Va’eira-2016

· Just before the Makos started, Hashem told Moshe - 7:3- I will harden Pharaoh’s heart. Ve Ani Akshe et Lave Paraoh.

· Many times in the Parshah, after almost every Macah, the Chumash mentions that Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, strong, resolute, unbending, and uncompromising.

· Hashem seems to be very successful in hardening Pharaoh’s heart in the face of unbelievable miracles and devastation.

· BLOOD - After the water turned to blood, “Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he did not listen to them.” - Rashi says Pharaoh’s response was, “All you are doing is bringing witchcraft into Egypt, which is already full of witchcraft”, implying that the Macah was just a ‘trick’ done by sorcery.

· FROGS - After the frogs came and went, 8:11 – “When Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his own heart and did not listen to them, just as Hashem had said.”

· LICE - After the lice came and went– 8:15 – The sorcerers said to Pharaoh, this is the finger of Hashem, but Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he did not listen to them, as Hashem had said.

· WILD ANIMALS - While the wild animals were ravaging Mitzrayim, Pharaoh promised to free the Jews.  But after the wild animals were gone, 8:28 – “Pharaoh hardened his heart again”

· BOILS - After the boils came and went,– 9:12 – “Hashem caused Pharaoh’s heart to remain hard, and Pharaoh did not listen to them.”

· DEVER, DISEASE - After the Dever came and went – Hashem said, 9:15 – “I could have extended My hand, and struck you and your people with the pestilence, and you will have been obliterated from the earth.  But I have let you survive – to show you My strength, so that My Name will be declared throughout the earth.”

· HAIL - After the hail came and went, 9:34 – “When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder ceased, he continued his sinful ways. He and his servants hardened their hearts. Pharaoh’s heart was strengthened and he did not send B’nei Yisroel out.”

· Why did Hashem harden Pharaoh’s heart?

· Rashi says at the start of the Macos – “Hashem said, since he acted wickedly towards Me, and it is revealed to Me that he would not want to repent, it is better for Me that his heart be hardened, so that My signs be increased against him, and Israel will therefore recognize My power.  This is the way of Hashem: He brings punishment upon the wicked nations so that Israel may hear about it and fear Hashem.”

· Many Meforshim are bothered about this. If Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart, why was Pharaoh punished? Where is Pharaoh’s Bechirah, free-will?

· The Ramban quotes Rabbi Yochonon, “From here the heretics have an opening to say, There was no possibility for Pharaoh to repent.  Resh Lakish said, May the mouths of the heretics be sealed.”

· The Artscroll Chumash says, “How could Pharaoh be punished for not releasing the Jews, when it was Hashem Who prevented him from doing so?  How could the Just G-d Who created man with freedom of choice, prevent Pharaoh from exercising his right to repent?”

· On the surface it seems that Hashem was manipulating Pharaoh as a pawn to increase the fireworks and glory and awe of Hashem’s power.

· Was Pharaoh just a puppet, with his Bechirah taken away?  If so, how can he be punished for what he was coerced into doing?

· Some answer that in the face of such overpowering force, any sane person would have given in right away.  So Hashem had to harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to MAINTAIN his free will.  To give Pharaoh free will to choose against overwhelming force, Hashem had to harden Pharaoh’s heart, to create a balance so that Pharaoh would still have a choice.

· The Ramban and Rambam seem to imply that Hashem actually did take away Pharaoh’s bechirah, because of sins that Pharaoh had done in the past. 

· They ask why was Pharoah punished?

· The Ramban says that Pharaoh was not punished for his stubborn resistance to freeing the Jews in spite of the Macos, but for the previous slavery and persecution that he had done to the Jews when he still had free will.

· The Ramban also quotes Resh Lakish, “To those who scoff at Him, Hashem reacts in kind.  Hashem warns him once, twice, and a third time.  But if the person still doesn’t repent, then Hashem closes the door to repentance, and then punishes him for the sins previously done.”

· The Rambam says, “It is possible for person to commit such a great sin, or so many sins, that repentance is closed off from him. First Pharaoh sinned on his own by enslaving the people of Israel, and then repentance was denied to him so that he would be punished for his previous sins. (Hilchos Teshuva 6:3).

· To make the question about Pharaoh’s fee will even stronger, let’s look at Mishele (Proverbs)  21:1 – “Like streams of water, the heart of the king is in the hand of Hashem.  He inclines it anyway He wishes.”

· This seems to imply that not only was free-will taken away from Pharaoh, but that it is taken away from all leaders. 

· Does this imply that the strutting about of world leaders on the political stage is just a charade, and that Hashem is running the show all by Himself, manipulating the hearts of leaders this way and that, and that leaders have no free-will?

· Could it be that Alexander the Great, Caesar, Napoleon, and Stalin were all puppets with strings pulled by Hashem?  That when a person becomes a leader, he gives up the free will that all other men have to enable them to improve themselves?

· But didn’t Hashem create the whole world so that mankind would have Bechirah?.

· Ramchal in Derech Hashem says: “Man was created with a Yetzer Tov and Yetzer Hara. They are in a constant state of battle. Man has the ability to attain perfection in his positive character traits, and avoid deficiency in his negative character traits. After this period of effort is completed, he attains his level of perfection and is then allowed to enjoy it for all eternity.”

· Yecheskel Chapter 18:23 says: “Hashem says, Do I want the death of the wicked?  Don’t I prefer that he repents so that he can live? When a wicked man repents of his wickedness, and does justice and righteousness, he will keep his soul alive. So repent and cause others to repent. Cast away all your transgressions, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die? Turn away from transgression and live!”

· I would like to suggest that it’s possible to look at the situation with Pharaoh from a different angle.

· It’s possible to see that Pharaoh still had total free will even though Hashem was hardening his heart.

· It is based on the Gemorah in Makos 10b. “In the way that a man wants to go, in that way he is led.”

· This works in any direction that a person wants to go in – good or bad.

· If a person wants to be good, and become a Talmud Chachim and a Tzadik – if he davens, and does good deeds, and has zchusim, then Hashem may help him, and provide him with energy and opportunities, and encourage his spirit in the way that he wants to go.

· This doesn’t reduce free will – to the contrary, it enhances and amplifies free will – Hashem makes it easier for us to reach the goals that we choose.

· This can also work in the negative direction – in fact that’s the context that the Gemorah in Makos 10b is referring to.

· It says that Bilam wanted to go with Balak’s messengers.  Even though Hashem thought it was wrong, Hashem said, Gezunteheit, go ahead.

· Whatever we choose to accomplish, there are always challenges and obstacles.

· If we are Zocheh, Hashem can help us in the path that we want to go in.

· That does not contradict free will.  We make up our mind which direction to drive in, and Hashem can provide us with the gas and money for the tolls.

· If we stand at the train station in Tel Aviv, we can take a train North to Haifa, or South to Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh.  Which train we get on is our choice.  But then Hashem can speed up the train, and get us there faster or slower.

· Hashem can be like an amplifier, amplifying and strengthening our decision and determination – for good or bad.

· Maharsha on this Gemorah in Makos 10b says: “Every thought and action of a person causes an angel to be created in its image.  If they are meritorious, good angels are created; if evil, Chas ve Shalom, destructive angels are created.  If he chooses to perform mitzvot, the good angels created by his will to do mitzvot will lead him on the way to perform the mitzvot.  Should he choose, Chas ve Shalom, to commit sins, the destructive angels created by his evil thoughts and urges will lead him further on the path of destruction and sin.”

· Hashem is the energy that gives everything existence.

· After saying Baruch Hu in the morning, we say about Hashem, “Hamechadesh BeTuvo bechol yom tamid maasei breishis - In His goodness He renews daily the work of creation.”

· In Pseuka dezimra we say, Ve Atah Mechayeh et culom, You give everything Chiyut, life.

· We make decisions – hopefully good, but we have the Bichira to choose bad – and Hashem provides the Chiyut and strength to implement those decisions.

· “In the way that a man wants to go, in that way he is led.”

· It’s clear that Pharaoh didn’t want to free the Jews.  Why would he? He was the head of the most powerful nation in the world, and had millions of slaves providing free work.

· Hashem knew that when Pharaoh would be under pressure, Pharaoh wanted assistance to remain steadfast.

· Pharaoh didn’t want to throw in the towel and accept defeat.  He wanted to resist this strange set of plagues.

· Hashem agreed to oblige him, to help him be strong, to strengthen his heart.

· This didn’t take away Pharaoh’s Bechirah at all – it helped Pharaoh be strong and more resolute and determined in the decision of Rishis that Pharaoh had already made.

· “In the way that a man wants to go, in that way he is led.”

· Perhaps this is what “Hashem hardened his heart” means– and this didn’t reduce Pharaoh’s Bechirah one iota.

· This could also explain the cryptic reference to streams of water in Mishele – “Like streams of water, the heart of the king is in the hand of Hashem.” 

· What does Hashem holding the heart of kings have to do with ‘streams of water’?

· This new insight could shed light on this question.

· Streams of water generally don’t change direction – certainly water going downstream never switches to go upstream.

· Hashem can make the stream more or less powerful, make it into a raging torrent, or slow it down to a trickle.

· The kings heart decides the direction of the stream – to do good or bad.

· Then Hashem can add power to the flow of water, or reduce the flow of water.

· In the direction of the river that a king wants to go in, Hashem can strengthen the flow of water in that direction.

· When Hashem strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, it could mean that Hashem gave Pharaoh the extra energy and determination and ‘oomph’ for Pharaoh to be the Rasha that he had already chosen to be.