Pearls of Tefillah in the Parashah
"ויאמר משה אל פרעה התפאר עלי למתי אעתיר לך ולעבדיך ולעמך להכרית הצפרדעים ממך ומבתיך רק ביאר תשארנה; ויאמר למחר ויאמר כדברך למען תדע כי אין כה' אלקינו" (ו-ה ח)
Rashi explains that Pharaoh asked Moshe to "pray today that they should stop tomorrow." Why did Pharaoh delay the removal of the plague to the next day? Isn’t it the way of the world that when a person asks that he be spared from trouble, he asks that it be done right away? And moreover, if Pharaoh wanted the plague to only be removed the next day, why did he ask Moshe to pray for it today?
Rav Saadya Gaon explained that because Pharaoh believed in the power of the constellations and the stars, and didn’t believe in the Kingship of Hashem that rules over everything, it was clear to him that there was no way to pray today for a salvation for tomorrow. Because a star or constellation that reigns on one day has no control on the following day. Therefore, Pharaoh said to Moshe: if you want to prove to me that you are not working through the power of the stars and constellations, and you are coming upon the Word of Hashem Who rules everything, "pray today that they should be taken away tomorrow." And Moshe replied, "As you say," it will be "so that you should know that there is none other like Hashem Elokeinu," Who rules everything, and His Kingship is not limited to one day or another.
This is also the intention of Dovid Hamelech in Tehillim (2:3): "Shiru l’Hashem barchu Shemo basru miyom leyom yeshuaso." In other words, sing to Hashem Who reigns over everything at all times and His salvation is not limited to one day or another, but rather "miyom leyom yeshuaso."
Ohr Olam [Rav Y.L. Margulies] p. 23b
