פרשת וארא
ואני אקשה את לב פרעה | שמות ז', ג'
And I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart
How can we possibly say that the doors of repentance were closed to Pharaoh? Don’t we say that ordinarily the doors of teshuvah are never closed, even to the biggest sinner?
The Chofetz Chaim says that there are sinners that receive Devine assistance in teshuvah. We daven with saying "החזירנו בתשובה שלימה לפניך". But then there comes a time when through our sins, we have maxed out our assistance from heaven. Now we have to awaken ourselves to do teshuvah.
Hashem said to Moshe, tell Pharaoh that he went to the maximum wickedness and his punishment from Heaven is that he will not receive any assistance in doing teshuvah. But his bechirah, his free will to do teshuvah is never taken from him. (The Chofetz Chain says that this was the error of אלישע בן אבוי' when he heard the בת קול declare שובו בנים שובבים חוץ מאחר, he assumed that he can never do teshuvah. He did not realize that he can always arouse himself to teshuvah on his own.)
This is a critical message that we must convey our students, in particular of our generation. There is never a time when we are unable to repent. Teshuvah is always open for us to take advantage of.
About the Author: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Rubinfeld
Rabbi Rubinfeld has been in the field of Torah education for over 3 decades and serves as an Executive School Consultant for Torah Umesorah. He provides an array of services to schools across North America, including teacher and principal mentorship, school and curricula evaluations, professional development and parent education.
Rabbi Rubinfeld's expertise includes classroom management and discipline, effective instruction, bullying, cultivating sensitivity in the classroom, impulse disorders (such as ADHD and ODD), and balancing the educational needs of mainstream and special needs children in the classroom.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is the also the founder and director of Torah Umesorah's Lilmod U'Lilamed department which provides professional development for teachers and principals throughout the year.
Rabbi Rubinfeld is a talmid of the distinguished Yeshivos of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin, the Mirrer Yeshiva in Yerushalayim and Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood.