What
Is,
“For
I
Have
Hardened
His
Heart,”
in
the
work?
Article
No.
17,
1991
We
should
ask
about
the
verse,
“for
I
have
hardened
his
heart,”
why
did
the
Creator
not
harden
Pharaoh’s
heart
right
in
the
beginning,
but
we
see
that
only
after
Pharaoh
admitted
and
said,
“The
Lord
is
the
righteous
one,
and
I
and
my
people
are
the
wicked,”
then
the
verse
says,
“for
I
have
hardened
his
heart”?
Also,
all
the
interpreters
ask,
Why
did
the
Creator
deny
Pharaoh
the
choice?
It
is
known
that
the
order
of
the
work
is
that
we
begin
the
work
in
order
to
receive
reward.
To
the
extent
that
the
body
hears
that
it
will
be
rewarded,
and
if
it
does
not
suffer,
this
leads
a
person
to
work
in
observing
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds].
That
is,
to
the
extent
that
he
believes
in
reward
and
punishment,
he
receives
motivation
so
as
to
be
able
to
observe
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
all
its
details
and
precisions.
In
this
way,
a
person
sees
that
he
is
advancing
each
day,
and
therefore
enjoys
his
work,
since
he
sees
progress
in
the
work.
This
follows
the
rule
that
one
cannot
do
any
work
unless
he
sees
progress
in
the
work.
It
is
like
a
person
learning
a
profession
and
sees
that
he
is
not
advancing
in
this
profession,
so
he
looks
for
something
else
to
do,
an
easier
job
for
him.
But
without
progress,
it
is
impossible
to
do
anything.
This
stems
from
the
matter,
“which
God
has
created
to
do.”
For
this
reason,
there
must
be
progress
in
everything.
This
is
like
the
horse
that
circles
the
grindstones
and
walks
in
circles
all
day
long.
Because
it
constantly
walks
in
the
same
place,
its
eyes
must
be
covered
so
it
does
not
see
the
truth,
but
will
think
that
it
is
walking
to
a
different
place
each
time.
That
is,
even
animals
must
see
progress
in
what
they
do,
and
any
progress
in
the
work
is
seen
only
when
we
work
in
order
to
receive
reward.
But
when
we
begin
to
work
in
order
to
bestow,
when
we
want
to
achieve
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator,
which
is
equivalence
of
form,
a
person
cannot
look
at
the
things
he
does.
That
is,
although
he
sees
that
now
he
is
doing
more
than
he
did
while
he
was
working
in
order
to
receive
reward,
but
now
he
has
a
different
measurement,
which
is
to
what
extent
he
aims
his
actions
to
be
in
order
to
bestow
and
not
for
his
own
sake.
At
that
time,
he
sees
that
he
is
far
from
it.
Although
he
has
many
ascents,
meaning
he
ascends
in
his
degree,
and
now
he
wants
to
do
everything
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
it
is
only
because
he
has
received
an
awakening
from
above.
Then
he
wants
to
annul
before
Him,
as
a
“candle
before
a
torch.”
But
afterward,
he
descends
from
this
state
and
falls
once
more
into
self-love.
Then
he
sees
that
he
has
become
worse;
that
is,
he
sees
that
each
time
he
is
farther
from
the
work
of
bestowal,
to
the
point
that
many
times
he
comes
to
a
state
of
“pondering
the
beginning.”
A
person
asks
himself,
“Why
when
I
worked
in
order
to
receive
reward,
I
had
a
good
taste
in
the
work,
and
I
prayed
and
learned
willingly,
but
now
that
I
want
to
make
more
efforts
than
I
did
while
I
worked
in
order
to
receive
reward,
I
see
that
I
do
not
have
the
flavor
that
I
had
then?”
The
person
asks,
“Now
that
I
want
to
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
it
stands
to
reason
that
I
should
have
felt
more
closeness
than
while
I
was
working
for
my
own
sake,
but
now
I
see
the
opposite!
Not
only
am
I
not
advancing
in
the
work,
but
I
am
going
backwards!”
The
answer
is
as
Baal
HaSulam
said,
that
one
must
believe
that
everything
he
feels
now,
that
he
is
farther
from
the
Creator,
comes
from
above.
That
is,
it
is
the
hardening
of
the
heart
that
the
Creator
gives
in
order
for
one
to
discover
the
real
need,
meaning
to
feel
that
without
the
help
of
the
Creator,
a
person
cannot
emerge
from
the
control
of
the
will
to
receive
for
himself,
but
only
the
Creator
Himself
can
help.
That
is,
as
the
Creator
gave
him
the
nature
of
the
desire
to
receive
for
himself,
He
should
now
give
him
a
second
nature
called
“desire
to
bestow,”
since
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli
[vessel],
which
is
called
“deficiency.”
That
is,
the
lack
puts
the
taste
in
the
filling.
Thus,
if
a
person
is
given
a
filling
but
he
has
no
need
for
it,
he
cannot
taste
the
real
taste
in
the
filling.
If
he
is
given
the
filling
before
he
has
a
need,
he
will
not
be
able
to
use
the
filling,
to
elicit
from
the
filling
what
is
in
it.
It
follows
that
the
lack
is
part
of
the
filling,
since
one
without
the
other
does
not
work.
It
follows
that
as
one
is
given
a
filling
from
above,
so
one
should
be
given
a
lack.
It
turns
out
that
when
a
person
sees
that
now
he
is
farther
from
the
work
of
bestowal,
he
is
given
this
from
above
because
the
lack
is
part
of
the
filling.
Therefore,
as
the
upper
one
gives
the
filling,
so
He
gives
the
lack.
By
this
we
can
interpret
the
two
questions
we
asked:
1)
Why
specifically
after
Pharaoh
said,
“The
Lord
is
the
righteous
one,
and
I
and
my
people
are
the
wicked,”
the
Creator
hardened
his
heart,
and
not
before?
2)
Why
did
He
deny
him
the
choice,
as
it
is
written,
“for
I
have
hardened
his
heart”?
The
answer
is
that
in
the
beginning,
when
starting
the
work,
a
person
must
see
that
everything
depends
on
him.
This
is
so
as
long
as
he
is
working
in
order
to
receive
reward.
At
that
time,
a
person
can
say,
“The
Lord
is
the
righteous
one,
and
I
and
my
people
are
the
wicked.”
Hence,
when
one
wants
to
work
in
order
to
bestow,
meaning
achieve
Dvekut
with
the
Creator,
he
must
see
the
truth:
It
is
not
within
man’s
hands,
since
it
contradicts
the
nature
with
which
he
was
born.
Only
the
Creator
can
give
him
a
second
nature,
but
without
a
lack,
there
is
not
real
flavor
in
the
filling.
Hence,
the
Creator
gives
the
hardening
of
the
heart
so
that
the
person
will
feel
the
deficiency
to
the
fullest.
This
explains
why
only
afterward
did
the
Creator
harden
his
heart,
meaning
after
he
began
to
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator
and
not
before.
Also,
why
did
he
need
the
hardening
of
the
heart?
It
is
for
another
reason,
that
if
one
does
not
feel
the
real
lack,
one
cannot
receive
the
real
filling,
since
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli.
It
follows
that
the
hardening
of
the
heart
was
not
to
his
detriment,
to
remove
him
from
the
Creator.
On
the
contrary,
the
hardening
of
the
heart
was
in
order
to
bring
him
to
Dvekut
with
the
Creator.
We
therefore
see
that
the
lack
that
a
person
feels
when
he
is
distant
from
the
Creator,
that,
too
comes
from
above
and
not
by
a
person’s
awakening.
By
this
we
can
interpret
what
our
sages
said
(Avot
2:5),
“In
a
place
where
there
are
no
people,
try
to
be
a
person.”
We
should
interpret
this
in
the
work.
When
one
begins
the
work,
he
begins
in
order
to
receive
reward.
Afterward,
he
sees
that
there
are
no
people
here,
since
in
the
work,
we
learn
everything
in
one
person.
It
follows
that
he
saw
that
there
was
no
quality
of
people
in
his
heart,
but
only
that
of
beasts—who
do
not
know
anything
more
than
their
own
benefit.
And
he
thinks
about
himself,
how
can
it
be
said
about
the
chosen
people,
as
it
is
written,
“You
have
chosen
us
from
among
all
the
nations;
You
have
loved
us,”
that
there
is
nothing
more
than
a
beast’s
desire
in
the
heart
of
the
chosen
people?
Our
sages
said
about
this,
“In
a
place
where
you
see
that
there
are
no
people
in
your
heart,
do
not
look
at
how
the
rest
of
the
people
behave.
Rather,
try
to
be
a
person.”
In
other
words,
since
you
have
come
to
see
the
truth,
that
one
must
be
a
person
and
not
a
beast,
while
the
rest
of
the
people
have
not
achieved
this
awareness—that
there
are
no
people
in
their
hearts—since
they
have
not
received
this
awareness,
it
is
a
sign
that
they
still
do
not
belong
to
the
work
of
the
individual,
which
is
the
work
of
bestowal.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words,
“In
a
place,”
meaning
in
a
place
where
the
knowledge
comes
that
“there
are
no
people,”
meaning
that
this
person
who
received
this
awareness
must
try
to
be
a
person
and
not
a
beast.
Hence,
for
the
most
part,
a
person
feels
that
he
is
complete.
He
prays,
he
learns
Torah,
and
he
observes
Mitzvot.
He
thinks
that
he
should
only
increase
the
quantity,
but
in
terms
of
the
quality
of
the
work,
he
has
nothing
to
examine
because
he
thinks
that
he
is
doing
everything
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
It
therefore
follows
that
when
one
feels
deficient,
that
he
is
immersed
in
self-love,
and
that
he
is
far
from
the
matter
of
bestowal,
this
does
not
come
from
the
person,
but
rather
by
an
awakening
from
above.
That
is,
from
above,
he
was
notified
his
real
state,
that
he
is
removed
from
the
Creator
and
does
not
want
to
annul
before
Him.
That
is,
when
one
feels
his
own
lowliness,
he
must
believe
that
it
came
to
him
from
the
Kedusha
[holiness].
This
is
similar
to
what
is
written
about
Moses
(Exodus
2:11-12),
“He
went
out
to
his
brethren
and
saw
their
suffering,
and
he
saw
an
Egyptian
man
striking
a
Hebrew
man,
one
of
his
brethren,
and
he
saw
that
there
was
no
one.”
In
the
work,
we
should
interpret
that
precisely
when
a
person
has
the
quality
of
Moses,
called
“Torah,”
he
can
see
how
an
Egyptian
man,
meaning
the
will
to
receive
for
himself,
he
says
that
it
is
called
“a
man,”
and
with
this
force,
called
“Torah,”
he
sees
that
it
strikes
the
Hebrew
man.
That
is,
for
the
Hebrew,
a
“man”
is
one
who
does
not
do
what
a
beast
does,
meaning
that
a
man
is
one
who
does
not
use
the
desires
of
beasts,
as
it
is
written,
“and
he
saw
that
there
was
no
one,”
meaning
that
“a
man”
will
never
emerge
from
him
by
itself.
This
is
so
because
that
person
has
the
quality
of
Moses,
who
is
the
quality
of
“faithful
shepherd”
(who
shepherds
the
faith
for
the
whole
of
Israel),
and
that
force
awakens
a
person
to
see
the
truth,
that
he
will
never
achieve
the
quality
of
“man”
by
himself.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
verse,
“and
he
saw
that
there
was
no
one.”
This
causes
him
to
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him
faith
in
the
Creator,
by
which
he
will
achieve
Dvekut
with
the
Creator.
However,
once
a
person
has
been
rewarded
with
faith,
it
is
still
incomplete,
for
although
now
he
is
called
“man,”
and
not
“a
beast,”
he
should
also
achieve
the
quality
of
Torah,
for
specifically
through
the
Torah,
a
person
achieves
his
wholeness,
since
he
should
achieve
the
state
of
“the
Torah,
the
Creator,
and
Israel
are
one.”
This
is
called
“the
quality
of
speaking,”
as
it
is
written
about
Moses,
who
said,
“And
Moses
said
to
the
Lord,
‘Please,
Lord,
I
am
not
a
man
of
words.’”
In
the
work,
we
should
interpret
that
he
asked
that
it
was
not
enough
that
he
was
already
in
the
quality
of
“man,”
but
he
wanted
to
be
a
“man
of
words,”
to
be
rewarded
with
the
quality
of
“speaking,”
called
“Torah,”
for
specifically
the
quality
of
“speaking,”
which
is
the
Torah,
is
regarded
as
wholeness.
However,
we
must
not
forget
that
in
the
work,
there
is
the
matter
of
“right,”
which
is
the
opposite
of
“left.”
That
is,
just
as
on
the
path
of
the
“left,”
the
more
deficiencies
a
person
sees
in
him,
the
better,
since
a
lack
is
called
“a
Kli
[vessel],”
so
a
greater
lack
means
a
bigger
Kli.
The
same
is
true
for
the
“right”:
The
more
complete
one
feels,
the
bigger
is
his
Kli.
That
is,
the
more
a
person
sees
that
he
is
full
of
deficiencies,
the
bigger
is
the
prayer
that
he
can
pray
compared
to
one
who
is
not
so
deficient,
and
whose
prayer
is
therefore
not
as
wholehearted.
Thus,
specifically
the
lack
determines
the
measure
of
the
prayer.
Also,
the
path
of
the
right
is
considered
that
a
person
must
feel
that
there
is
wholeness.
Here,
too,
to
the
extent
that
he
feels
wholeness,
to
that
extent
he
can
thank
the
Creator.
That
is,
the
wholeness
that
one
is
in
determines
the
measure
of
the
gratitude
to
the
Creator.
Hence,
a
person
must
seek
advice
how
to
see
that
he
has
wholeness.
However,
he
must
see
that
his
wholeness
is
not
built
on
falsehood.
We
should
ask,
If
a
person
sees
that
he
has
no
need
for
spirituality,
and
he
is
immersed
in
self-love,
how
can
he
tell
himself
that
he
has
wholeness?
First,
we
must
appreciate
the
connection
we
have
with
the
Creator,
meaning
that
one
must
believe
that
the
state
where
one
feels
that
he
is
empty
and
destitute,
when
he
feels
that
in
his
heart,
there
is
no
need
for
spirituality,
who
gave
him
that
feeling?
Usually,
a
person
worries
about
what
he
lacks,
and
he
does
not
worry
about
what
he
does
not
need.
Thus,
we
should
ask,
Who
gave
him
the
worry
for
that
which
he
does
not
need?
The
answer
is
that
in
truth,
he
does
have
an
inner
desire,
he
does
need
nearness
with
the
Creator,
but
that
lack
is
still
not
revealed
within
him
to
an
extent
that
he
will
need
to
seek
advice
how
to
satisfy
his
lack.
For
this
reason,
a
person
must
be
glad
that
at
least
he
has
a
need
for
spirituality,
whereas
the
rest
of
the
people
have
no
interest
in
spirituality
whatsoever.
When
a
person
appreciates
this,
although
it
is
not
important
to
him,
he
does
appreciate
it
and
tries
to
thank
the
Creator
for
this.
This
causes
him
to
acquire
importance
for
spirituality,
and
from
this
a
person
can
be
happy.
By
this,
a
person
can
be
rewarded
with
Dvekut,
since
as
Baal
HaSulam
said,
“The
blessed
clings
to
the
Blessed.”
In
other
words,
when
a
person
is
happy
and
thanks
the
Creator,
he
feels
that
the
Creator
has
blessed
him
by
giving
him
a
little
something
of
Kedusha,
then
“The
blessed
clings
to
the
Blessed.”
Through
this
wholeness,
one
can
achieve
real
Dvekut.
Baal
HaSulam
said
that
a
person
should
depict
to
himself,
even
when
he
is
in
utter
lowliness,
when
he
thinks
that
if
the
Creator
had
illuminated
for
him
a
great
awakening
as
he
once
felt
during
the
ascent,
he
would
certainly
be
willing
to
do
the
holy
work.
But
now
that
he
does
not
feel
anything,
how
can
he
deceive
himself
that
he
has
wholeness?
At
that
time,
he
must
believe
in
the
sages,
who
said
to
us
that
one
must
depict
to
himself
as
though
he
has
already
been
rewarded
with
feeling
the
existence
of
the
Creator
in
all
his
organs,
and
how
he
would
thank
and
praise
the
Creator.
Likewise,
now
he
should
thank
and
praise
the
Creator
as
though
he
has
already
been
rewarded
with
the
real
wholeness.