Dvar Torah - Hardening and Unhardening Our Hearts- January 15, 2020- By Rabbi Leonard Cohen

This week’s Parsha, Va’era, recounts the beginning of the Ten Plagues which Hashem inflicted upon Egypt. After each of the first five plagues, the Torah records that Pharaoh hardened his heart to prevent showing mercy to the Jews; for the final five plagues, Hashem is said to have hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein writes the following:
“Various classic answers have been provided for this question by the early commentators.
“The Rambam states that, in subjugating and persecuting the Jewish people as he did, Pharaoh had sinned to such a heinous extent that his punishment itself entailed having his free-will removed from him and then being punished for saying no.
“The Ramban, based on Midrash, explains that Pharaoh hardened his own heart during the first five plagues, in response to which Hashem hardened his heart regarding the second five...
“A fascinating and illuminating approach to the entire concept of Hashem hardening Pharaoh’s heart is found in the writings of the Maaseh Hashem. Rather than understanding that Hashem reached into Pharaoh’s decision-making apparatus and turned off the switch, leaving him fundamentally incapable of deciding to let the Jewish people go, the Maaseh Hashem explains this idea in a much more natural way.
“Often, people are in situations where they may say that they ‘have no choice’ but to pursue a certain course of action, when in reality what they mean is that the personality traits that govern them leave them no choice. Someone who has been insulted may feel that he is ‘forced’ to leave the room. Of course he can choose to stay if he wants, but his pride will not allow him to do so. Similarly, someone who subscribes to the notion that he is all-knowing or all-powerful may feel ‘compelled’ to cover up a mistake or a weakness. In truth, he is fully capable of admitting his error, but the way in which he wishes to see – or project - himself effectively bars this option from him.
“The Maaseh Hashem explains that it was in this sense that Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart....
“We see the idea of Hashem ‘hardening someone’s heart’ through a presentation of events which is then interpreted by their corrupt perception, leading them to make decisions which are ultimately their undoing.
“In light of this approach... we will appreciate that understanding the idea of the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in this way will have major implications when we come to consider whether he was ultimately responsible and culpable for his decisions. At every point in the proceedings he was essentially capable of choosing the right path, but his corrupt character traits prevented him from doing so... With the fundamental capacity to say yes intact, Pharaoh was thus held accountable and culpable for each of the times he said no.”
Rabbi Bernstein’s observations, based on Maaseh Hashem, have particular pertinence to the tumultuous events of recent weeks. We have witnessed for several years now an increasing polarization of political views in our society, as people become entrenched further and further apart in their ideas. At its worst, such extreme positions can culminate in irreconcilable hatred and violence. And yet, as Rabbi Bernstein pointedly observes, “A person cannot claim immunity from the consequences of wrongful actions simply because they are [the] product of ego and stubbornness.” Ultimately, we remain accountable for our choices and interactions with others.
In a recent article: (https://mishpacha.com/gone-missing/),
Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky criticizes those who have become so hardened in their political views as to support untenable actions and reject engagement with people with opposing views. Our rich Jewish tradition is one that has strongly encouraged and welcomed tolerant discourse and debate from a wide variety of perspectives. To make such conflict constructive rather than destructive, Rabbi Lopiansky observes, requires civility and menschlichkeit. We are charged with the accountability today to unharden our hearts, and to open ourselves to difficult and challenging exchange. In doing so, we may discover how to bring Hashem’s ways of chesed into our families, communities, and society.