Pesach Special: The Inner Exodus

About this episode

Rabbi Epstein discusses the deeper meanings of the Seder night and the significance of Pesach, Matzah, and Maror in relation to freedom and spirituality.

The Haggadah tells us that if we don't mention three things on Seder night, we haven't fulfilled the mitzvah: Pesach, Matzah, and Maror. But why reduce one of the most layered nights of the Jewish year to three items? What about freedom, slavery, our relationship with G-d? In this special Passover episode, Rabbi Epstein sits down with Tom for a wide-ranging conversation about what the Seder is actually doing, and why those three symbols carry more weight than they might seem. The order matters: we start with Pesach (freedom), move through Matzah (the transition), and begin with Maror (the bitterness of slavery) because the goal of the whole night is to move in that direction. But the conversation goes deeper than the Seder plate. Rabbi Epstein points to a detail that appears in the Torah 400 years before the Exodus: Lot serving matzah to the angels the night G-d destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. That night was Passover night. Lot was observing a Seder before there was an Egypt, before the Torah was given. Why? Because Passover night is more than a historical commemoration. G-d built something into that night, a window in creation through which we can actually leave our egos behind…

People in this episode

Host: Rabbi Bentzi Epstein

Guest: Tom

Topics covered

• Passover
• Seder
• Exodus
• freedom
• spirituality
• relationship with G-d

Keywords

• Pesach
• Matzah
• Maror
• Seder
• Exodus
• freedom
• slavery
• G-d
• belief
• knowledge

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Haggadah, Torah, Ten Commandments

Places: Sodom and Gomorrah

More episodes of Breakneck Through the Bible · Rabbi Bentzi Epstein

• Ep. 44 - Putting G-d on Hold · May 27, 2026 · 29 min
• Ep. 43 - The One-Time Mitzvah · April 30, 2026 · 58 min
• Ep. 42 - Walk Before Me and Be Perfect · April 17, 2026 · 52 min
• Ep. 40 - Where have you come from, and where are you going? · March 16, 2026 · 42 min
• Ep. 39 - Sarai's Gambit · February 26, 2026 · 46 min
• Ep. 38 - Locking in for Eternity · February 11, 2026 · 37 min