Lev Pharaoh: His Hardened Heart/Mind
And God said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the marvels that I have put within your power. I, however, will stiffen his heart so that he will not let the people go. Exodus 4:21
Bo come into the captive
mind of Pharaoh, hardened,
stiffened. made resistent:
va’yichazak, va yi’cabad, va yi’kashe
Bo, come into the heart of Pharaoh
like yours and mine
four chambers
flowing and blocked
grace and greed
a river running through
Bo come into the belly of Pharaoh
of all suffering, his breathe
ever mixed with our own-
cry out from the narrow place
for release, his and our’s
so that we may cross
that narrow bridge
between miztrayim and midbar
between no and yes
Shma, listen to
Pharaoh cry out
wIth outstretched arms
Tziu - depart
this country of your suffering
lichu -leave
behind your garments
of bondage, of slave and
master, b’shallach- be expelled,
free your indentured bodies, your
will to soften your
bound hearts as I try to
unbind my own -
Please bless me
as I am like a birthing woman
caught in the ring of fire
between push and yielding.
How do I cross, what
gives me legs, will I ever
see through fog? If it is God’s will
where is mine? It is a mystery
my heart, oscillating
between contraction and
release, beating
relentlessly beating.
Stretch out your arm
and I will stretch out mine
here on the shores
of death,
let us please
sing a new song.
Please bring a blessing upon me
one broken heart to another
because I am worn out,
flooded by loss and grief
while the world I was born into
is breaking apart -
all I long for is a pause
of the darkness, of the death
of children, the crying people, all I want
is (to feel blessed,) to find peace, to see
Isis return and gather my scattered pieces
to make of my body once again
a restored temple.
Notes
- “Lev “ in Hebrew means both heart and mind
We are told in the text at least 19 times that God has hardened Pharaoh’s heart at different points using 3 words signifying hardening which appear in the first verse of my poem.
When Pharaoh does issues a decree for the freeing of the Hebrew in the next parsha, he uses the words Tziu, Michu, b’shallach
Bo, come into the body of Pharaoh
enter his closed mind, so strongly gated
heavily fortified
chazak, made strong, kavod made heavy, kisheh, made hard.
Bo, come into the heart of Pharaoh
the four blocked chambers
like yours and mine
filled with the silver and gold
of kindness and hatred,
grace and greed.
Tziu -go out lichu -depart beshallach- be expelled
we call to the Pharaoh
within and without:
stretch out your arm
from the Mystery,
of constriction
from the belly
of divisions, so we may
cross the narrow bridge
between kisheh the hardening
and lichu the departing
between mitzrayim and midbar
between yes and no.
And the Pharaoh
that is the body of
our pain asks
how do I cross, what
gives me legs, ability to see through
the fog? If it is God’s will
where is mine? It is a mystery
my heart, oscillating
between hardness and softening,
grasping and release, beating
relentlessly beating
B’shalach, let us be expelled
from the bodies of the oppressors,
from our ancient entitlements,
to the lives of others,
lichu leave the selves
embedded in enslaver and enslaved
tziu, exit now, release the word
lost in fear, in greed
b’shallach, set free our will
to stand up to move out from
our hardened, stiffened, weighted
down hearts.
Bring also a blessing upon me
Pharaoh cried
like a birthing woman
caught in the ring of fire
stretch out your arm
and I will stretch out mine
here on the shores
of death,
let us please
sing a new song.
Bless me
Pharaoh called out to Moshe
one broken heart to another
because I am worn out and
full of loss and grief
and the world I was born into
is breaking apart
and all I long for is a pause
of the darkness, of the dying children,
the crying people, all I want
is to feel blessed, to find peace, to see
Isis return and gather my scattered pieces
and make of my body again
a restored temple.
Notes:
3 words are used in Torah to describe Pharaohs resistance to letting the people go, poetically described as
different aspects of his hardened heart. In Biblical Hebrew the heart is considered the seat of the mind, spirit
and will.חזק (ḥzq): piel, "he made strong"; qal, "he was strong"; adj., "strong"
כבד (kbd): hiphil, "he made heavy"; adj., "heavy"
קשׁה (qšh): hiphil, "he made hard”
Aviva Zornberg teaches that often, such as when we are told God has hardened Pharaoh’s heart what the
Torah is saying is we can’t explain it, we don’t know why.
Three words used by Pharaoh as he orders the people to be released from. Egypt:
צְּאוּ Tziu. Go out. depart go forth exit
וּלְכ֛וּ Lichu. Depart/move away/proceed
Exodus 12: 31 Exodus 12:31
Beshallach expel, throw out, turn out while letting go, let loose let go set free) oust drum out.
Exodus 13:1
Bo L’Pharaoh, come into Pharaoh
Exodus 10: 1
Now when Pharaoh expelled (beshallach) or demanded that the people go.
Exodus 13:1
Take also your flocks and your herds, as you said, and begone! And may you bring a blessing upon me also!
Exodus 12:32