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March 25, 2018

Exodus: The Prequel (Why did Lot serve matzah to the angels?)

Rabbi Daniel Reifman

Rabbi Daniel Reifman

Daniel Reifman has taught Talmud and halakhah at Drisha for close to 20 years.  He holds a PhD in hermeneutics from Bar Ilan University and received his rabbinic ordination and an MA in Tanakh from Yeshiva University. During the year, he teaches at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and at the Institute for Advanced Torah Studies at Bar Ilan.

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Recorded from a webinar given March 25, 2018,

In this class, we revisit Genesis chapters 18-19 through the lens of a curious Midrashic comment.  Noting that Lot serves matzah to his angelic guests, the midrash explains, “It was Passover.”  What could Passover possibly have to do with the story of the destruction of Sodom and the foretelling of the birth of Isaac?   A close analysis of the imagery and themes of these chapters reveals profound insights into the nature of divine punishment and benevolence, and tells us a great deal about the Israelites’ experience on the night of the Exodus.

- March 25, 2018