איוב, פרק י״ב, פסוק י״ז

Divine providence reaches far beyond the natural world, extending directly into the minds and intellect of humanity. Even the greatest human wisdom remains entirely subject to God's will. Often, those entrusted with guiding nations—the wise advisors and measured judges of kings—experience a sudden loss of their faculties through direct Divine intervention. The primary approach among commentators is that God strips these wise individuals of their knowledge, counsel, and independent thought, leaving them in a state of emptiness and foolishness. Others suggest a different perspective, viewing these counselors as captives led away as plunder; God directs them exactly as He pleases, rendering their vast wisdom completely useless [רלב״ג].

This loss of intellect manifests as a descent into madness and absurdity. The true tragedy of their condition is their complete lack of awareness. These counselors do not realize that God has taken away their wisdom. They continue to believe their minds are as clear as ever, acting out of total foolishness without ever suspecting that they are fulfilling a Divine decree [תקות אנוש]. Similarly, the judges, whose very role is to guide society with justice and logic, are led to behave in bizarre and strange ways. They remain absolutely certain that they are executing true justice, while in reality, they are carrying out acts of sheer madness and nonsense [רמב״ן].

This Divine interference has profound consequences on the leadership of nations. At times, the public will appoint counselors and judges specifically to restrict the power of a tyrannical ruler. However, God confuses the minds of these very gatekeepers. Through their resulting strange and ignorant actions, they inadvertently dismantle the safeguards they were meant to uphold. This allows the tyrant to overcome all restrictions and seize absolute, unlimited control over the people [מלבי״ם].

Looking back at history, this dynamic played a central role during the Exodus from Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. Pharaoh and his advisors attempted to outsmart God by drowning the Israelite boys. They assumed that since God had sworn never to bring another flood upon the earth, He would be unable to punish them measure for measure. God dismantled their scheme by leading them to the bottom of the sea when it was completely stripped and empty of water. Only after the Egyptians entered willingly did the waters return and drown them. The judges of Egypt—the astrologers who had predicted that the savior of the Israelites would meet his end in water—were made into fools. God turned their own prophecy against them, as it was precisely this prediction that led the Egyptians to march into the sea and meet their own demise [אלשיך].