Even when one has clear emunah, Hashem grants each person free will. If he chooses to ignore all evidence and everything he knows in his heart, he has the power to do so.
Moshe said that makas Bechoros will occur ה ַלַּיְלָה כַּח ֲצֹת, around midnight, as it states (11:4-5) וּמֵת מ ִצְר ָיִם בְּ תוֹךְ יוֹצֵא אֲנִי ה ַלַּיְלָה כַּח ֲצֹת 'ה אָמַר כֹּה ֶׁהמֹש וַיֹּאמֶר מ ִצְר ַיִם בְּאֶרֶץ בְּכוֹר כָּל , "Moshe said, 'So said Hashem, 'At about midnight I shall go out amid Mitzrayim. Every firstborn in the land of Mitzrayim shall die..." Why didn't Moshe say בַח ֲצֹת, that it would occur precisely at midnight? Rashi writes, "Moshe said כַּח ֲצֹת and not בַח ֲצֹת, because perhaps Pharaoh's stargazers will err [with the clock. They might think that midnight passed, and the plague had not yet begun]. They will say that Moshe is a faker (הוא בדאי משה)." Therefore, Moshe said that the plague will occur כַּח ֲצֹת ה ַלַּיְלָה "around midnight".
The Brisker Rav zt'l asks that even if they erred with their calculations, wouldn’t they believe that it was from Hashem? After all, in the end, makas Bechoros occurred, and there was a great shout and cry in the whole Mitzrayim. As Hashem forewarned (11:5-6)וּמֵת מ ִצְר ָיִם אֶרֶץ בְּכָל גְדֹלָה צְעָקָה וְה ָיְתָה ...מ ִצְר ַיִם בְּאֶרֶץ בְּכוֹר כָּל תֹסִף לֹא וְכ ָמֹהוּ נִה ְיָתָה לֹא כָּמֹהוּ ֶׁראֲש , "Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die... There shall be a great outcry in the entire land of Mitzrayim, such as there has never been and such as there shall never be again." Indeed, this occurred. How could Pharaoh's stargazers make an issue of one minute? How could they not see Hashem's hand? Especially since they had already seen nine makos, and every warning Hashem gave them transpired. Why would they say משה בדאי , that Moshe isn't truthful?
The Brisker Rav explained that this shows us the power of denial. A person can see the greatest proof, but if he doesn't want to believe, he'll come up with something irrational to deny it. This is the root of the apikorsus in the world. When we look at the wondrous world, the miracles of hashgachah pratis, the wonders of Torah, the history of the Jewish nation, and more, Hashem's presence is clearly visible to us. But if someone chooses to deny it, there isn't much that can be done to stop that. He'll pick up on the most minor matter, create conspiracy theories, and doubt the most obvious.
Therefore, Moshe was cautious that they shouldn’t have the slightest matter to hold on to, to deny Hashem's miracles and Hashem's love to the Jewish nation.
The Arizal (Shaar HaPesukim) teaches that the word פרעה has in it the letters that spell הערף, neck. The neck is the area of the body that divides the mind from the heart. Our obligation is to allow the realization of the mind to reach the heart. At yetzias Mitzrayim, when we were saved from פרעה's influence, the knowledge of the mind reached the heart. We were able to believe in our hearts what our minds knew.
The "power of denial" is especially strong in our times. There is so much kefirah in the world. A person must fight against the stream to remain with his emunah. It states (Tehillim 119:86) שֶׁקֶר אֱמוּנָה מ ִצְוֹת ֶיךָ כָּל ע ָזְרֵנִי רְד ָפוּנִי , "All Your mitzvos are emunah; falsehood pursued me; help me."
What is the connection between the beginning and the end of this pasuk? The Rebbe of Toldos Aharon zt'l (introduction to Divrei Emunah) answers that the Gemara (Sanhedrin 97a) states that in the generation before Moshiach comes, נעדרת האמת, it will be hard to find "truth", and there will be a lot of falsehood in the world. This describes our times. There is so much kefirah in the world, and people shout falsehoods. We can therefore explain that the pasuk is saying רְד ָפוּנִי שֶׁקֶר, at that time when falsehood pursues us, ע ָזְרֵנִי, and we need Hashem's help to save us, the only solution is אֱמוּנָה מ ִצְוֹת ֶיךָ כָּל, to focus on emunah.
It states (10:2) ֶׁראֲש אֵת ָבִּנְך וּבֶן ָבִנְך בְּא ָזְנֵי תְּסַפ ֵּר וּלְמַעַן 'ה אֲנִי כִּי וִידַעְת ֶּם בָם שַׂמְתִּי ֶׁראֲש אֹתֹתַי וְאֶת בְּמ ִצְר ַיִם הִתְע ַלַּלְתִּי , "In order that you tell into the ears of your son and your son's son how I made a mockery of the Egyptians, and [that you tell of] My miracles that I placed in them, and you will know that I am Hashem."
Hashgachah Pratis in Modern Times
Last year, large sections of the state of California were consumed by forest fires. Firefighting crews and aircraft battled the blazes for months before they were contained. Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes, and thousands of homes were destroyed in the inferno. Experts estimate the total economic damage of these fires at $250 billion or higher. This occurred in one of the most modern states in the world. The only thing that could have helped them was rain, but it didn't rain for a long time.
We don't know Hashem's reasons, and why this had to occur; nevertheless, we do see hashgachah pratis, Hashem's hand in this episode. Two days before the fire broke out, a prestigious event was held in Los Angeles, California. It is an awards ceremony, honoring the top actors. (Many movies are filmed in Los Angeles, California, and many famous actors live there.) At this celebration, whenever an actor was called up to receive their medal, the actor would say a few words and thank those who helped them reach this milestone. The final speaker at the event was a comedian. He said the following disgusting words: "It isn't surprising that in this atheistic city, no one considered thanking G-d for helping them reach their milestone." Everyone cheered and rejoiced with those terrible words. In the following days, the Creator showed them the weakness of man. A massive fire started, and no one could put it out, other than Hashem, alone, the One Who holds the key of rain. This was a lesson that everything is in Hashem's hands, and all their accomplishments are from Him.
Most importantly, Hashem wanted the Jewish nation to learn this lesson. As the Chofetz Chaim said: When a person speaks in front of a large crowd – mostly goyim, but there are some Yidden there as well – and he speaks in Yiddish, everyone understands that he is now speaking to the Yidden. He certainly isn’t speaking to the goyim, since they don't understand Yiddish. Similarly, when punishment comes to the world, Hashem isn't speaking to the goyim. Sadly, they don't recognize Hashem or understand His messages. It is like Hashem isn't speaking their language. It is obvious that Hashem is speaking primarily to the Yidden, to teach them that they shouldn’t make the same error. So, the fire was a message primarily for the religious Jews, who believe in Hashem and seek His closeness. The fire served as a reminder of man’s weakness, and that one can't do anything without Hashem. Our success is from Hashem, and our gratitude is to Him.
The Chazon Ish (Igros 3:1) said, "I want to discuss the foundations of emunah because emunah is the entire essence of man. A weak perception of emunah is the root of the illness of negative and foolish thoughts that enter the courtrooms of a person's heart."
