Parsha, Vo'eira, "Koveid Leiv Par'oh"

Originally posted January 2, 2016  
Pick your Parshanut Preference:

1. Koveid or Hazak are two words which BOTH refer to Pharaoh acting stubbornly. The classic commentators seem to use the two words interchangeably.
2. Koveid could mean something else entirely, such as, "heavy".

Background:

In Egyptian Mythology, a human's heart was weighed at death. 

This was done by weighing one's heart (conscience) against the feather of Maat (truth and justice)... Anubis weighs Hunefer's [humann's] heart against the feather to see if he is worthy of joining the gods in the Fields of Peace. Ammut is also present, as a demon waiting to devour Hunefer's heart should he prove unworthy.  (The British Museum)

If a person's heart were light as the feather of the goddess Maat, then that person earned "Heaven." Otherwise, his soul would be devoured by another Egyptian goddess, Ammut.
Thus a HEAVY heart might mean an evil person and not a stubborn one. 

This p'shat might have some advantages

1. It is more literal
2. It matches what we know about Egyptian Culture
3. It places Israel in Egypt at the Exodus despite the "critics"
4. It distinguishes the 2 terms

Disadvantage:

1. It's NOT traditional

Pick your preferred approach.


Shalom,

RRW