As we get ready for the Seder night, it doesn’t feel like we’re just retelling an old story. It feels like we’re living through its sequel. In the Torah, the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus) isn’t just about the plagues; it is about a psychological “lock-in” that we are witnessing once again in our own time: “And Pharaoh hardened his heart” (Vayakbed Paroh et libo).

Today, as long-range ballistic missiles are launched from Iran toward targets 4,000 km away—and as the regime ignores peace initiatives while continuing aggression against neighbors like Kuwait—the world finds itself in a fog of confusion. Why would a regime, already weakened and under immense strain, choose to double down?

The answer is not found in a military manual. It lies in the deeper mechanics of the “Hardened Heart.”

The Two Stages of Stubbornness

The Torah is precise in its description. At the beginning, Pharaoh “made his heart heavy” (Vayakbed). It was a choice. He saw the blood in the water and the frogs in his bed, and still, he willfully turned away from the truth.

But then, after repeatedly rejecting reality, the language shifts: “And Hashem strengthened (hardened) Pharaoh’s heart.” This marks a spiritual turning point. When evil persistently rejects truth, it begins to lose the ability to correct itself. It is no longer simply choosing—it is being carried forward, driven toward a wall, so that the collapse of falsehood becomes undeniable to all.

The Modern Plagues: The Six Blows

Look at the Makkot (plagues) striking the Iranian regime in our time. They are being stripped, piece by piece, of everything they depend on:

The Brains Are Gone: Their top leadership, including central figures and key strategists, has been severely weakened. The “head of the snake” is no longer stable—it is in visible disarray.

Their “Bodyguards” Are Folding: For decades, they constructed a “Ring of Fire,” relying on proxies such as Hezbollah and the Houthis. That protective ring is steadily unraveling, leaving the regime increasingly exposed.

The Plague of Thirst: Severe water shortages are gripping the country. Reservoirs are depleted, and taps are running dry in major cities. Just as the Nile ceased to sustain Pharaoh, the lifeblood of the nation is faltering—undermined, in part, by years of neglect.

The Plague of Darkness: In an effort to conceal internal unrest, the regime has restricted internet access. This “digital darkness” has crippled economic activity and deepened isolation from the outside world.

Infrastructure Exposed: What was once portrayed as “invincible”—missile systems and fortified sites—is now increasingly vulnerable. What was hidden is being revealed.

The Foundation Is Rotting: From within, the economy is under immense pressure. Currency instability and deep structural weaknesses are eroding the system from the ground up.

And there are more “plagues” yet to come. Just as the ten plagues in Egypt intensified step by step until the final collapse, we are witnessing a system straining under the weight of its own arrogance.

The “Pharaoh Relapse”: Why a Peace Deal Is a Delusion

Everyone hopes for a diplomatic “fix,” but the Torah teaches us that a deal is not the same as a transformation. Pharaoh “surrendered” more than once. He even declared, “Hashem is the righteous One, and I and my people are the wicked.” Yet the moment relief came, he relapsed—returning immediately to his previous path.

This is the Pharaoh Relapse. For a regime built upon an entrenched ideology of hostility, a peace agreement can become nothing more than a pause—a moment to regroup. The “Hardened Heart” traps it in a cycle that continues until the underlying evil is finally broken.

V’hi She’amda: The Pattern We See Today

This is why we sing V’hi She’amda at the Seder: “And it is this that has stood for our fathers and for us; for not only one has risen up against us to destroy us, but in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us; and the Holy One, Blessed be He, rescues us from their hands.”

These words are not only memory—they are reality. Again and again, forces arise with an irrational drive to destroy, even at the cost of their own survival. And yet, as the Haggadah promises, Hashem rescues us—often in ways that defy logic—seen even today in the protection that spares lives in the midst of danger.

This is not only a war; it is a spiritual unfolding. The enemies of Israel are no longer merely choosing evil—they are becoming entrenched within it. Just as Mitzrayim could not survive its own pride, so too systems built on falsehood ultimately collapse beneath their own weight.

This Pesach, our task is to open our eyes—to recognize both the hidden and revealed miracles, to strengthen our emunah, and to trust that the story is still unfolding, guiding the Jewish people toward their destiny.

“I will provide peace in the land, and you will lie down with none to frighten you; I will rid the land of vicious beasts, and the sword shall not pass through your land.”

Am Yisrael Chai! Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weisz

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)