Devar/5769/Bo
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עברית
English
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might show these My signs in the midst of them (Ex 10:1)
It is difficult to understand why God would bring retribution upon Egypt (and especially upon Pharaoh), when He forced them, as it says, "for I have hardened his heart". That is to say, I did not allow him to reconsider, rather I gave him the courage to oppose Me! The reason given, "that I might show these My signs in the midst of them" seems exaggerated -- "disproportional" -- since after the series of plagues, Egypt lost everything.
One must understand that the exile of the Israelites to Egypt was ordained by God in order to gather them into one people, just as the metalworker melts pieces of junk metal into one solid body. He ordained that Egypt work them vigorously. But the Egyptians took that goal on with excessive exuberance, and added cruelty upon cruelty -- which was not required by God. And they did so of their own free will, not because of any external pressure. Therefore they received the decree which they received.
The Rambam writes: It is possible for a person to sin such a great sin, or so many sins, that the just punishment in God's eyes for those sins which the person did of his own free will and mind, that the possibility of repentance be withheld from him so that when he dies, he is obliterated completely because of the sins he did (Laws of Repentance 6:4) ... Therefore the Torah says, "and I will harden Pharaoh's heart" ... because he sinned of his own will initially and did evil to the Israelites who dwelt in his land ... justice dictated he be prevented from repenting, so he was punished; therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, hardened his heart. (ibid 5)
Concerning the reason written in the Torah, "that I might show these My signs in the midst of them" -- it was not stated for Pharaoh nor for Egypt's benefit, rather in order to inform all inhabitants of the world, that when the Holy One, blessed be He, prevents one from repenting his sins, he cannot repent -- rather he dies because of the evil he did initially, of his own free will (ibid 6).
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