On Preventing the Hardening of Hearts
Jan 16, 2015 By Danielle Upbin | Commentary | Va'era
After a long walk across the park on a Shabbat winter morning in New York City, services concluded, guests assembled at an Upper East Side apartment. The host of this particular Rabbinical School student gathering held the meal hostage. The ransom was the answer to his question: 鈥淲hy did God harden Pharaoh鈥檚 heart?鈥漈he host had a group of well-educated, eager to answer, soon-to-be rabbis at his disposal. From them, he wasn鈥檛 going to accept any rehearsed responses, such as 鈥淕od had to prove Himself to the Israelites.鈥� Much to the students鈥� relief, this trial was interrupted by the hostess, and the first course was served. It was a meal unfinished, for even as we all said grace after the meal, we remained, as our host, unsatisfied.
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