January 23, 2025 / Tevet 23, 5785 • Va'eira
Issue 856
Dedicated in loving memory of Mrs. Miriam Friedman

Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am G-d; I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians, save you from their servitude, and redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great chastisements. I will take you to Myself as a nation, and I will be your G-d. You will know that I am G-d, your G-d, who is freeing you from the burdens of the Egyptians.’ 

Exodus 6:6


The four verbs in this passage allude to four ascending levels in our relationship with G-d:

I will free you: This first level refers to shunning evil. By shunning

evil, we become free, unencumbered by its oppressive grip on us.

I will save you from their servitude: This second level refers to doing good. By actively engaging in good deeds, we are saved from backsliding into enslavement to evil.

I will redeem you: This third level refers to studying the Torah, since the Torah is the means by which we access G-d’s infinity even while in this finite world, and are thereby redeemed from the limitations of nature.

I will take you to Myself: This fourth and highest level refers to clinging to G-d Himself, whose essence transcends all categorization, both finite and infinite.

-- Daily Wisdom Volume 3