Va'erah: the Hard Heart 

There appear to be two paths to Pharaoh's heart hardening. The process begins   by his own choice. Later divine intervention supports the hardening process - after the cattle plague. A ruler's resolve flows from internal strength until external forces prop up failing determination. This progression from self-will to external manipulation echoes through history.

 

Pharaoh stands against overwhelming force. Pharaoh faces not just demands but demonstrations of control over nature itself. The Nile turns to blood, frogs emerge everywhere, livestock dies, humans develop boils, hail destroys crops. Each plague offers an exit: let the Israelites journey into the desert for their festival. The Egyptian scientists, whom we demean  by calling magicians, recognize that they are facing  divine power by the third plague. Yet Pharaoh (the science denier) persists.

 

His technical advisors warn of forces beyond human control, much as today's scientists speak of climate change's cascading effects. Pharaoh's resistance stems from the imperatives of authority. He rightly  suspects the three-day festival masks a permanent departure. The eventual destruction of Egypt's chariot force proves his suspicion correct.

 

Leadership demands this hardness of heart. When faced with impossible odds, reason counsels capitulation. Yet unreasonable persistence sometimes overcomes overwhelming opposition. The divine hardening of the heart after the fifth plague suggests both the necessity and the cost of such determination. It preserves Pharaoh's resistance while raising uncomfortable questions about free will and moral responsibility. Do earlier bad decisions justify the loss of control  over the subsequent path? Do smaller sins justify punishment for the inevitable consequences of the  greater transgressions they lead to?

 

Modern mass manipulation techniques mirror this ancient dynamic. Today's advertising and propaganda machines don't just change minds - they reshape reality itself. The Egyptian revulsion toward Hebrew fertility morphs into contemporary anti-immigrant fervor. The reframing industry transforms ethical positions into their opposites, making virtue appear passe’.

 

Each plague carries layered significance. The Nile's transformation echoes the drowning of Hebrew infants. The ubiquitous frogs mirror  the perceived omnipresence of the foreign population. These natural chains of causation arrive on schedule, targeting specific groups while sparing others - suggesting control rather than mere disaster. The account of the plagues generates problematic narratives: the association of minorities  ( especially the Jews) with disease, invasion, and profiting from others' misfortune. The goal of hardening Pharaoh’s heart was to showcase the power that can be brought to bear upon evil tyrants. That story is also used to justify the actions of despots to their followers.

 

The text reveals an evolution in divine revelation. Previous patriarchs encountered God, but the Va’erah manifestation brings something new: not just foresight but control over future events. Joseph could predict seven years of plenty followed by famine. Moses presents choices that shape destiny. This power to alter the future rather than merely know it marks a fundamental shift.

 

Va'erah thus presents layers of power dynamics: between ruler and rebel, between human capability and natural forces, between immediate compromise and ultimate liberation. Its lessons about prediction, control, and responsibility remain relevant in an era when humanity's power to affect natural systems has grown, even as our ability to control the consequences remains limited. The hardening of hearts - whether through divine intervention or industrial-scale propaganda - continues to shape the course of human events.