Free Will of Righteous
במדרש אם ללצים כו' יליץ ולענוים יתן חן.
In the Midrash: “If to the scoffers, He will scoff; but to the humble He gives grace.”
The Sefat Emet introduces the principle that divine response mirrors a person’s inner state—mockery returns mockery, humility draws grace.
הענין הוא כי שניהם נעשין כא' כענין שאמרו לכ"א יש חלק בג"ע ובגיהנם זכה נוטל חלקו וחלק חבירו כו'.
The idea is that both become as one, as the sages said: every person has a share in both Eden and Gehenna; if he merits, he takes his own portion and that of his fellow.
The moral and spiritual states of individuals intertwine; righteousness or wickedness affects not only oneself but shifts cosmic portions.
כן הענין בכללות הצדיקים והרשעים.
So it is regarding the collective of the righteous and the wicked.
The dynamic of shared fate applies on a communal level as well.
וכמו שנתחזק לב פרעה ועבדיו שמרוב רשעות שלהם ניטל מהם הבחירה.
And just as the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was strengthened, for due to their great wickedness free choice was taken from them.
A person can reach such corruption that his capacity for independent moral decision becomes blocked.
כמ"ש שהם ברשות לבם.
As it is said: they are in the control of their own heart.
The wicked become ruled by uncontrolled impulses rather than choosing freely.
כן הצדיקים מרוב צדקתם נמסר היצה"ר להם. ולבם ברשותם.
So too the righteous, through their great righteousness, have the evil inclination handed over to them, and their heart is under their control.
Holiness reverses the dynamic—self-mastery is gifted from above.
כמ"ש בא לטמא פותחין. לטהר מסייעין.
As it is said: one who comes to defile is given an opening; one who comes to purify is assisted.
Heaven aligns itself with a person’s chosen direction.
כי בוודאי הגמר צריך להיות בסייעתא דשמיא.
For surely the completion must come through heavenly assistance.
Human effort is necessary, but divine aid is essential for true transformation.
וגם הרשעים אין בכוחם לגרום קילקול באמת רק מכח מה שממלאים להם תאוותם משמים כדי לימנע מהם אורם.
And even the wicked cannot truly cause corruption except through the power given to satisfy their desires from heaven, in order to withhold their light from them.
The harm they cause is only possible because heaven allows their cravings to be fed, thereby distancing them from spiritual clarity.
ולתת חלקם להצדיקים.
And to give their portion to the righteous.
The diminished light of the wicked becomes a gain for the righteous.
וזה עצמו הראה הקב"ה למרע"ה.
This itself God showed to Moses.
Moses was granted insight into divine redistribution of spiritual states.
כי מה שרואה שאני הכבדתי את לבו כו'. מזה עצמו ניטל הכבידות מלבות בנ"י. ונפתח לבם.
For what he saw—that I hardened Pharaoh’s heart—through this very act the heaviness was removed from the hearts of Israel, and their hearts were opened.
The hardening of Egypt produced a softening in Israel; spiritual weight was transferred.
וז"ש ולמען תספר כו' וידעתם.
And this is what is meant by “so that you will tell … and you will know.”
The miracles served to reveal this principle of reciprocal spiritual transformation.
ומסתמא כן הי' כסדר כמו שהגיעו המצרים ברשעתם עד שלא הי' להם כח לחזק לבם מעצמם. רק ויחזק ה'.
And certainly it was in order: just as the Egyptians reached such wickedness that they no longer had the power to strengthen their own hearts, but only “God strengthened” them.
Their self-will collapsed into divine-imposed rigidity.
כן הי' בעבודת בנ"י שהגיע העת לתת להם כח ועזר משמים מה שלא הי' בכח עצמותם.
So too with Israel’s service, when the time arrived for them to receive strength and heavenly help beyond their own ability.
Redemption comes when divine empowerment fills human insufficiency.
וכן איתא בכל המכות נגוף ורפוא שהי' מכה להמצרים ורפואה לישראל.
And thus it is taught regarding all the plagues: blow for Egypt and healing for Israel.
The same event damages one side while elevating the other.
ולכן כ' אני אקשה לב פרעה שניטל הקשיות עורף מבנ"י.
Therefore it says, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,” meaning that stubbornness was removed from Israel.
What was added to Egypt was subtracted from Israel.
ונעשה לבם רך. ולב מצרים נעשה כאבן.
Their hearts became soft, and Egypt’s heart became like stone.
A direct spiritual inversion occurred.
וכמ"ש שגלות מצרים נקרא כור הברזל שנזדככו שמה בנ"י.
As it is said: the exile in Egypt is called “the iron furnace,” where Israel was refined.
The suffering purified them like metal in fire.
א"כ הפסולת שלהם נשאר שם במצרים.
Thus, their impurities remained there in Egypt.
The dross was burned away and left behind.
והניצוצות ק' שהיו נמצאים במצרים נמשך לבנ"י.
And the holy sparks that were in Egypt were drawn to Israel.
Israel absorbed the spiritual potential embedded within Egypt.
שזה הוא התיקון של הגלות לברר התערובות של טו"ר.
For this is the purpose of exile: to clarify and separate the mixture of good and evil.
Exile performs cosmic refinement.
ולכן כשחטאנו אח"כ וחזר התערובות הוצרכנו עוד גלות.
Therefore, when we later sinned and the mixture returned, we required another exile.
Each fall into confusion necessitates renewed purification.
והגלות אינו עונש בלבד רק הוא התיקון לברר הפסולת כנ"ל.
And exile is not only punishment, but the repair to clarify the waste, as above.
Exile is corrective, not merely retributive.
Summary: Exile and redemption operate through reciprocal spiritual transfer—hardness to the wicked becomes openness for the righteous. Egypt’s hardening refined Israel, separating impurity from holiness. Exile continually functions as a cosmic process of purification.