Episode Details

In this episode of The Daily Derech, Rabbi Marcus Rubenstein explores the Pesach Torah reading from Parashat Bo, Hilchot Chametz u’Matzah from Rambam, and a teaching from Menorat HaMaor about the faith and courage of the righteous women who helped sustain the Jewish people in Egypt.

Drawing on the Me’am Loez, Rabbi Rubenstein examines the troubling idea that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart during the plagues. Using Maimonides’ explanation, he describes how Pharaoh repeatedly chose cruelty before God hardened his heart. The teaching highlights how repeated wrongdoing can become habitual, making repentance increasingly difficult.

Turning to Rambam’s Mishneh Torah, the episode explains the mitzvah of eating matzah on the first night of Passover. A minimum amount of a kazayit, about the size of an olive, fulfills the obligation, while eating matzah on the remaining days is optional.

Finally, Menorat HaMaor recounts how righteous women supported their husbands despite harsh labor and secretly bore children in the fields. Their faith and devotion sustained Jewish life and helped bring about redemption.

Learn more at exploringjudaism.org/thedailyderech and reach out to Rabbi Rubenstein here.