VaEra: Burning Heart

Parashat VaEra begins the arc of Moses and Aaron appealing to Pharaoh to set the Israelites free, and Pharaoh's incessant refusals.  The plagues on Egypt then begin, each one compounding the misery within the land.

Each time that Pharaoh and his people have endured all of the suffering they can handle from a particular plague, Pharaoh pleads with Moses and Aaron to intercede with God and restore normalcy. A few times, it even appears that Pharaoh will relent and grant the Israelites their freedom.  Ultimately, however, each time we find Pharaoh's heart hardening.  Sometimes this takes place without an actor, and we merely read that Pharaoh's heart was hardened.  Sometimes, God intervenes and hardens Pharaoh's heart.  Sometimes, Pharaoh does the hardening all on his own.

Note that, most likely, the Bible intends "heart" to be understood as the seat of reason and decision making (as the ancient world understood it to be), not the seat of emotion.  Pharaoh's heart-hardening comes from a place of deliberation and rationalization.  He feels that he is making the best decisions for himself and his people, even as he experiences the divine wrath behind the plagues.

It begs a question, taken up in Midrash and other rabbinic literature by thinkers far more learned and eloquent than I: how much control does Pharaoh actually have over his heart?  How much do any of us?  the Bible seems to argue, at least in this episode, that God has already created a master plan wherein ten plagues must be visited on Egypt before the Exodus can take place.  Thus, Pharaoh possesses no free will-- no control over his heart to move things in a different direction.

Though this Survivor song was written for Rocky IV in order to highlight tensions between the Russian character (Ivan Drago)  and the American hero (Rocky), the conflict described in the opening lines also feels applicable to the Exodus narrative:

Two worlds collide
Rival nations
It's a primitive clash
Venting years of frustrations

Please note, I do not own-- nor do I claim to own-- these songs.  Copyrights are held by the various artists.  I include them here for illustrative purposes.
Burning Heart- (VaEra, Exodus 6:2-9:35)

Music and lyrics by Jim Peters and Frankie Sullivan, performed by Survivor. From the Rocky IV Soundtrack, Scotti Bros., 1985.