Parshat Bo (Exodus 10:1-13:16) describes the final three plagues that God exacts upon the Egyptians. After each plague, Pharaoh's heart changes––it is made heavy, hard, or stiff. In what way are people's hearts hardened today when it comes to LGBTQIA+ people? As queer people and allies, how can we unharden our hearts so that we can live with the Torah of justice for all?
Blessing for Torah Study
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu la'asok b’divrei Torah. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, charging us to engage with words of Torah.
Beginning with Our Own Torah
1) Think of or imagine a moment when you asked for something and someone rejected it. How did you feel? What might the other person have felt?
2) How could one's heart become unhardened? What could it mean with regards to LGBTQIA+ people*?
LGBTQIA+ = Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and more
Queer = Often considered an umbrella term for LGBTQIA+ folks, many have reclaimed this word from its pejorative usage.
Heavy Hearts
Question to consider: What does it mean to make heavy, harden, or stiffen one's heart?
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה׳ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙ וְאֶת־לֵ֣ב עֲבָדָ֔יו לְמַ֗עַן שִׁתִ֛י אֹתֹתַ֥י אֵ֖לֶּה בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃
(ב) וּלְמַ֡עַן תְּסַפֵּר֩ בְּאׇזְנֵ֨י בִנְךָ֜ וּבֶן־בִּנְךָ֗ אֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁ֤ר הִתְעַלַּ֙לְתִּי֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם וְאֶת־אֹתֹתַ֖י אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֣מְתִּי בָ֑ם וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּי־אֲנִ֥י ה׳׃
(1) Then ה׳ said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have made his heart heavy (hichbaditi) and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them, (2) and that you may recount in the hearing of your child and of your child’s child how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed My signs among them—in order that you may know that I am ה׳.”
"The Weighing of the Heart," by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (2020)
The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is referred to no less than twenty times in the course of the story of the Exodus. Sometimes it is Pharaoh who is said to harden his heart. At other times, God is said to have done so. The Torah uses three different verbs in this context: ch-z-k, to strengthen, k-sh-h, to harden, and k-b-d, to make heavy....Having five times said “No” to the Israelites, he could not now back down without making himself look ridiculous, forfeiting his authority and damaging his standing. Pharaoh was a prisoner of his own system, held captive by his own decisions.
Seeking to protect order, he created chaos. That is because the order he was seeking to protect was built on a foundation of injustice: the enslavement of the many for the benefit of the few. The more he tried to defend it, the heavier his heart grew.
Stiffened Hearts
Questions to consider: What is Moses's request? Why is Pharaoh's heart stiffened?
(ח) וַיּוּשַׁ֞ב אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֤ה וְאֶֽת־אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְכ֥וּ עִבְד֖וּ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֑ם מִ֥י וָמִ֖י הַהֹלְכִֽים׃
(ט) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה בִּנְעָרֵ֥ינוּ וּבִזְקֵנֵ֖ינוּ נֵלֵ֑ךְ בְּבָנֵ֨ינוּ וּבִבְנוֹתֵ֜נוּ בְּצֹאנֵ֤נוּ וּבִבְקָרֵ֙נוּ֙ נֵלֵ֔ךְ כִּ֥י חַג־ה׳ לָֽנוּ׃
(י) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם יְהִ֨י כֵ֤ן ה׳ עִמָּכֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר אֲשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶתְכֶ֖ם וְאֶֽת־טַפְּכֶ֑ם רְא֕וּ כִּ֥י רָעָ֖ה נֶ֥גֶד פְּנֵיכֶֽם׃
(יא) לֹ֣א כֵ֗ן לְכֽוּ־נָ֤א הַגְּבָרִים֙ וְעִבְד֣וּ אֶת־ה׳ כִּ֥י אֹתָ֖הּ אַתֶּ֣ם מְבַקְשִׁ֑ים וַיְגָ֣רֶשׁ אֹתָ֔ם מֵאֵ֖ת פְּנֵ֥י פַרְעֹֽה׃ {ס}
(8) So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh and he said to them, “Go, worship your God ה׳ ! Who are the people to go?”
(9) Moses replied, “We will all go—regardless of social station—we will go with our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds; for we must observe ה׳’s festival.”
(10) But he said to them, “ה׳ be with you—the same as I mean to let your dependents go with you! Clearly, you are bent on mischief. (11) No! You gentlemen go and worship ה׳, since that is what you want.” And they were expelled from Pharaoh’s presence.
We will not leave anyone or anything here, young or old, male or female, human or animal, because it is a festival of the Lord for us. Moses is alluding to the fact that Israel’s exit will signal its independence, and he does not promise their return.
(טו) וַיְכַ֞ס אֶת־עֵ֣ין כׇּל־הָאָ֘רֶץ֮ וַתֶּחְשַׁ֣ךְ הָאָ֒רֶץ֒ וַיֹּ֜אכַל אֶת־כׇּל־עֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָ֗רֶץ וְאֵת֙ כׇּל־פְּרִ֣י הָעֵ֔ץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר הוֹתִ֖יר הַבָּרָ֑ד וְלֹא־נוֹתַ֨ר כׇּל־יֶ֧רֶק בָּעֵ֛ץ וּבְעֵ֥שֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה בְּכׇל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(טז) וַיְמַהֵ֣ר פַּרְעֹ֔ה לִקְרֹ֖א לְמֹשֶׁ֣ה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיֹּ֗אמֶר חָטָ֛אתִי לַה׳ אֱלֹֽקֵיכֶ֖ם וְלָכֶֽם׃
(יז) וְעַתָּ֗ה שָׂ֣א נָ֤א חַטָּאתִי֙ אַ֣ךְ הַפַּ֔עַם וְהַעְתִּ֖ירוּ לַה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֑ם וְיָסֵר֙ מֵֽעָלַ֔י רַ֖ק אֶת־הַמָּ֥וֶת הַזֶּֽה׃
(יח) וַיֵּצֵ֖א מֵעִ֣ם פַּרְעֹ֑ה וַיֶּעְתַּ֖ר אֶל־ה׳׃
(יט) וַיַּהֲפֹ֨ךְ ה׳ רֽוּחַ־יָם֙ חָזָ֣ק מְאֹ֔ד וַיִּשָּׂא֙ אֶת־הָ֣אַרְבֶּ֔ה וַיִּתְקָעֵ֖הוּ יָ֣מָּה סּ֑וּף לֹ֤א נִשְׁאַר֙ אַרְבֶּ֣ה אֶחָ֔ד בְּכֹ֖ל גְּב֥וּל מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(כ) וַיְחַזֵּ֥ק ה׳ אֶת־לֵ֣ב פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְלֹ֥א שִׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {פ}
(15) [Locusts] hid all the land from view, and the land was darkened; and they ate up all the grasses of the field and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left, so that nothing green was left, of tree or grass of the field, in all the land of Egypt.
(16) Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I stand guilty before your God ה׳ and before you. (17) Forgive my offense just this once, and plead with your God ה׳ that this death but be removed from me.”
(18) So he left Pharaoh’s presence and pleaded with ה׳.(19) ה׳ caused a shift to a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and hurled them into the Sea of Reeds; not a single locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. (20) But ה׳ stiffened (va-yichazek) Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
The Heart of Living Torah
Question to consider: How could one's heart become unhardened?
"Racial Justice and LGBTQ Equality Are The Same Fight. It’s A Jewish Fight," by April Baskin and Idit Klein, Keshet (2019)
As Jewish colleagues of different racial and cultural backgrounds, we understand the power of our own histories and the shared responsibility we have to work for justice, especially in challenging, painful, or violent times.... If we can see the world through various lenses and understand how holding multiple identities are sources of strength and struggle, we will only expand possibilities for empathy and understanding to enrich the Jewish community as a whole.
In our years of doing this work, we have come to understand our missteps not as failures that warrant blame or shame, but as opportunities to be courageous and bold. Without question, we will encounter more challenges along the way. But we cannot afford to walk away from this work or from each other.
Being in relationship is the soul of Jewish life. It’s the heart of living Torah. If we stay at the table together — with humility, openness, and trust — liberation and pride are possible for all of us.