Epinoia

...or at least that's what this argument says. http://ohr.edu/ask_db/ask_main.php/139/Q2/

I can't recall whether or not this was brought up in the monster thread, but it was new to me.
Great question! Here are two answers:

The extra plagues weren't a punishment for Pharaoh's stubbornness; rather, they were punishment for previous actions, such as oppressing innocent people, throwing babies in the river and attempted genocide. All these actions were done with free will.

The hardening of Pharaoh's heart was merely a pretext, so to speak, for the timing of Egypt's punishment. It was timed so as to impress indelibly and historically upon the collective consciousness of the Jewish People that Hashem controls everything. But Pharaoh and company got only what they deserved, based on their previous bad deeds.

Here's another answer: Really, the hardening of Pharaoh's heart wasn't taking away his free will. Just the opposite! The plagues had taken away Pharaoh's free will (in the opposite direction) by making Hashem's existence too obvious. By hardening his heart, Hashem was merely restoring Pharaoh's free will to the point it had been prior to the plagues.

That is, Hashem didn't force Pharaoh to say "No." He simply gave Pharaoh the opportunity to do so. Nothing but his own stubbornness stopped Pharaoh from repenting.

Sources:

* Ramban, Exodus 7:3 citing Medrash Rabbah
* Sforno, Exodus7:3

keyser_soze

So, let me get this straight. By company...you are referring to all the first born right? So, these people, and no small amount being children and infants I would imagine....Did things bad enough to deserve death? Man, remind me not to bump into your car or anything.

A bit confused here, but if I MAKE you do something, anything, no matter how tiny, then I am forcing MY will upon you. Therefore abrogating YOUR freewill.

I'm not even going to get started on how flawed the free will argument is. It's too late, it's been done too many times, and theists have a monumentally difficult time letting go of the "king" complex.

Ughh. Not even going to touch that logic tumor.

Eldarion Lathria

What is not recorded in Exodus, but is in the Book of Punter, is that Ra, Osiris, and Anubis took Yahua out behind a convenient pyramid and gave him such a beating that he never dared show his face in Egypt for another two thousand years.

Eldarion Lathria

Anat

The extremist view on free will in Jewish thought is "all is in the hands of heaven but fear of heaven", IOW people have no free will over their actions, but only on how they feel morally about them. According to this view Pharoah had no choice on whether or when to let the Israelites go. His only choice was whether to feel rebellious and confrontational about it or as someone who is just playing his part reluctantly. Pretty scary concept, and makes ideas like justice, punishment and prevetion totally pointless. And what does God do when he gets tired of pretend play with his toys?

Jayhawker Soule

No one begrudges HaShem his 10 plagues in principle. It's the overkill that upsets us - like killing the first-born of the Egyptian beasts in Exodus 11 after He had already killed them in Exodus 9.

Epinoia

Who wants this as their real god? Sheesh, it's easy to see now how the Demiurge emerged. It was probably a comforting notion.

Seriously, right now I'm reading Ehrman's "Lost Christianities." He too points out that the origins of Gnostic Xtianity may not be "outside Judaism but inside it, as a type of reaction movement to forms of Judaism that had developed by the time Xtianity emerged."

Anat

As I said, it's an extremist view. Omniscence and free will create a paradox, and one way out is to reduce free will to the bare minimum.