VBM "And I will harden the heart of Pharaoh" By Harav Yaakov Medan

I. In its account of the first plagues, the Torah describes Pharaoh's refusal to send Israel out with the words: "And Pharaoh's heart was hardened" (Shemot 7:22) or some similar phrase. Beginning with the plague of boils, the wording is: "And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh" (Shemot 9:12). So too, when Moshe goes from the house of Yitro to Egypt, God promises him: "But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go" (Shemot 4:21). Similarly, at the beginning of our parasha, we read: "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart" (Shemot 7:3). The Rambam and the Ramban explain these words in their plain sense, that it is God who hardens Pharaoh's heart; were He not to intervene, Pharaoh would have submitted and let Israel leave earlier. The Rambam explains all ten plagues in this manner: