More Passover Thoughts

Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

The month of March (Nissan) brings with it springtime. It is a beautiful season of the year. Trees begin waking from their winter sleep, flowers start to bloom and the tilt of the Earth in the northern hemisphere brings warmth. Even the birds start singing for they too know that nature is coming alive. It is a time of renewal. Passover occurs at this time of the year.

Redemption, the ultimate definition of the holiday, is commemorated with a festive meal called the Seder. This annual ritual, the re-telling of the Exodus from slavery and bondage to freedom and salvation, expresses the feelings and aspirations of people throughout history, as we attempt to determine our future and reach out to meet our destiny. We become a people whose primary responsibility includes understanding and sharing the Revelation experienced at Sinai.

We are told about this tremendous encounter with depictions of thunder and lightening and majestic splendor as God endeavors to connect with us and solidify the Covenant made with our ancestors. The words that were uttered and speak to all of us even today are reminders of this special relationship and the obligations inherent in this bond.

The Exodus was preceded by episodes that really boggle the imagination. From the blood in the Nile to the destruction of Pharaohs army, the narrative explains, in great detail, the occurrences that led to the ultimate determination of man’s yearnings for equality and purpose.

At Sinai we reached the hour of fulfillment. Not only were we liberated but we knew, at that moment, the reason for our being. We understood that life without reason has no meaning. We witnessed the value of creation and our part in the process. We realized that by escaping tyranny we were obligated to prevent the distortion of God’s will and to acknowledge the existence of God and the significance of being witnesses to God’s grandeur.

The Ten Commandments, the final part of the drama, instructs us about duty to God and duty to each other. The first five Commandments are designed to teach us respect and love of God and the last five are dedicated to our relationship with one another. The lesson is rather simple: You cannot claim to be lovers of God or profess to believe in God and at the same time loathe each other. You can’t be Godlike and be hateful to another human being also created by this same God.

The Ten Commandments are also written in the singular. The message is profound and is explained in great detail by the Ramban in his Torah commentary. He writes that each of us is responsible for our words and deeds. We cannot care for each other if we are not willing to hold ourselves accountable for our conduct and we must be willing to accept the consequences.

The observance of Passover also includes many religious customs and laws. For example: We are prohibited from eating anything containing leaven because we need to remember that cleansing ourselves of the old is a prerequisite to accepting things that are new. We can’t start a new life if we hold onto the old one and make no room for growth and development. Leaving Egypt in a hurry was a clear indication that the people were ready to shed the old and begin the new.

We continually read the story of our deliverance because it is essential that we remain aware of our past in order to continue to build a future. It also helps us realize that to move forward we have to break the shackles of domination that kept us bent over, unable to stand erect. We experienced not only physical distress but emotional submission and that dragged us even further into the abyss with no sign of escape.

All these expressions are brought together in one grand moment called Passover. We rejoice and we remember but we are also saddened by events that shaped our destiny which required untold sacrifices. However, we understand that sometimes we must go through ordeals in order to achieve fulfillment. And as the rabbis have taught us, we don’t gloat over the misfortune of others while rejoicing in our emancipation.

Perhaps the wishes and desires for a world of togetherness and gratefulness and appreciation can best be summed up in an essay written by Rev. Dr.Herbert Brokering, a Christian minister:

Lord, give us tomorrow.
Give us
Spring at the end of winter,
Love at the end of strife,
Peace at the end of war, and
A home at the end of the exile.
Give us
Rain to end draught,
A song to end the sorrow
A harvest to end the hunger
Send fruit after the pruning.
Send tomorrow
With its feel of the softness of soil,
The grease of engines,
The splatter of paint,
The sound of music,
The joy of debate, and
The calmness of forgiveness.
Give us tomorrow
And its new work,
New smell,
New touch,
New thoughts
New hopes.
Lord,
Tomorrow
Give us a new day.

Isn’t this what Passover is all about? Isn’t this the dream of all humanity as expressed by Passover in so many ways? Yes, these are my thoughts at Passover. Passover miracles, as I wrote about previously, can also be found in the asking and the giving and the receiving.