Pharoah’s Stubbornness

A great deal can be learned from analyzing the behavior of Pharoah during the plagues. In one instance, we learn Pharoah’s reasoning in not letting the Jewish people leave Egypt.

This occurred when he noticed that not one of the Jewish cattle perished during the plague of pestilence (except for the cattle of Shaul Ben Hacnaanite).

We see that this angered the evil king almost as much as the plague itself. “If I am suffering, they should be suffering as I am. Why should they have what I don’t have?” This was no doubt how he was thinking. Misery loves company, but here reality was hitting Pharoah right in the face. There was no getting around it.

The G-d of Israel that he had denied, is letting him know that he is being held accountable for enslaving His people, and for denying Him. This was a bitter pill to swallow. He was clearly proven wrong, and he was not ready to come to terms with this. Instead of admitting his mistake, he becomes more angry and more obstinate.

We see from here how damaging one’s pride can be. We all make mistakes in life, and sometimes, we treat others badly. When this is brought to our attention, we should not play the “blame” game and make excuses. We should be big enough to admit when we were wrong and ask for forgiveness.

Pharoah’s arrogance, would not allow him to do so. We must be much bigger than that.