Socrates: To be is to do
Sartre: To do is to be
Sinatra: Do be do be do
(1) Then Adonai 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,
Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Italy, 1475-1550)
[When Moses saw that] Pharaoh continued to oppose God’s will in spite of the fact that he found it impossible to cope with the plagues, Moses had come to the conclusion that warning Pharaoh of an impending plague was an exercise in futility. This is why God had to tell him at this stage that already during the sixth plague, God had stiffened Pharaoh’s heart so that ordinary rules of psychology could no longer be applied to this man. The purpose was to enable God to demonstrate more miracles so that maybe some Egyptians would be moved by what they experienced to become penitents. If so, the Israelites in the future would be able to tell their children of the greatness of God’s miracles. This in turn would convince mankind that God loved God's creatures and was very patient with them, giving them opportunities to mend their ways. This is why the warning to Pharaoh was in place although it would prove ineffectual.
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Italy/Israel, 1707-1746)
Since the human species is differentiated from all the other species, in that he is given free choice and the ability to acquire that which is perfection or deficiency for himself... it is necessary [for God] to oversee and observe the components of his actions and to furnish him [with conditions that] correspond to his ways and are like the fruit of his deeds. So it comes out that all of his actions and their outgrowths are overseen; and that, in return, he is supervised according to that which is appropriate for the outgrowths of these actions with specificity - measure for measure.
Author Uncertain (Spain, circa 13th century)
A person's actions determine what he becomes, and his heart and all his thoughts always follow after the actions that he does - whether good or bad.
Maimonides (Spain/Egypt, 1138-1204)
And how may a man train himself in these [positive] tendencies so that they be permanent with him? He should try once, repeat it, and do a third time... and repeat the practice continuously until the doing it will be accomplished with slight effort, and they will not be burdensome upon him, then will the tendencies be a fixed part of his being.
(ז) כִּֽי־יִהְיֶה֩ בְךָ֨ אֶבְי֜וֹן מֵאַחַ֤ד אַחֶ֙יךָ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּאַ֨רְצְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹ֧א תְאַמֵּ֣ץ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ֗ וְלֹ֤א תִקְפֹּץ֙ אֶת־יָ֣דְךָ֔ מֵאָחִ֖יךָ הָאֶבְיֽוֹן׃ (ח) כִּֽי־פָתֹ֧חַ תִּפְתַּ֛ח אֶת־יָדְךָ֖ ל֑וֹ וְהַעֲבֵט֙ תַּעֲבִיטֶ֔נּוּ דֵּ֚י מַחְסֹר֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֶחְסַ֖ר לֽוֹ׃ (ט) הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֡ פֶּן־יִהְיֶ֣ה דָבָר֩ עִם־לְבָבְךָ֨ בְלִיַּ֜עַל לֵאמֹ֗ר קָֽרְבָ֣ה שְׁנַֽת־הַשֶּׁבַע֮ שְׁנַ֣ת הַשְּׁמִטָּה֒ וְרָעָ֣ה עֵֽינְךָ֗ בְּאָחִ֙יךָ֙ הָֽאֶבְי֔וֹן וְלֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן ל֑וֹ וְקָרָ֤א עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה וְהָיָ֥ה בְךָ֖ חֵֽטְא׃ (י) נָת֤וֹן תִּתֵּן֙ ל֔וֹ וְלֹא־יֵרַ֥ע לְבָבְךָ֖ בְּתִתְּךָ֣ ל֑וֹ כִּ֞י בִּגְלַ֣ל ׀ הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה יְבָרֶכְךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכָֽל־מַעֲשֶׂ֔ךָ וּבְכֹ֖ל מִשְׁלַ֥ח יָדֶֽךָ׃ (יא) כִּ֛י לֹא־יֶחְדַּ֥ל אֶבְי֖וֹן מִקֶּ֣רֶב הָאָ֑רֶץ עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פָּ֠תֹחַ תִּפְתַּ֨ח אֶת־יָדְךָ֜ לְאָחִ֧יךָ לַעֲנִיֶּ֛ךָ וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ בְּאַרְצֶֽךָ׃ (ס)
(7) If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of your settlements in the land that Adonai your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. (8) Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs... (10) Give to him readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return Adonai your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings. (11) For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land.
Netziv/Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (Belarus/Poland, 1816-1893)
The nature of Israel is to be merciful, and to take pity on someone who is suffering. However it is also human nature to take pity on one’s own money, and to close up one’s merciful heart.
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben (USA, 1951- )
Each of us ultimately has free will to choose our own path, and the decisions we make, the actions we take inevitably lead us step by step to become one kind of person or another... all God had to do to “harden” Pharaoh’s heart, was simply allow him to continue making the choices he was already making, taking the path he was already taking and the inevitable result was a cruel heart indifferent to human suffering.
The real lesson for us is to remember each day that everything we do counts. Every decision matters. Every choice has an affect on us, on future choices, on our self-image, and on the kind of person we ultimately turn out to be.
Abraham Joshua Heschel (Poland/USA, 1907-1972) - God In Search Of Man
The essence of man’s freedom is in his ability to surpass himself. To a certain extent man is enslaved by his environment, society, and character, but man can think, will, and make decisions beyond these limitations... Everyone has the potentiality for freedom, but only rarely achieves it.
Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt (USA, 1975- )
Pharaoh accustomed his own heart to being hard. He made a habit of acting without regard for justice or for the needs of the oppressed. You know how, when children make ugly faces, parents sometimes say "be careful, your face might get stuck that way"? Pharaoh made his heart ugly, and it got stuck that way. He wore grooves of injustice and lack of compassion into his heart, and was then unable to change; God "hardened his heart.