The Miracles of Passover

Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

When we think of miracles we naturally think about things happening that are not normal. For example, if we lift a book and then let go and the book stays where it is and does not fall, that is a miracle. It is a miracle because the laws of physics tell us that gravity will bring the book down. Of course we all understand gravity. We cannot exist without it. All of us would fly around like some “superman” from another planet. We would never be able to touch the ground or stay in one place.

On Passover we look at the experience of the Israelites crossing of the Sea of Reeds as some miracle because the sea parted, the Israelites walked safely to the other side and the Egyptians drowned. And that wasn’t the only “miracle.” There were the ten plagues and the march across the desert toward an unknown destiny.

During that journey we were fed “manna,” some mystical nourishment that had whatever taste we wished. We weathered storms and upheaval that caused us, on more than one occasion, to ask: “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that we were brought to die in the desert?”

Our first encounter with this destiny finds us at the foot of a mountain awaiting the message that has survived time. It is a message of completion. It is a message of fulfillment. It is a message of change. It is an eternal message.

Passover is a time of miracles:

There is the miracle of change. To say the least – change does not come easy. We resist change at every turn in our journey. We are creatures of habit and somehow we feel that the past is to be romanticized and cherished and any change to that feeling makes us feel uncomfortable. The past reminds us of a period in our lives when we were younger and healthier and capable of so many things that we are not able to accomplish today. That is frightening.

Even during our greatest triumph, the Exodus from captivity, we constantly regretted having made the effort because of the insecurity of the unknown. Our rabbinic tradition refers to the desert wandering as “Dor Midbar” the generation of the desert – the generation that witnessed marvel upon marvel and still regretted the decision to journey to a promise yet unfulfilled.

No matter what God does for us –we are not satisfied and even resentful. We can relate to these feelings because we reject change because we see in ourselves the inability to adjust in order to fit. We object to suggestions that will enhance our lives whether from friends, relatives or God. God tells us that to grow we must be willing to experiment. And He does this with the “miracle” of everyday living.

Yes, change is painful and yet it gives us the ability to realize that what we encounter in our lives contains changes we don’t even understand or recognize. We are not the same person we were yesterday or even a minute ago.

The one thing we should try to remember is that, as we get older, change is necessary for continuation, not stagnation. If we stayed the same-well, there certainly would be no excitement or anticipation. Now, more than ever, we need to adjust our thinking to accommodate all the changes we can absorb – not run away from them as our ancestors tried to do. Don’t say: “Why can’t they, our children and grandchildren, be like us?” Do we really want that for them or do we want them to grow and develop into what they can be for themselves?

This is one “miracle” of Passover that Torah endeavors to translate for us: Growth and evolution. And for sure it is the path we should be involved with in the later years of our lives. We connect because of comfort and we expand those relationships because, as Scripture reminds us, there is no future without change.

There is the miracle of action. The Midrash, the teachings of the rabbis in explaining the meaning of Torah, understood God’s message in that when action is needed we should not waste time praying. The People are at the edge of the Sea and their doom seems inevitable. What do they do? They start to pray for deliverance. The MIdrash answers quite succinctly by stating that prayers are not the salvation but action – the action of putting your foot into the water - the action of faith. Faith in your own ability to overcome darkness by inserting light to show the way to freedom from reluctance is a “miracle” that cannot be provided for us, only by us.

Moses, at the very same time, lifts his rod and stretches it over the water and the Sea does not divide immediately. It takes hours for the final step in the rescue to be accomplished because it was not the “miracle” that was needed but rather the ability to realize that with faith all things are possible: The faith in oneself and the faith that God will answer if we are willing to step forward.

Sometimes we can’t see the “miracle” of life and opportunity because we are blinded by insecurity. We doubt our ability to overcome hardship with steadfastness. Self doubt can be debilitating and cause us to despair when all we have to do is turn the corner and witness redemption through the miracle of action.

And yet, even when we accomplish what seems impossible, the next time we encounter situations that cause us anguish, we forget, all too easily, the successes. Our euphoria lasts and our faith is strengthened until the next ordeal reveals itself.

The true test of our “miracle” of life is whether we are capable of remembering the past so that the future will contain the “action” necessary to move on and rejoice in the gifts with which we have been blessed.

Passover is a time of miracles. Passover reminds us that “Let my people go” is a clarion call for all people and for all time. And the miracle of that issuance is that as long as there is breath we will never forget the past because it is the secret of a “miracle” called the future.