Parshat Vaera Rabbi Chaim Brovender

In Vaera, Hashem makes the famously difficult statement:

“…I shall harden Pharaoh's heart, and I shall multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt…" (7: 3).

In philosophic terms, “G-d will remove the quality of free will from Pharaoh who will then have to respond to events in a predetermined way.”

For Rashi this implication is a problem and he offers the type of reasoning Providence might be applying toward Pharaoh. In Rashi’s words, "…Pharaoh has no doubt behaved wickedly, and has opposed Me [Hashem]". On this view, the voice of G-d speaking through Moshe is unmistakable even to Pharaoh who sins when he rejects the message Moshe brings him. Rashi continues: "Further it is clear to G-d that the spirit of the idolatrous peoples prevents them from wholehearted acts of repentance". In the evaluation of Heaven, Pharaoh would not have repented because of a mentality that denies the importance or efficacy of repentance.

Rashi then raises (as does the pasuk) considerations independent of fairness to Pharaoh: "It is proper that his heart be hardened, so that I might increase my miraculous signs against him, and that Yisrael will recognize My might". Rashi ends with a general rule: "This is a characteristic of the way Hashem deals with the created world, He brings punishment upon the sinful nations so that Yisrael should take head and be fearful.”

Rashi is trying to explain the dynamics of the story. Clearly Pharaoh sinned and he deserved to be punished; and that will come. Isn't it true however, that after the first five plagues had been delivered, the time had come to make the accounting. Pharaoh deserved to be punished but why must this be a process? Ordinarily we would suppose that meting out punishment gradually is meant to give the sinner more chances to repent. However in this case the purpose was different. Pharaoh was repeatedly asked to send the people to the desert even though it was quite clear that he would refuse. This was not simply because he was a bad person: even bad people are sometimes impressed by harsh punishments! Pharaoh was being prevented by Hashem from doing any sort of teshuva. Rashi explains that this process had a particular function. The exodus from Egypt was a great educational effort. Hashem intended for all the people of Yisrael to understand that He controls of the natural world and that justice is maintained. After the first five plagues Pharaoh had become irrelevant to this process. He was simply acting out a scripted role that had been prepared in Heaven. This was necessary to prepare Am Yisrael for assuming the responsibilities that awaited them at Sinai. They needed to accept that they were about to receive the Torah from the master of creation. That lesson was learned, according to Rashi, at this time.

However, a question remains. If free will is an important part of the world of creation, if Hashem made us in his image, and if that image is connected with the notion or free choice, why was that notion abrogated at this time? Wouldn't it have been possible to bring about one great miracle that would convince the people of Yisrael that Hashem was all powerful? Why did the miracles have to be meted out slowly, and why did Hashem have to "harden his heart".

There is an interesting comment by the Shelah that helps to understand the process which may compliment Rashi's position. (Torah Shebichtav, Vaera p. 35 col b, paragraph beginning nachzor).

The Shelah comments: “…The Gemara says that one who wishes to become pure is aided from Heaven (yoma 38b). This in not a simple matter because the nature of man is evil from his younger days. Therefore everyone who comes to do an act of teshuva needs Divine help and support.

Therefore, the statement that "that I will harden his heart" does not mean that Hashem will prevent him from repenting; rather, Hashem will not "help" him to repent. Without this help he will, of necessity, come to ruin, no matter how difficult the escalating process of punishment he undergoes. Hashem did not remove free will; He simple denied Pharaoh special support in moving towards teshuva.

Gut Shabbos,

Chaim Brovender

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