Episode Details

In this episode of The Daily Derech, Rabbi Marcus Rubenstein explores the seventh day of Pesach reading, Hilchot Pesach, and a teaching from Menorat HaMaor about divine power and God's step-by-step demonstration of power to achieve redemption.

In the Parashah, the contrast between the first and seventh days of Pesach highlights two stages of redemption: the promise of freedom and its full realization at the splitting of the sea. The journey from leaving Egypt to crossing the sea shows that redemption is a process, not a single moment. True freedom is only complete when the threat of oppression is fully removed.

In the Rambam section, the halacha requires a person to present themselves as if they personally just left Egypt. This is expressed through behaviors of freedom, such as reclining and drinking four cups, emphasizing an active experience of redemption.

The Menorat HaMaor explains that the progression of the plagues demonstrating God’s control over all existence, culminating in the death of the firstborn, after earlier demonstrations of power failed. It teaches that while persuasion has limits, decisive power is sometimes necessary to end oppression and achieve true freedom.

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