The answer, they suggest, might lie in the seemingly simple phrase, "I will harden his heart."

But what does it mean to harden someone's heart? According to Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, this hardening wasn't arbitrary. It was "in order to administer their sentence." In other words, God, in His infinite wisdom, was setting the stage for a final, decisive act of justice.

And what was that act? It all goes back to the message Moses was instructed to deliver to Pharaoh: "So said the Lord: My son, My firstborn, Israel" (Exodus 4:22). It sounds straightforward, right? But the rabbis saw layers of meaning within those words.

The Midrash observes that God revealed to Moses that Pharaoh wouldn't release the Israelites until the devastating plague of the firstborn. That's why, according to Shemot Rabbah, the Torah didn't need to explicitly tell Moses about the tenth plague later on. He already knew!

We see this again when God tells Moses, "One more blow I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; afterward he will send you forth from here" (Exodus 11:1). Notice something? God doesn't specify what that final blow will be. Yet, Moses, understanding the divine plan, warns Pharaoh about the impending death of the firstborn (Exodus 11:5).

But why this emphasis on "My son, My firstborn, Israel"? The text explains that it’s a reference to their ancestor Jacob, also called Israel, who, as many of us remember, purchased the birthright from Esau so that he would be able to serve God (the story is in Genesis 25:29-34). This is significant because, initially, the firstborn were designated to perform sacrificial rites, to serve God directly.

So, when God says, "Let My son go, and he will serve Me" (Exodus 4:23), it's not just about freeing a nation from slavery. It's about allowing them to fulfill their destiny, to connect with the Divine through worship and service. And the warning to Pharaoh is stark: "If you prevent My firstborn from serving Me, I will prevent your firstborn from serving you, as I will kill them all." A pretty serious threat, right?

The narrative in Shemot Rabbah gives us a deeper understanding of the Exodus story, suggesting that Pharaoh’s stubbornness wasn't just random. It was part of a larger divine plan to show God’s power and ultimately redeem His chosen people. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it, about the hidden layers within other biblical narratives, waiting to be uncovered?