In ancient times many diverse skin diseases were lumped together as tzâ•raꞋat, from white or yellow patches or white hairs to various types of plastic-like, loose skin, nodules and sores. (Only later was the original Hebrew term Hellenized to mean "leprosy.") Photo: ring worm fungus, American Academy of Dermatology (aad.org)

Then, as an added measure, the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה taught Mosh•ëhꞋ another priestly magic illusion.

"Let me show you something here," the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה suggested, handing Mosh•ëhꞋ the ugliest glove he'd ever seen.

"This glove is made from the intestines of a goat. Fasten it inside your kaftan. Now," the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה instructed, "as you put your hand inside your kaftan, slide you hand into the glove. Now, pull out your hand and, Poof! Your hand appears afflicted with tzâ•raꞋat, like snow has settled on your hand!

"Ok," the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה continued, "Now put your hand back into your kaftan and slide your hand out of the glove, leaving the glove inside your kaftan. Voila! Your hand is normal again!"

"If they aren't convinced by the snake scepter illusion, this oughtta do it," the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה declared confidently.

Priestly Magic: Pitcher – Water In, Blood Out

"Magic" pitcher. Cover the out­side of a standard Brita filter pitch­er and plug up the filter hole. Fill the bottom section (only) with, say, pomegranate juice and leave the top section empty. Now you can pour in water at the top, but it will pour out pomegranate juice.

"If they don't believe these two signs, nor listen to what you say, then you can use this special pitcher with two compartments inside. Beforehand, you pour some goat's blood into the bottom-forward compartment. Then, while they watch, you pour in some water from their sacred Nile into the top-rear compartment. When you pour from the spout, the blood in the bottom compartment comes out while the water in the top compartment is blocked. So the blood pours out on dry land."

Then Mosh•ëhꞋ said to [the ma•lâkhꞋ] י‑‑ה, "Please A•don•âiꞋ, I've never been a man of diplomatic rhetoric. Not yesterday. Not the day before. Not from the first time You ever spoke to your worker. For I, myself, am a man of Egyptian-​tongue and action, not Hebrew-​tongued diplomacy – I say what I mean and mean what I say; strictly serious of mouth and serious of tongue."

"Consider the Creator's point of view," the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה responded, still speaking in the Name. "Who puts the mouth in a man? Who puts muteness in a man? Or deafness? Or sharp-sightedness? Or blindness? Is it not Me, Myself – י‑‑ה? Now go! I Myself, אֶהְיֶה, will coach your strategy and I will instruct you what to speak."

"I'd prefer you send the message by whomever else you wish," Mosh•ëhꞋ replied.

This angered the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה. Continuing to speak in the third person as ko•heinꞋ of י‑‑ה, he chided Mosh•ëhꞋ sarcastically. "Isn't your brother, A•ha•ronꞋ, a Lei•wiꞋ? Doesn't he speak fluent Hebrew? Furthermore, hasn't he gone out calling you? Isn't he elated to see you? You tell him the gist. אֶהְיֶה will coach both you and him and I will instruct you what to do.

"So A•ha•ronꞋ shall be your spokesman to the am and he shall be your Hebrew voice – and you shall be to him for ël•oh•imꞋ. Take this scepter in your hand to perform the signs."

Different Livestock Grazing Excursion All Of The Egyptians Who Enforced The Death Warrant On Mosh•ëhꞋ Are Dead

Mosh•ëhꞋ & Family Head Back To Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim

c BCE 1627

Another time, after Mosh•ëhꞋ had walked the land grazing the livestock, he came home again to his father-in-law, Yi•tᵊr•ōꞋ Rᵊu•eilꞋ in Mi•dᵊyânꞋ saying, "With your leave, I shall return to my brothers in Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim and see if they're still alive."

"Pursue that which brings you shâ•lomꞋ," Yi•tᵊr•ōꞋ replied.

So ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה in Mi•dᵊyânꞋ urged Mosh•ëhꞋ: "Go back to Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim, for all of the men who wanted you killed are dead."

Asinus Plodlines – donkey caravan (toucan.photo)

So Mosh•ëhꞋ placed his wife, Tzi•pōr•âhꞋ, and each of his sons on a donkey and, taking the scepter of ha-ël•oh•imꞋ in his hand, they began their long, 7-week caravan, west, back to the Egyptian capital of Thebes in ërꞋëtz Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim.

Accompanying his son-in-law, his daughters and grandchildren a short way according to the customary ancient Middle-Eastern etiquette as a send-off, the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה said to Mosh•ëhꞋ, "Look at all of the wondrous-illusions I've put in your hands! When you arrive in Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim, you shall perform them for Par•ohꞋ Men-kheper Ra Tut-moses 3^rd. His magicians will understand how they're done and explain them to him. As a result, this bold, rash, brash, aggressive and adventuresome Par•ohꞋ will dismiss all of these wondrous-illusions and become ever more overconfident and stubborn. So these are not going to persuade him to send out hâ-âm.

Warn Par•ohꞋ: I Will Exact The Life Of His First-born Son!

"But," continued the ma•lâkhꞋ י‑‑ה, "the am will believe you and that's the first step. You shall tell Par•ohꞋ: 'י‑‑ה says, «My firstborn-son is Yi•sᵊr•â•eilꞋ. Now I've told you, Par•ohꞋ Men-kheper Ra Tut-moses 3^rd, ‹Send forth My son so he may serve Me!› But you have refused to send him forth. So, I will kill your firstborn-son!» ' "

Mosh•ëhꞋ Shoulders Mantle of Spokesman For י‑‑ה

Belated Bᵊrit Mil•âhꞋ For Mosh•ëhꞋ's Son

Caravansary – the ancient motel. Ruins from 2 millen­nia after Mosh•ëhꞋ, likely reno­va­tion of earlier site. Photo used with the kind permission, courtesy of Babak Tafreshi, dreamview.net

In one of the caravansaries during their 7-week trek to Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim, Mosh•ëhꞋ mulled over the words he would speak to Par•ohꞋ regarding the firstborn son: refusing one's firstborn son to י‑‑ה would result in י‑‑ה exacting the life of the firstborn son!

He thought back to the paradigm of Avᵊrâ•hâmꞋ substituting a goat sacrifice instead of Yi•tzᵊkhâqꞋ at the A•qeid•âhꞋ. But Mosh•ëhꞋ hadn't insisted on the requisite Bᵊrit Mil•âhꞋ for his own firstborn son by Tzi•pōr•âhꞋ: Geir•shōmꞋ.

As they approached one of the caravansaries, on their way back to Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim, Mosh•ëhꞋ confronted Tzi•pōr•âhꞋ, who adamantly opposed circumcising Geir•shōmꞋ. Mosh•ëhꞋ, also being a Lei•wiꞋ, spoke in the Name of י‑‑ה, insisting that Geir•shōmꞋ must be circumcised or killed.

So Tzi•pōr•âhꞋ took a flint and circumcised the foreskin from her son and threw it down at Mosh•ëhꞋ's feet, screaming at him, "Here! To me, you're a groom of blood!"

So, like Yi•tzᵊkhâqꞋ at the A•qeid•âhꞋ, Mosh•ëhꞋ relented from killing his son.

"You are a groom of blood," Tzi•pōr•âhꞋ screamed again, "for circumcising my son!"