Let it Go!
Pharaoh is confusing. One minute he’s letting the Jews go, the next minute he’s doubling down (sounds like ceasefire talks, eh?) Plague after plague, he watches his country fall apart, his people suffer and is empire crumble, but refuses to budge.
You’d think after rivers turning to blood, wild animals rampaging through his palace(s), and suffering darkness, he’d say, “You know what? Maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board and strategize (or as they say too many zoom calls “we need to pivot”.)
But no and the Torah tells us why; Vayechazek Hashem et lev Pharoah – God strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, with the explanation being that Pharaoh’s resistance wasn’t purely logical. God reinforced his resolve to hold out against letting the Jews leave.
Which brings us to an interesting concept: the inability or refusal to change one’s mind. A lot of us take great pride in sticking to our opinions. We see it as a sign of strength – being firm in our beliefs, standing our ground, not letting anyone move us. And sure, sometimes that’s a great quality. But other times? It’s just stubbornness dressed up as conviction. Circumstances change. Realities shift. New information comes to light. And yet, we dig in our heels because we don’t want to admit we might have been wrong.
This past Wednesday, I was listening to a talk by Rabbi Aryeh Leibowitz, and he shared a story about Rabbi Asher Kleinman speaking to Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky. Apparently, Rabbi Kamenetsky had held a halachic opinion his whole life that it was permissible to open a soda bottle on Shabbat. But then, at 92 years old, he reversed his ruling. After a lifetime of a halachic pask one way, he saw new reasoning and changed his mind. Think about that for a second. This wasn’t some minor lifestyle tweak. This was a halachic position he had maintained for decades. And at 92, he said, “I see it differently now.”
How many of us would be willing to do that? There are two types of people in the world: those who live based on what they have been doing, and those who live based on what they could be doing. The first group clings to the past because it’s comfortable, familiar, and doesn’t require them to admit mistakes. The second group is willing to adapt, grow, and shift course when needed – even if it means rewriting what they’ve always believed.
Pharaoh was the first type. He doubled down on disaster, refusing to adjust even when his entire country was falling apart. And we all know how that turned out.
So the next time you’re in a disagreement about politics, halacha, or the right to load a dishwasher—ask yourself: Am I holding onto this view because it’s right, or just because it’s mine?
Strength is about standing firm and true strength is knowing when to change.
Shabbat Shalom!