The Secret of Moshe's Staff: Letting Go of Control and Finding True Strength

We live in what is called the “World of Action.” In such a world, it is very easy for a person to walk with confidence and mistakenly conclude that everything he has done, is doing, and will do exists because of him.

He does not allow the illusion that his existence depends on his livelihood, or that his health depends solely on the doctors he entrusts his body to, to disturb his clear thinking.

After all, it seems obvious to him that the home he lives in is the result of countless efforts and respectable earnings that enabled him to achieve what he has. The same applies to his car, his social status, and even his wisdom.

In his eyes, everything is because of him, a product of his personality and abilities, and yes, also thanks to his parents who brought him into this world and gave him a place in it. And they too, in his view, are who they are because of themselves.

The Illusion of Control

In such a mindset, it is very easy for a person to take ownership of his successes, and very difficult for him to internalize that he is only being operated by a higher force, that he shines only from a greater light.

It is far from his understanding to grasp that his entire existence depends solely on the Divine will that allowed him to be here, and that he is ultimately secondary to that greater reality.

What can make this essential understanding easier to grasp? What can help it become part of how we see ourselves and our role in the world?

If this question opens a doorway in your thinking, you are invited to explore it. You may be surprised to discover how simple it actually is and how holding onto a “staff” can make all the difference.

The Staff in Pirkei Avot

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (5:6) teaches: “Ten things were created at twilight on the eve of Shabbat… and the staff.”

In Parashat Va’era in the book of Shemot, we are introduced to this staff for the first time and are invited to examine it closely, both physically and conceptually.

What is the deeper meaning behind Moshe’s staff? How did it come into his possession? Why could others not use it? And why was it created specifically at twilight?

The Journey of the Staff

Moshe, chosen to lead the Jewish people, represent them before Pharaoh, split the sea, and lead them in battle against Amalek, held this staff throughout all these events.

This staff, created at twilight before the first Shabbat, was first used by Adam, passed to Noach, then to Shem, then to Avraham, through Yitzchak, Yaakov and Yosef, and eventually reached the garden of Yitro.

Many tried to uproot it and failed. Only Moshe succeeded. From there, it continued to be used by Aaron, then by kings including David, until the destruction of the Temple.

Clearly, holding this staff was not a simple matter.

What Is a Staff?

The word “staff” (mateh) comes from the idea of “inclining” or “directing.” It can be turned in any direction.

A stick allows you to do whatever you want with it. It cannot resist and it has no awareness of itself. Even if you perform miracles with it or split the sea, it remains unchanged.

It is entirely in your hand, like clay in the hands of a craftsman, a tool that helps you achieve your goal, completely nullified in your presence.

It acts only because of the force applied to it, not from its own essence.

The Secret of the Staff

The Torah says: “And Hashem said to him: What is that in your hand? And he said: A staff” (Shemot 4:2).

Did Hashem not see what was in Moshe’s hand? Rather, Hashem was teaching Moshe a fundamental lesson through the staff.

Before Moshe would use it to bring the ten plagues upon Egypt, before splitting the sea, before waging war against Amalek, Hashem asked him to pause and reflect.

This staff has no power of its own.

Hashem wanted Moshe to feel that he himself was like that staff. Just a reminder before all the great things you are about to do: you and the staff are the same. Just as the staff acts only through the force applied to it, so too you act only through the Divine force acting upon you.

This was Moshe’s greatness. The greatest leader understood that he and the staff were equal in this sense.

Everything you do is like the staff. You receive direction from above and carry it out. That is why the shape of the staff resembles the letter vav, symbolizing a downward flow from a higher source.

Becoming Like the Staff

When a person truly understands that he is like a staff, it changes how he lives. It affects his attitude, his relationships, and his ability to cope with challenges.

If he mistakenly believes that everything is under his control, he may overwork, struggle endlessly, fight for every desire, and justify it all as effort.

And in his eyes, it is never too much. Such a person is destined to face disappointment and frustration, watching his expectations collapse.

Because when a person throws the staff to the ground and forgets that he is only a vessel, the staff turns into a snake, a symbol of impurity and distance from the source of goodness.

From Falling to Rising

If a person has already “thrown down the staff,” he should not despair or run away, as it says about Moshe: “And Moshe fled from it” (Shemot 4:3).

Instead, this is the moment to reclaim the truth. Take hold of the snake’s tail so that it becomes a staff again.

The point of falling is the point of rising. The fall came from disconnecting from the awareness that everything comes from above. From that very place, a person can grow and refine within himself the simple truth that all his actions come from a Divine inner force, and he has nothing of his own.

Why Others Could Not Hold the Staff

Others could not grasp the staff because it requires self nullification and it demands letting go of the ego.

Without that understanding, a person naturally sees himself as independent, driven by his own desires, believing everything depends on him.

That is why only Moshe could take the staff.

The staff is described as weighing forty se’ah, the same measure required for ritual purification in water.

These ideas purify a person internally. They create a deeper, clearer perspective on reality and allow a person to face life’s challenges with greater strength and calm.

Why It Was Created at Twilight

The staff was created at twilight before Shabbat, a time associated with uncertainty and transition.

Because when a person understands that he is just a staff, it allows him to accept everything with love, to be more flexible, more forgiving, and more at peace.

Reality is the expression of Hashem’s will, and a person operates within it.

A Simpler, Lighter Way to Live

When a person lives this way, he no longer attributes his abilities, successes, or failures solely to himself. He understands that he is simply a vessel, receiving direction and carrying it out as best as he can.

To be like a staff makes life lighter.

Perhaps that is the deepest message: to become a “staff” is not a burden at all. It is what makes everything easier.