבֵּר פ ַּרְעֹה אֶל בָּאתִי וּמֵאָז ,שְׁלַחְת ָּנִי ָעַמֶּך אֶת ָּה ִצַּלְת לֹא, "Moshe returned to Hashem and said.... 'Why have you done bad to this nation? Why did you send me? From the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he did bad to these people, but You did not rescue Your people." You thought that more yesurim came. Currently, I want you to remember the snake that bites the אילה and helps her bear her child. She thinks the snakebite is bad for her, but it saves her life and enables her to bear a child. So, too, be aware that all yesurim Yidden go through are a step towards the salvation that will come afterwards.
Pharaoh is called תנין, a snake (see Shemos Rabba 9:4). He was the snake that bit Yisrael when they were suffering. It seemed that matters worsened, but this is what brought about the salvation.
It states (7:20-21), לְדָם בַּיְאֹר ֶׁראֲש הַמ ַּיִם כָּל וַיֵּהָפ ְ כוּ מֵתָה בַּיְאֹר ֶׁראֲש וְה ַדָּגָה, "All the water that was in the river changed to blood. The fish life that was in the river died..."
Zera Shimshon writes that when this occurred, Bnei Yisrael thought that they had suffered a significant loss because fish was a staple in Mitzrayim. As it states (Bamidbar 11:5) ח ִנָּם בְּמ ִצְר ַיִם נֹאכַל ֶׁראֲש ה ַדָּגָה אֶת זָכ ַרְ נוּ, "We remember the fish that we ate in Mitzrayim free of charge."
They thought it was bad for them, but it was for their benefit. The Midrash (Shemos Rabba 9:10) states, "From the makah of דם, Bnei Yisrael became wealthy. How is that? A Mitzri and a Yisrael were in the same house, and there was a barrel filled with water. The Mitzri dipped his jug to take out water, and it was filled with blood! The Yisrael was able to drink water from the barrel. The Mitzri said, 'Give me a little bit of your water.' The Yid gave him water, and it became blood! The Mitzri said, 'Let us drink together, me with you, from the same dish.' The Yisrael drank water, and the Mitzri drank blood. However, when the Mitzri paid for the water, he was able to drink the water. This resulted in Bnei Yisrael becoming wealthy."
They raised the prices for water and earned a lot of money. So, what appeared to be a loss in their parnassah (because for a week or so, they couldn't eat fish) was actually a tremendous increase in their parnassah. When something appears like a tzarah for Bnei Yisrael, it is a brachah in concealment.
It states at the beginning of the parashah (6:2) 'ה אֲנִי אֵל ָיו וַיֹּאמֶר ֶׁהמֹש אֶל א ֱלֹק ִים וַיְד ַבֵּר, "Hashem spoke to Moshe and said to him, "I am Hashem." Rashi writes, משפט איתו דיבר, Hashem spoke justice with Moshe, which means Hashem spoke harsh words. The Ohev Yisrael zt'l explains that Rashi knows this from the word וַיְד ַבֵּר, which means harsh words (unlike וַיֹּאמֶר, which represents kind words). Another indication that Hashem spoke with harshness to Moshe is that it states א ֱלֹק ִים וַיְד ַבֵּר, and it is known that א ֱלֹק ִים is Hashem's name when He uses harsh justice, הדין מדת. So, how do we understand the end of the pasuk וַיֹּאמֶר ה"הוי אֲנִי אֵל ָיו, " It is known that both וַיֹּאמֶר and the name ה"הוי represents Hashem speaking with kindness and with compassion. How does the beginning of the pasuk fit with the end of the pasuk?
