Jewish calendar

As the warm air of March-thaws and the new buds and flowers of spring beckon us outdoors to play, the Jewish calendar – tied both to our history and to the cycle of our seasons – reveals that Passover will soon be here. This is a time of rebirth, of re-emergence from the cloistered places of our homes and our spirits. For some, preparing for Pesach initiates a series of rituals of renewal. Often this is expressed by the annual cleaning of our closets. As we sift through our possessions we discover lost or hidden items and can’t even remember the last time we used or wore them. For some, the annual pre-Passover cleaning includes a trip to the kitchen as we plan meals to use up pasta and cereal and crackers before our holiday begins. And still, for others, Passover is a time reminiscent of the Days of Awe, as we look within ourselves to see what remnants of the past need discarding and which parts of our souls need renewal. Our Passover tradition speaks of avoiding Chametz, the leavening which puffs up our bread. We too might use this season to reassess the image of ourselves; Passover can be a time for us to remove arrogance and hubris from our diet. But regardless of our individual Pesach-time rituals and observances, no matter how we chose to take advantage of this season of renewal, all of us as a community will soon be celebrating the ancient Hebrew’s redemption from bondage and oppression. With friends and families surrounding us, at tables across the globe we will recall our people’s Exodus from slavery to freedom. And though the Seder might delay our festival dining, it seems that the joke about the theme of every Jewish holiday might have been written with Passover in mind: They tried to kill us. We survived. Let’s eat!

 

Passover is the celebration recalling the Exodus from Egypt. The ancient story of the Israelites fleeing from Pharaoh’s tyranny has, though, become symbolic of every redemption from slavery.  As Israel was freed from Egypt by the power of God, so too did the early Americans see their freedom from the British monarchy as an expression of the will of God whose ever-watchful eye redeems those who are oppressed.

 

The Founding Fathers of our country sought to create a seal that would convey the link between the Exodus from Egypt and American independence. Individuals like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson proposed a design representing Moses crossing the Red Sea, with Pharaoh in hot pursuit. It included the motto: Rebellion to tyrants, obedience to God.  While their design wasn't adopted, the ideas it conveyed were. If you look at the back of a one-dollar bill you will find a picture of a pyramid with an eye hovering above it. The eye and the pyramid are part of the Great Seal of the United States that was approved by Congress in 1782. And Americans continued to use the image of the Exodus as powerful reminders of the ongoing struggle for freedom. The African-American community appropriated the language of the Exodus to symbolize their struggle to freedom from American slavery and again, more recently, during the Civil-Rights movement.

 

The Exodus, however, is our story. It is a story about Hebrews enduring cruelty and hardship and the might of a powerful God who ultimately freed them. But even as they were transformed from being Avdei l'Pharaoh, slaves to Pharaoh, they emerged as Avdei l'Adonai, servants to Adonai. That is our condition today. We are no longer oppressed by ancient rulers. Now we are obligated to fulfill the sacred tasks of Jewish life. Highest among those is the obligation of all free people: to help those who still endure the cruel chains of oppression.

 

May this season of redemption inspire you to help those who need help.  In the words of the Hagaddah: “Let all who are hungry come and eat, let all who are in need come and enjoy the Passover meal.”

 

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom,

 

Rabbi Joseph M. Forman