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Hardening the Heart vs. Weighing it Down</title><link rel="stylesheet"
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content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body>Aspaqlaria has posted a new
item, '<a
href="https://www.aishdas.org/asp/hardening-weighing-heart">Hardening the
Heart vs. Weighing it Down</a>'<br>
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<p>So, I recently noticed that the translation of Unqelus I am using offers
“hardened Par’oh’s heart” and the like regardless of
whether the original word ויחזק (Aramaic: ואתקף) or another word
build from \חזק\ or whether it was ויכבד (Aramaic: ויקר) or some
other conjugation of \כבד\. I guess “חזק”, strengthened,
could refer to hardening. But כבד would relate to weight. (Or honor or
livers, I guess.)</p>
<p>These are two very different things. </p>
<p>Lead is a fairly heavy metal. But softer than most, it can be scratched
with a thumbnail. Diamonds are among the hardest substances known, even when
just a carat or two in weight.</p>
<p>Rav Yisrael Salanter, in Or Yisrael (Letter #30) talks about three stages
to fixing a middah.</p>
<p>1- <em>Hargashah</em> is feeling, being aware that something is off in
oneself. Noticing the problem and that it is a problem.</p>
<p>2- From there, was is capable of <em>kibush hayeitzer</em>, conquering the
<em>yeitzer hara</em> in this area. Rav Yisrael uses this to refer to being
able to act and do the right thing despite the <em>yeitzer hara</em>‘s
temptation. The flawed calling is still there, but it is overcome.</p>
<p>3- Finally, through acclimation of a long period of <em>kibush
hayeitzer</em> even the desire or broken <em>middah</em> is gone. The will is
aligned with the ideal.</p>
<p>The first two steps are on route to <em>tiqun hayeitzer</em>, where
correcting one’s mental state is the final goal.</p>
<p>I think the language the <em>chumash</em> uses highlights how Par’oh
was prevented from doing teshuvah by showing us when and how each of these
steps was prevented.</p>
<p>When Par’oh’s heart was made <em>chazaq</em>, we are speaking
about the inability of the extraordinary events he was exposed to to make an
impression on him. The heart was rendered incapable of <em>hargashah</em>.
Par’oh finds excuses like, “the magicians can do that
too!”</p>
<p>Whereas something that is heavy is hard to move. A heart that was made
<em>kaveid</em> might take in the experiences, but it has its own inertia and
momentum and stays the course. Stubbornness and spite being used to stick to
one’s guns even though you see that you’re headed in the wrong
direction. The heart that is <em>kaveid</em> is incapable of <em>kibbush
hayeitzer</em>.</p>
<p>In our own lives too… Sometimes I just don’t face the facts.
Sometimes I see the facts, but just cannot bring ourselves to act on them. To
admit being wrong, or lose authority, or face embarrassment, or just leave my
comfort zone.</p>
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<a
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Best regards,<br>
micha<br>
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