๐Ÿบ Para-shots ๐Ÿบ Vaera: Hardened Hearts

ื•ึทืึฒื ึดึฅื™ ืึทืงึฐืฉืึถึ–ื” ืึถืชึพืœึตึฃื‘ ืคึผึทืจึฐืขึนึ‘ื” ื•ึฐื”ึดืจึฐื‘ึผึตื™ืชึดึงื™ ืึถืชึพืึนืชึนืชึทึ›ื™ ื•ึฐืึถืชึพืžื•ึนืคึฐืชึทึ–ื™ ื‘ึผึฐืึถึฅืจึถืฅ ืžึดืฆึฐืจึธึฝื™ึดืืƒ

But I will harden Pharaohโ€™s heart, that I may multiply My signs and marvels in the land of Egypt.

ื•ึทื™ึผึถื—ึฑื–ึทืงึ™ ืœึตึฃื‘ ืคึผึทืจึฐืขึนึ”ื” ื•ึฐืœึนึฅื ืฉืึธืžึทึ–ืข ืึฒืœึตื”ึถึ‘ื ื›ึผึทืึฒืฉืึถึ–ืจ ื“ึผึดื‘ึผึถึฅืจ ื”'ืƒ {ืก}

Yet Pharaohโ€™s heart stiffened and he did not heed them, as ื”' had said.

ื•ึทื™ึผึนึคืืžึถืจ ื”' ืึถืœึพืžึนืฉืึถึ”ื” ื›ึผึธื‘ึตึ–ื“ ืœึตึฃื‘ ืคึผึทืจึฐืขึนึ‘ื” ืžึตืึตึ–ืŸ ืœึฐืฉืึทืœึผึทึฅื— ื”ึธืขึธึฝืืƒ

And ื”' said to Moses, โ€œPharaoh is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go."

ื•ึทื™ึฐื“ึทื‘ึผึตึฅืจ ืžึนืฉืึถึ›ื” ื›ึผึตึ–ืŸ ืึถืœึพื‘ึผึฐื ึตึฃื™ ื™ึดืฉื‚ึฐืจึธืึตึ‘ืœ ื•ึฐืœึนึคื ืฉืึธึฝืžึฐืขื•ึผึ™ ืึถืœึพืžึนืฉืึถึ”ื” ืžึดืงึผึนึฃืฆึถืจ ืจึ”ื•ึผื—ึท ื•ึผืžึตืขึฒื‘ึนื“ึธึ–ื” ืงึธืฉืึธึฝื”ืƒ {ืค}

But when Moses told this to the Israelites, [that God would free them from slavery and deliver them to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage.

"Settlers killed a Palestinian teen. Israeli forces didn't stop it." The Washington Post, January 9th, 2024.

The threats were sent via Facebook on Oct. 9 to residents of Qusra, a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank: โ€œTo all the rats in the sewers of Qusra village we are waiting for you and we will have no mercy. The day of revenge is coming.โ€

Two days later [Oct. 11th], on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, a group of masked and armed Israeli settlers struck the village in what would be the deadliest attack by settlers in the West Bank since the Israel-Gaza war began three months ago [...].

[...] [O]ne of the Palestinians killed, 17-year-old Obada Saed Abu Srour, was shot in the back by settlers, probably as he was running from gunfire.

Israeli troops, meanwhile, did not forcefully intervene, despite their obligation under international and Israeli law to protect all residents of the West Bank, including Palestinians. Soldiers and police were photographed at the scene of the deaths only after the attack ended, even though troops stationed at nearby military outposts were within earshot of the gunfire and had views of an earlier attack by settlers [...].

Abu Srour, the eldest of four children, with aspirations to become a policeman after finishing high school, was killed along with civil engineer and new father Muath Raed Odeh, 29. They were trying to protect the home of 30-year-old blacksmith Awad Mahmoud Odeh from attack. Musab Abdel Halim Abu Rida, 20, who worked in the fields and could always make his grandmother laugh, was killed near Abu Srour.