One parsha into Sefer Shemot and we are already in the midst of the process of Yetziyat Mitzrayim. Parshat Vaera describes the first seven of the Ten Plagues – the havoc they wreak on the Egyptians and the belief in G-d they foster in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael. The plagues progress one by one, slowly breaking the Egyptian resolve. 

There is something which stands out regarding the 7th plague, the plague of hail. Before Moshe brings this destructive plague, he warns the Egyptians to stay indoors in order to save their lives. There are two reactions among the Egyptians. 

The first group of Egyptians, described as those who fear the word of G-d, save their slaves and cattle by bringing them indoors. However, the second group laugh at Moshe and ridicule him. Even though Moshe has been correct regarding every prediction he has made so far, they choose to leave their possessions outside to be destroyed by the hail. What is striking is the way in which this second group of people are described. We might have expected them to be referred to as those who do not fear the word of G-d, to contrast them to the first group. But this is not the case! They are described instead as those ‘who do not put their heart to the word of G-d’. 

What does this strange expression mean? What does it mean not to put their heart to the word of G-d? This refers to apathy – the Egyptians just didn’t care. Their slaves served them but they didn’t care and so left them out in the hail to die. Their animals would have been food for their families but the Egyptians were too apathetic to bring them inside to save their lives. 

The Targum Yerushalmi gives an example of someone else who falls into this category of ‘not putting their heart to the word of G-d’ – Bilam. Bilam, the person asked by Balak to curse the Jewish people. Bilam never stopped to really consider what G-d wanted him to do – he went to curse anyway. When his faithful donkey stopped on the way, Bilam didn’t wonder why she had stopped, he just beat her mercilessly. 

One of the worst things we can be is apathetic, to not put our hearts into the word of G-d, or into the world around us. The Torah, through the reaction of the Egyptians to the plague of hail, leaves us with an important lesson – to always have a heart!

MTC represents this idea. Our students choose MTC precisely because they have a heart. They choose every day to care – to care about their relationship with Hashem, to care about their friendships, and to care about the children of Bet Elazraki. Being a part of the MTC family is truly choosing to have a heart!