We read the story of the plagues, and it can feel like a foregone conclusion, like Pharaoh was just cartoonishly stubborn. But there were moments... moments where the pressure was on, where he teetered on the edge of doing the right thing.
Let’s zero in on one of those moments, found in Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It's all about the plague of the frogs. Yes, frogs. Everywhere. Imagine the sheer, hopping, croaking chaos.
The verse in Exodus 8:4-5 reads: “Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said: Entreat the Lord, and He will remove the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, and they will sacrifice to the Lord. Moses said to Pharaoh: Have this glory over me; for what time shall I entreat for you, for your servants, and for your people, so that the frogs will be destroyed from you and you houses, and will remain only in the Nile?”
Notice something interesting in Pharaoh's plea? He's not just asking for relief. He's promising something big: freedom for the Israelites. He's offering to let them go and sacrifice to their God. It sounds almost...sincere, doesn't it? Shemot Rabbah picks up on this urgency, noting that when the punishment truly hit home – when Pharaoh felt it in his own body – he immediately began screaming for help.
But Moses, ever the shrewd negotiator (and divinely guided, of course), doesn't just snap his fingers and make the frogs disappear. He poses a question: "For what time shall I entreat for you?" What’s Moses doing here? Is he just being difficult?
Shemot Rabbah offers a fascinating explanation. Moses is essentially giving Pharaoh a choice, a chance to demonstrate his sincerity. Moses knew that the plague had been raging for seven days, and that the end was near.
So, Moses proposes a deal. He asks Pharaoh when he wants the plague to end. Pharaoh says, "For tomorrow" (Exodus 8:6). And Moses replies that he will entreat for him tomorrow, but not today. What's the significance? As Shemot Rabbah points out, this was the final day of the seven-day period!
The frogs would depart the next day, regardless. Moses is calling Pharaoh's bluff. He's giving him the space to show true repentance, to endure just a little longer and prove that his promise is genuine. If Pharaoh truly meant to free the Israelites, wouldn't he have asked for immediate relief? Wouldn't he have seized the opportunity to end the suffering then and there?
Instead, Pharaoh chooses to delay. He opts for a momentary reprieve rather than a lasting solution. And in that choice, he reveals his true intentions. He wasn't truly ready to let go. He wasn't truly ready to acknowledge the power of God. It’s a subtle but powerful moment, highlighting the internal struggle within Pharaoh – a struggle between his pride and his survival. He almost did it. He was this close. But ultimately, his own stubbornness sealed his fate, and the fate of his people.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How often do we do the same thing? How often are we presented with opportunities to make real change, to let go of our own "frogs," but choose instead to cling to the familiar, even when it's causing us pain?