Beth Am Israel

03/27/2010 - And God hardened Pharaoh`s heart

In Exodus 7:3 Hashem says to Moses, "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart,...". Many believe that Hashem personally causes Pharaoh to be stubborn, in order for Hashem to bring all the plagues on him. But one who has a hard heart does not allow himself to be repeatedly pounded into the ground. Rather he will turn away from the suffering of others, unconcerned. But Pharaoh's behavior is not hard hearted, it is self-destructive. So, we must go deeper.

Those who do not realize that taking the text literally is an error that can lead to loss of faith, God Forbid, are troubled by this verse. But what does it really tell us? What do you think the Torah means by this verse?

The Rebbe looks forward to your answers. Those of you, such as Shlomo the Fool, who cannot post directly, please send the Rebbe your answers at balarebbe@aol.com and your comments will be pasted on to the blog. 

God willing, the Rebbe will also contribute his thoughts on this matter.

Shavuoah Tov and a Zeesa Pesach 

BR

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On 03/28/2010 Miriam Camitta said...

Dear Bala Rebbe,

This is a question I have been wanting to ask for some time, so even though it does not pertain to your Pharoah question directly, maybe you can answer it.
I grew up hearing my mother say "Feh" sometimes, as in "That is BEYOND." She was a very classy lady who didn't use the word lightly. Now, I hear the word "meh" used as in "It's not very impressive." Are the two etymologically related?

On 03/29/2010 Bala Rebbe said...

My Dear Miriam.
You ask a very wise question.
Is there a connection between "Feh" and "Meh"
There is no doubt but the answer is, "Yeh"
Chag Samaoch
Der Bala Rebbe

On 03/29/2010 Bala Rebbe said...

On 03/29/2010 Harris Sokoloff said...

Perhaps it suggests that turning away from the suffering of others is self-destructive. Not only for oneself, but for the society led by such a leader as well.

On 03/30/2010 Harris Sokoloff said...

Bala Rebe,

I just had an opportunity to view your video discussion of the hardening of Pharoah's heart (I had only read your blog before and was not enlightened by the video).

The video suggests that hardening of the arteries can lead to forgetfulness and thinking we know everything. True. And it can also lead to hardening of the categories, another problem of thinking we know what we don't.

On 03/31/2010 Bala Rebbe said...

My Dear Harris,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments.
These are the problems I tried to deal with in the video.
1. That God purposely caused Pharaoh to repeatedly change his mind, and thus brought more misery to Egyptians and Jews alike. This cannot be. So, what is another explanation.
The medical problems of the Pharaoh Menemptah gave an alternative explanation for his foolhardy behavior.
2. The Haggadah focuses entirely on the Jews as victims.
Often in our history that has been true. But now we must also look at how we handle power. So, we should learn from Pharaoh's errors and arrogance, as well as the from Moses and the Israelites.
Politically, I believe that although Obama shows a troubling anti-Israel bias, the ultra-orthodox zealots in the West Bank are even a greater danger to the future of Israel. So, how do we handle power?
3. It was also meant to be humorous.
For the first time ever at the Seder I felt uncomfortable singing one of my favorites; "Ayl B'nai, B'nai Baysechah B'karov. "May God soon rebuild his/her house". I realized that there are people in Israel who take that line seriously. Next year let's change it to "May God soon bring peace to our land".
May we continue this discussion in peace.
BR

On 04/01/2010 Bala Rebbe said...

From my dear Friend Chaim.

Dear Balarebbe,

I would like to call your attention to the fact that there is a serious misconception among many of the rebbes.

When seeing a mass exodus of toads it has been erroneously concluded that this is a normal event during the Passover season....namely that these amphibians are celebrating the role that their cousins had in persuading the Pharoah to let our
people go, and further that the exodus symbolizes the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt.

While this is an ingenious interpretation, as are most of the interpretations of our People, it is totally wrong and represents a dangerous reactionary way of looking at the world.


A mass exodus of toads is indicative of an impending earthquake. so if you or any of your congregants should witness such an event I advise that all of you follow the example of the toads and get the H.... out of there as fast as you can.

Apparently the toads, as is the case with many animals, are able to preceive things that are undetected by ourselves.

All that is necessary is to appoint a member of your flock as lookout for the congregation. It usually requires direct observation to pick up this phenomenon because toads, as they flee, are very quiet about it.


Chaim Yisrael ben Nachman

On 04/08/2010 Bala Rebbe said...

Dear Bala Rebbe,

Shalom, Shalom and Shalom, I trust your Pesach was meaningful, joyful and shared with your family.

I read with confusion, for I am an Idiot, the suggestion in the posting of 27 March that an ill-considered reading of the Torah Portion concerning the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart might lead to a loss of faith. This must NEVER HAPPEN! When we begin the study of this Portion
we remind ourselves, as we do whenever we study, that Torah, the Rabbinate and the Institutions of Religion are imperfect human reflections of Divine grace. We must never attribute to Hashem the failures of men.

Let us consider this Portion. Read at its manifest content, it might seem to suggest the following: Hashem had a very specific plan which required the persecution of the Jews and the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptian Host. Pharaoh’s emerging compassion would have disrupted
the plan, so Hashem purposefully intervened to harden Pharaoh’s heart.
This results in the death of Pharaoh and the young men in Pharaoh’s army, leading to the devastating grief of Egyptian mothers and fathers who lost their sons.
This reading suggests that the text is a fear-driven text of a primitive, xenophobic religion. Now, no one delights in scriptural exegesis more than me, but sometimes a text is what it is and means what it says. As I was taught by my Mentor in Idiocy, Ephraim the Befuddled,“No Torah Portion should be taken literally, and some shouldn’t be
taken at all.” Perhaps we should walk quietly away from this Portion and pray that we’ve developed as a species during the last three thousand years.

But that wouldn’t be any fun! Let’s re-examine and restate the critical element of the text, the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. The Portion becomes, “But Gd had given Pharaoh, as all humans self will. And Pharaoh willfully and of his own volition turned away from his innate
disposition to compassion and again turned against the Jews.” This reading brings a study of this Portion to a reflection on human free will, or its absence. These are very deep waters. Truly this is a question that only an Idiot would examine. In this regard, I would direct your Learned Consideration to recent books by Wilson (“Strangers to Ourselves”), Wegner (“The Illusion of Conscious Will”), and the paper by Cashmore in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (“The
Lucretian swerve: the biological basis of human behavior and the criminal justice system”). Cashmore states, “It is the author’s contention that a belief in free will is nothing other than a continuing belief in vitalism - something biologists proudly believe they discarded
well over 100 years ago.”

For my part, I shall return to my little corner in the basement of the
Library behind the boxes.

Yours in Imbecility,

Shlomo the Village Idiot of Narberth

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03/27/2010 - And God hardened Pharaoh`s heart (Current display)
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