Carnegie Shul Chatter – January 11, 2013

Candle lighting time is 4:30 pm

Shabbos

This week’s parshah is Va-Ayra which is a continuation of the story that we know so well from our Passover Seders, as Moses tells Pharoah to, “Let My People Go” and, when Pharoah refuses, God unleashes the plagues upon Pharoah and the people of Egypt.

One of the things that used to trouble me was that many Haggadahs and the epic film The Ten Commandments state that after each plague God hardened Pharoah’s heart and Pharoah would not let the people go.  Why would God do this?  Why would God inflict plagues upon the Egyptians in order to convince Pharoah to free the Jews, then harden Pharoah’s heart so that he would do just the opposite?  And what of Pharoah’s free will?  Did hardening Pharoah’s heart not conflict with Pharoah’s free will?

The Chumash actually says, “And Pharoah hardened his heart,” after several of the plagues, but says that God hardened Pharoah’s heart after others of the plagues.  Still, I  questioned why  God should have hardened Pharoah’s heart, and so I looked for an explanation.

A good one that I found came right out of our own Jewish Chronicle.  Last year, Rabbi Martin William Shorr of Temple Hadar Israel in New Castle, wrote, “Every time Pharaoh refused the command of G-d to let the Jewish people go and serve him, Pharaoh’s heart hardened to the point making it less possible for Pharaoh to agree. All together, Pharaoh’s heart being hardened is mentioned 19 times here.

But Pharaoh would not allow himself to be swayed; each time his stance would be stronger and more stubborn. Even the idea of G-d in Pharaoh’s thinking would harden his heart. Pharaoh could not conceive that there was any force more powerful than himself. In that respect, G-d hardened Pharaoh’s heart — or rather the idea of G-d.”

Rabbi Shorr also explained, “Moses always asked Pharaoh before each plague, ‘Let my people go, so that they may serve their G-d in the wilderness.’ but conveyed to Pharaoh they would return to serve him as slaves. Of course Moses never intended for the people to return, and in this particular case Pharaoh lets him know that he is certainly aware of this and declines Moses’ request.

This demonstrates how lost and sick Pharaoh was. Moses’ request was very simple, and yet Pharaoh became enamored with all kinds of concepts and imaginings.

Both of these points together really explain what is meant by the passages “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,” and G-d mentioning, “I have hardened his heart.” When someone is so caught up with notions beyond even their own control, there is no room or open space for negotiation or reasoning of any kind. All Moses asked for was the exit of the people — nothing more, nothing less. It was Pharaoh who took the concept to wild extremes.”

Last week I mentioned that I was attending the Bas Mitzvah of my cousin Meredith, and I reminisced about my own Bar Mitzvah since Meredith and I shared the same parshah.