Exodus 8:28

וַיַּכְבֵּ֤ד פַּרְעֹה֙ אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ גַּ֖ם בַּפַּ֣עַם הַזֹּ֑את וְלֹ֥א שִׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־הָעָֽם׃

But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and would not let the people go. 

You might think the book of Exodus was written by a cardiologist, because after nearly every plague the Torah issues a report on Pharaoh’s heart. Again and again, we are told that his heart hardens. He refuses to let the Israelites go, remaining stubborn and unmoved despite the suffering of the Israelites, and of his own people.

Much has been made of the moment, late in the story, when God hardens Pharaoh’s heart, seemingly stripping him of free will. But that moment comes only after Pharaoh has already made the same choice repeatedly. Early on, Pharaoh is capable of relenting, and he does not. Time after time, he ignores his better judgment, disregards the suffering around him, and refuses to change course. Only after he fully entrenches himself in that pattern, six plagues in, does God step in and harden his heart for him.

If this is true, then perhaps the opposite is true as well. When we face moments meant to humble us, we, too, have a choice. Like Pharaoh, we can remain stubborn and unmoved. Or we can soften our hearts, choosing empathy over apathy, recognizing the humanity in others and in ourselves, and acting with compassion. And when we make that choice again and again, as in Pharaoh’s case, we open a path for God as well, but this time for the better. Then, in moments when anger or frustration might otherwise take over, perhaps God will help to soften our hearts, even when we cannot do it on our own.