With the abundance of grain there is, naturally, an abundance of straw as well. This is the area referred to in the famous dialogue between Egypt's leading sorcerers and Moshe Rabbeinu, whom they suspected of using sorcery in bringing the plagues upon an Egypt notorious for its expertise in sorcery. Rashi interprets the response of Moshe to the challenge of the sorcerers as a comical rebuff to their cynical question. Moshe responded with an allusion to vegetables brought to market. There is no standard produce.
Some vegetables are of superior quality while others are inferior.
The produce you bring to market, he told Yochna and Mamrei, is indeed sorcery as worthless as straw, but what I am doing in regard to the plagues is the real thing because it comes from the Creator. This ruling serves as the background for the special nature of a date we mark only three days after this daf will be learned. Dedication opportunities are available for The Weekly Daf. Please contact us for details. All rights reserved.