English: The Gemara teaches that redeeming captives is a great mitzvah and ranks captivity as the harshest of the four calamities listed in the cited verse.
On the daf / in context: See the cited source for the full section.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse.
What Is Learned
The cited passage establishes the exceptional importance of pidyon shevuyim by comparing the severity of captivity with death, sword, and famine.