(1) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them,
Q: What does the pasuk mean when it says "for I have hardened his heart"? What does it mean to harden someone's heart?
Moshe and Aharon Speak with Pharaoh
The Eighth Plague (Bring Out the Locusts!)
Pharaoh Begs for the End of the Plagues and Moshe Prays for Him
Hashem Responds to Moshe's Plea on Pharaoh's Behalf
Q: Why does Hashem harden Pharaoh's heart again?
The Ninth Plague (Complete and Utter Darkness)
Pharaoh's Response
Moshe's Reply
Pharaoh's Reaction
Q: Why did Hashem harden Pharaoh's heart once more? For what purpose?
(א) ויחזק ה' וגו' ולא אבה וגו'. יעיד הכתוב כי בפעם הזאת החליט בדעתו שלילת שליחות ישראל ולא נשאר בדעתו לחשוב מחשבות אם יחוש למכות או אם יסבול מכות הגדולות אלא חתם הדבר יעבור על דברי ה' הגם שיהרג:
(ב) או ירצה שנתחכם לעשות אופן שלא יבואו עליו עוד מכות ובזה אין הכרח לשלחם והוא מה שאמר סמוך לאומרו ולא אבה ויאמר לו פרעה לך מעלי וגו', הכוונה בזה כי לצד שהשכיל בתשע מכות שבאו עליו שכולן היו על זה האופן ב' בהתראה ואחד בלא התראה למאן דאמר ג' שבועות היה מתרה על כל מכה ומכה ולמאן דאמר שבוע א', אמר מעתה במכה זו הבאה תתחייב להיות ההתראה ואם אין התדאה אין מכה, לזה נתחכם ואמר השמר לך אל תוסף ראות פני וכיון שכן אין התראה וכיון שאין התראה אין מכה. והנה לא הקשה ה' את לבו לעשות כן אלא עד כלות ט' מכות ולא נשארה אלא מכת בכורות, ולזה אמר משה כן דברת לא אוסיף עוד וגו', ופירוש דברי משה כבר פירשתי אותם בפרשת וארא בפסוק (ז' ג') ואני אקשה, ולא ישמע אליכם פרעה וגו': (ג) ובדרך רמז ירצה באומרו כן דברת תשובה למה שאמר לו ביום ראותך פני תמות השיבו כי אינו יכול להמית ואין בידו אלא כח הדיבור, והוא אומרו כן דברת ולא כן תעשה. או ירצה על זה הדרך כבר דברת כן פעם אחרת, והמכוון הוא ראה מה עלתה בידך כאומרם ז''ל (שמות רבה פ''א) בפסוק (ב' ט''ו) ויבקש להרוג את משה ולא עלתה בידו, גם אמרו (ילקוט קע''ה) שהרג כל שועריו שהניחו למשה ליכנם והשיבו כי אין להם שליטה עליו, ואם כן הבזוי איך מחליט לומר ביום וגו' תמות. וכנגד הענין מצד עצמו שאין אתה חפץ לראות פני גם אני אין אני חפץ להסתכל בדמותך לא אוסיף וגו':
(1) ויחזק ה׳ ..ולא אבה, G'd hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not want to dismiss, etc. The Torah testifies that on this occasion Pharaoh decided not to let the Israelites go, period. He no longer weighed the pros and cons but decided to hang tough even if this should cost him his life. This is why the Torah attributes this decision to him with the words
לא אבה (2 - Alternatively, he tried to outsmart G'd and Moses by analyzing the pattern of the plagues to-date. There had always been two plagues which he was warned about followed by a plague without warning. The last plague, darkness, had not been preceded by a warning. Pharaoh realized that if there were to be another plague, G'd would first warn him. By denying Moses access to the palace he hoped to prevent Moses from issuing the warning which he thought had to precede the next plague. Since Moses was aware that there was only one plague to follow and that G'd would not need to harden the heart of Pharaoh again to have an excuse to inflict further plagues upon him, he was able to respond immediately: כן דברת לא אוסיף עוד ראות פניך, "you are quite right; I am not going to see you again, ever." I have already commented on Moses' response in connection with Exodus 7,3
ואני אקשה (3 - On a more subtle level, Moses may have taught Pharaoh a different lesson when he said כן דברת. Pharaoh had threatened to have Moses killed if he dared to appear before him again. Moses sarcastically answered him, i.e. "indeed you have spoken." He meant that all Pharaoh was able to do was to issue empty threats; there was no clout behind this paper tiger. He was not able to kill Moses or to have him killed. Moses may also have referred to a previous occasion in Exodus 2,15 when Pharaoh had given orders to execute him but had been unable to have these orders carried out. This could have been because of miraculous intervention by G'd such as suggested by Shemot Rabbah 1,31, according to which an angel had assumed the appearance of Moses and while the angel was arrested Moses had escaped to Midian. It could also have been due to what we are told in Yalkut Shimoni 175 that Moses outwrestled all his captors. At any rate, Moses challenged Pharaoh to make good on his boast. As far as Pharaoh's not wanting to see Moses again, Moses told him that the feeling was mutual, that he would not see him again.
Moshe's Answer
Preparations Before the Last Plague
Q: Why were Bnei Yisrael commanded to collect gold and silver?
Q: Why does the pasuk call the Egyptians the friends of the Jews? Since when is someone who enslaves and persecutes you considered a friend?
ויש אומרים כי בעיני העם, עם מצרים ולא אמר בעיני פרעה ובעיני עבדיו, כי השם אמץ את לבו כנגד משה ודבר לו שלא כהוגן עתה פעמים (לעיל י י, כח), כי רצה ה' שיבא אליו וישתחוה לו כבא אדם אל שונאו, כי כל זה גדולה ומעלה למשה. ולא יתכן לפרש כי ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני מצרים הוא חן ההשאלה, כי עתה בזמן ההבטחה לא יאמר ''ויתן ה''', אבל היה אומר ''ואני אתן את חן העם'', ולמטה בשעת מעשה נאמר וה' נתן (להלן יב לו):
Q: Why does the Torah say in the pasuk that "not even a dog will snarl" (Shemot 11:7)? What is the significance of this?
Kabbalistic Approach:
The most concentrated power of the destroyer is emanated to it by the attribute of Justice which killed all the firstborn of Egypt. This attribute is at its most powerful at midnight. This is why the dying of the firstborn had to occur at midnight. The Torah informs you here by inference that the dogs used to bark halfway through the second משמרת, “watch” (out of a total of three) of the night. In other words, it was customary for the dogs to bark at midnight. This was the time when the angel of death would normally reap its harvest in Egypt. Baba Kama 60 states that when the dogs wail it is a sign that the angel of death has arrived at that time. On the other hand, when the dogs make happy sounds it is proof that the prophet Elijah has arrived in that town (in the absence of bitches). We have a further statement in Berachot 50 that the night watch is to be divided into three sections. During the first watch the donkey brays, a sign of the attribute of Mercy, kindness. (The donkey was never mentioned by name until the advent of Avraham who represents the attribute of loving kindness). During the second watch the dogs bark; this is an allusion to the presence of the attribute of Justice. During the third watch a wife engages in intimate talk with her husband and the infant suckles at the breast of its mother. This is an allusion that this is the time G’d arranges the livelihood for every creature at this hour.
Solomon alluded to this in his famous poem אשת חיל (Proverbs 31,10-31). He wrote (verse 15) “she rose when it is still night and supplied provisions for her household and the daily fare for her maids.” The “infant” mentioned in Berachot is a reference to the universe at large, i.e. G’d’s “infant.” The “breast of its mother” is a reference to the conversation between wife and husband. Our verse here tells us that at the same hour when the dogs were barking at the Egyptians, not a single one barked at an Israelite. The Torah added: “in order that you shall know that Hashem will have differentiated between Egypt and Israel.”
Q: Why is Pharaoh's heart hardened here?
The Commandment of (Korban) Pesach
Moshe Commands Bnei Yisrael about Observing (Korban) Pesach
The Tenth Plague (The Killing of the Firstborns)
Q: How can we try to grapple with and understand this Makkah?
(1) וה' הכה כל בכור בארץ מצרים, “and G’d slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, etc.” G’d carried out His retribution on the Egyptians according to the principle of מדה כנגד מדה, tit for tat, the punishment being fitted to the crime committed. This is why the 10 plagues were summed up in the abbreviated form of דצ'ך עד'ש באח'ב. The Egyptians’ principal source of faith was the dependability of the river Nile as their water supply, as the lifeline. It irrigated all their fields and they had made the Israelites slave in order to draw the water from the river. G’d therefore turned the river into blood. Seeing that the Egyptians used to awaken their Jewish slaves in the middle of the night and impose most onerous duties on them, the river was told to produce frogs in swarms which would invade the Egyptian houses and cause misery and revulsion for the Egyptians. The frogs even invaded the entrails of the Egyptians causing them distress (Shemot Rabbah 10,6). Seeing that the Egyptians had prevented the Israelites from bathing and washing themselves, the third plague, כנים, lice, was meant to demonstrate to the Egyptians what it means to be denied water to wash yourself and for one’s body to be infested with lice and other insects The Egyptians would demand from their Jewish slaves to go out into the forest and hunt wild animals for them, a dangerous undertaking. They experienced what it means to be surrounded by wild animals who do not respect civilization when G’d let loose the fourth plague, the invasion of their cities by wild beasts. The Egyptians had forced the Israelites to look after their livestock. G’d therefore afflicted the livestock with pestilence so that they would realize they had had no right to force the Israelites to perform such duties. The Egyptians had made the Israelites carry hot water for them to their bath houses. In retaliation, G’d made their skin break out in boils to remind them that they had not had the right to impose these kinds of duties on the Israelites. In retaliation for the Egyptians stoning Israelites, G’d brought on the plague of hailstones. In retribution for the Egyptians having forced the Israelites to work their vineyards, G’d made the locust ruin the vineyards. Seeing the Egyptians frequently put innocent Israelites in dark prisons G’d brought on the plague of darkness. Seeing they entertained plans of killing the Israelites who have been described as G’d’s firstborn (4,22), G’d punished them by killing their firstborn instead. [The various accusations leveled against the Egyptians by our author are all supported by Midrashim. Ed.]
(2) [Midrash] Tanchuma Bo 4 writes: “praised be the Lord, the King of Kings, who brought all these plagues on Pharaoh and his army in a manner similar to human kings when they go to war. Kings first try to deny their opponents their water supply. G’d similarly commenced His judgments by denying Pharaoh and his people the use of their source of water. Many Egyptians started dying from thirst during those seven days. This is the true meaning of (Exodus 7,24) “for they were unable to drink from the waters of the river.” Kings usually follow up by creating deafening noises to frighten their opponents as described in Nachum 3,2: “galloping steed and bounding chariot”. These sounds frighten those who are exposed to them. G’d did this when He orchestrated the plague of frogs which were very vociferous whistling, etc. Next a king usually employs archers who shoot their arrows at the enemy. G’d used the lice to have a similar effect on the Egyptians bitten by them.” The Midrash continues to describe how the various plagues corresponded to what occurs in warfare between armies on earth.
All the plagues G’d brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt He will bring upon the Edomites at the time the final redemption is at hand. We base this on Isaiah 23,5: “When the Egyptians heard it they quailed as when they heard about Tyre.” Every time the word צור is spelled defectively in Scripture such as here (צר) it is a reference to the kingdom of Edom and not to Tyre. There was blood in Egypt; there will be blood when G’d smites Edom (Yoel 3,3). [The author continues quoting the Tanchuma on this subject. Ed.]
Q: Why is Pharaoh's firstborn described in such detail? What do the details come to teach us?
Pharaoh and the Egyptians Kick Out the Jews
Bnei Yisrael's Reaction
Hashem Commands Moshe and Aharon about the Korban Pesach
Hashem's Brit with Bnei Yisrael and the Korban Pesach