Torah Thought on Parshas Shemos
From Pinnacle of Creation based on the talks of Rav Henach Leibowitz zt’l, Rosh Yeshiva Rabbinical Seminary of America. Pinnacle of Creation was co-authored by Rabbi Shimon Zehnwirth of Torah Academy of Buffalo Grove)
Blind to the Consequences
“Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants…” (Shmos 10:1)
Rabbeinu Bechaya explains that Pharaoh initially hardened his own heart (ibid. 8:28, 9:34) and then Hashem hardened Pharaoh’s heart further in order to multiply Hashem’s wonders and miracles in Egypt. But what exactly is meant by “hardening” one’s heart?
Rabbeinu Bechaya explains this concept by referring to a pasuk in Mishlei (28:14): “Praised is the man who always fears; and one who hardens his heart falls in evil.” He extols the virtues of someone who “feels fear in every action he takes. He studies them (his actions) and considers their consequences, disadvantages and benefits before he puts them into effect.” Such a person, Rabbeinu Bechaya tells us, is truly praiseworthy. He acts with wisdom. He earns an honest living without taking that which is not coming to him. He eats only healthful foods that sustain his body and he is surrounded by the many mitzvos that he performs. Rabbeinu Bechaya then explains the second half of Shlomo’s statement, which refers to the converse: “A person who does not contemplate the results of his actions is hardening his heart. And this is only because of his evil heart and the cruelty in it.”
Here we have the definition of “hardening” one’s heart–a lack of concern and contemplation regarding the results of one’s deeds. The cause: an evil heart that is cruel–to one’s self. Is someone who does not carefully contemplate his actions actually cruel to himself? Couldn’t it be possible that he is not a conscientious person, or merely too lazy to think his actions through properly?
Rabbeinu Bechaya is teaching us a sobering truth about the human psyche: A person’s natural state is one of complete awareness and concern for the ramifications of each of his actions. Man was Divinely fashioned with an alert and perceptive mind; he naturally feels a need to anticipate consequences and look out for his future. Only one who possesses a certain degree of cruelty to himself can stifle this instinctive drive to be concerned about his actions.
The world is filled with people who go about their daily lives, never concerning themselves with the results of their actions and where their deeds are leading them. One who conducts himself in such mindless routine is compared by the Mesilas Yesharim to a blind man walking on the banks of a river, oblivious to the mortal danger he faces with every step he takes. The only difference between the two is that the blind man is not blind by choice while the other person shuts his eyes willingly. He would normally see the pitfalls before him, but he deliberately and cruelly shuts his eyes to the peril that awaits him.
To the degree that we have compassion on ourselves and remove any trace of callous cruelty to our own welfare, we will “open” our eyes to examine our deeds and where our life is going. We are endowed with a natural desire to be concerned about our actions–we need only be kind to ourselves and follow this natural tendency. Our actions, and our lives, will then surely befit our status as the pinnacle of all creation.