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Why does Hashem (ה׳) tell Moshe to warn Pharaoh when He has already hardened Pharaoh's heart? The shiur develops a fundamental distinction: free will means the ability to do what's right, not to do what you want. Pharaoh's kaved lev represents taking "want" to its extreme—doing what he desires regardless of consequences. This charade of warning someone without bechirah teaches the essential prerequisite for Kabbalas Torah (תורה): accepting authority requires understanding that freedom means choosing what's right, not what feels good.
Rabbi Zweig opens with the central difficulty in Parshas Bo: Why does Hashem (ה׳) command Moshe to go warn Pharaoh when He simultaneously declares "ki ani khavadti es libo"—I have hardened his heart? This seems contradictory. If Pharaoh has no bechirah (free will), what purpose does the warning serve? Moreover, the language "go to Pharaoh BECAUSE I have hardened his heart" makes the hardening sound like a reason TO go, when logically it should be a reason NOT to go. The shiur distinguishes between three terms for hardening: chizuk (strengthening), kasheh (hardening), and khaved (making heavy/weighty). Chizuk halev and kasheh halev mean that external reasons and emotional appeals don't penetrate—the heart becomes impervious to input. But khavadti es libo is fundamentally different: it means giving weight to the lev itself, making a person's "want" the sole basis of decision-making. Pharaoh reaches a state where he acts purely because "I want to do this," with no consideration of reason, consequences, or reality.
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Shemos 10:1-2
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