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The Flight Of The Firstborn Nation

Defining Israel's Role As God's Firstborn

After the plague of the firstborn, Parshat Bo (Exodus 10:1–13:16) tells the story of how we're finally freed from years of slavery! Mazal Tov! But before we get to the triumphant splitting of the sea, we read a whole section of laws relating to firstborn children and animals. Wait, what?!

Can’t this wait until we're across the Sea?? What's the deal with these bechor laws and what can they teach us about the true meaning of the Exodus? More importantly, how do these laws shape our definition of what it means to be God's firstborn?

In this video, we explore the biblical connections between the Egyptian plague and the Israelites' laws of the firstborn. In doing so, we shape our understanding of what God meant when he declared that 'Israel is My firstborn,' and the significance behind the laws of dedicating and consecrating the firstborn as belonging to God.

Watch Rabbi Fohrman’s Passover course on the concept of the firstborn: "What Does It Mean To Be God’s Chosen People?"

Immanuel Shalev

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