Passover is often referred to as a holiday of freedom, as it marks the most iconic freedom story of all: the exodus of the ancient Hebrews after hundreds of years of servitude in Egypt, as they are miraculously extracted from powerful Egypt, guided across the sea and into the wilderness to receive the Law, eventually making it to the promised land. This story of G-d’s deliverance has captured the hearts and minds of humanity for thousands of years, serving as a glimmer of hope for all peoples and providing the evocative imagery which frames the ultimate triumph of those facing tyranny and adversity.
So evocative, in fact, that Benjamin Franklin (as conveyed by Thomas Jefferson) suggested this image as the Great Seal of the United States:
"Pharaoh sitting in an open Chariot, a Crown on his head and a Sword in his hand, passing through the divided Waters of the Red Sea in Pursuit of the Israelites: Rays from a Pillar of Fire in the Cloud, expressive of the divine Presence and Command, beaming on Moses who stands on the shore and extending his hand over the Sea causes it to overwhelm Pharaoh. Motto: Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God."
During a visit to The Museum of the Bible a few years ago, I learned about the “Slave Bible”, which was a special bible printed by English slave owners to give to their slaves in British colonies in the Caribbean. Apparently concerned that this story would ignite their imagination, it removed any and all references to the exodus story, resulting in a Hebrew Bible missing 90% of the original content!
While the message of the exodus is universal, it finds particular significance in Jewish homes at the Passover Seder, observed this year on the evenings of April 22 and 23rd. The seder, the Hebrew word for “order”, is just that - a framework for an experiential and orderly recounting of this great story. As they have for literally thousands of years, Jews around the world come together to read ancient texts about their ancestors and celebrate survival. They eat bitter herbs to literally taste the bitterness of slavery, Matzah to recall the unleavened bread they ate in their haste to leave Egypt, and many other foods and activities to drive this story home to another generation that is passing down the torch of tradition.
This year, the Jewish people will be gathering with a heavy heart, after having spent the last 6 months in a state of crisis. Weighing on all of our minds are all of those Passover Seders that are missing seats - those of the hostages as well as those of the thousands of fallen and wounded. Just a few weeks ago at CPAC we hosted Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose American-Israeli 35-year-old son Saguie remains in captivity. Mark & Julie Levine sensitively shared Sagui’s story with the conference attendees [link]. Sagui’s newborn daughter - who he has never met - will likely experience her first passover without her father. This heartbreaking scene will be repeated in hundreds of homes.
Our minds are clouded with images that belong to a dark past, of tyranny and evil. However, at the same time the Passover story also provides a glimmer of hope, as we know how the story ends. Playing in the background of the Seder will also be the story of all the adversity that has been overcome throughout the generations.
And as the Seder concludes with the words “Next Year in Jerusalem”, Jews around the world are joined by friends and allies in reaffirming our commitment to speak out proudly against evil, to be a force for good, and - most importantly - to do our part to educate those around us to live in the image of G-d by endowing all of humanity with freedom to make the choices that uplift all of us.
