Parshat Vaera: Letting Truth Settle In

In Parshat Vaera, Moshe delivers Hashem’s message to Pharaoh over and over. Each time Pharaoh sees the truth, it doesn’t penetrate. He retreats the moment the pressure eases.

Last week, my son got a new pair of shoes. He put them on and immediately said they were too tight.

We told him, “Just wear them for a day or two. Let the leather stretch.” Sure enough, by the next day, he said they fit perfectly.

The discomfort wasn’t a sign that the shoes were wrong. They just needed time to be broken in.

The Torah repeatedly emphasizes that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and heavy, yet he wasn’t moved.

Perhaps this is to teach us that real change isn’t just about seeing the truth once. It’s about staying with it long enough to let it reshape us.

Often, we are used to giving up quickly when things feel uncomfortable, or we don’t allow ourselves to truly internalize the important messages we hear.

We don’t always give ourselves the chance to let the process of change take hold.

Imagine someone coming in from the cold wearing a thick coat. He steps into a warm room but still feels chilly at first.

The warmth is there, but he needs to give it a moment. If he walks right back out, he never experiences the change.

It’s not that the warmth failed, it’s that he didn’t stay long enough to let it in.

We have all heard or read something that touched or moved us. You hear something powerful or truly insightful, go “pshhh,” close the book, forget about it, and move on to something else.

This week, think about one area where you felt the truth but backed away when it felt uncomfortable.

Like shoes that need breaking in or a coat that needs time to warm you, the process takes patience.

Or maybe you heard an inspirational word of Torah and didn’t take the time to really let it in. Go over it again, relearn it, and let it warm you up.