The first seven plagues have come and gone, and Pharaoh still refuses to free the Jews. Hashem tells Moses to come to Pharaoh again, "for I have made his heart….stubborn." Whenever the horrors of the plagues would soften Pharaoh's heart and cause him to relent, Hashem would harden it again, to ensure that the next plague would play out.
This raises a rather concerning and contradictory question about free will. Judaism believes strongly in free will-if we did not have the ability to choose our actions, we would receive no credit for doing good, nor be responsible for what we had done wrong. But it seems here that Hashem is not allowing Pharaoh any free will. He is in essence forcing Pharaoh to suffer the plagues even though left to his own devices, Pharaoh would have let the Jews go already.
Hashem is not being unnecessarily cruel. Another powerful tenant of Judaim is justice. The concept of an eye for an eye-rather than being about vengeance, as so many mistakenly believe-emphasizes the importance of appropriate and proportional punishment. The Torah spends an inordinate amount of time outlining and detailing the punishments for various infractions. Each punishment matches the crime-it is no more and yet no less than what is deserved. And very often, a fine is levied as well. For example, if a man attacks another man and injures him to the point where the victim cannot work, the perpetrator will not only suffer a physical punishment, but will have to make reparations related to how much livelihood they have now denied their victim.
Most rational men, when faced with the prospect of punishment, will back down, apologize, repent, and do what they can to avoid suffering. But this does not absolve them of their crimes, nor negate the need for appropriate punishment. It is the job of the justice system, of the police, judge, jury, warden, etc, to make sure that justice is carried out.
In the case of Pharaoh, Hashem is judge, jury, warden, and executioner. The punishment of the ten plagues is appropriate for all the cruelties and injustices committed during the enslavement of the Jews. Pharaoh must be made to suffer his punishment, in the name of justice. All ten plagues must be carried out.
And so the locusts come, and the darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. And now, finally, Pharaoh is permitted to set the Jews free, running desperately to Moshe, begging him to take the Jews and leave. But justice has one last piece. The punishment of the plagues is all well and good for punishing the Egyptians. But what of the victims? What reparations do they receive for 210 years of enslavement, of having their children killed, of family life disrupted, of hardship beyond belief? Freedom is precious, but slaves with slaves' resources aren't going to get very far in their newfound freedom.
God orders the Jews to ask their Egyptian neighbors for wealth. They ask for gold and silver and the Egyptians oblige. This also seems like a troubling passage-the Jews taking the wealth from the plague-beleagured Egyptians. But within the context of justice and reparation, it very much makes sense.
And so the Jews prepare to leave Egypt, unleavened bread on their backs, shoes on their feet, staffs in hand. 70 Hebrews entered Egypt with Jacob; 600,000 men, accompanied by their women, children, and flocks follow Moshe out, on their way to becoming a nation.
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