Each year, we return to the Exodus—the defining story of Israel’s freedom from Egypt. Its events feel well-known, almost predictable. But when we slow down and read carefully, unsettling and fascinating questions emerge. Why is the holiday called Passover rather than something more obvious like Freedom Day? Why did redemption unfold through a long, painful process of plagues instead of an instant divine rescue? And why does the text say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart—was that just?