Shalom to my Bnai Shalom family!
Our Mishnah teaches us that on Passover, we tell our children the story of the Exodus from Egypt, matchil big'nut umsayeim b'shevach, beginning with degradation and ending with praise. (Pesachim 10:4)
Our rabbis disagreed about the nature of that degradation. Was it the physical degradation of slavery, as Shmuel argues? Or was it the spiritual degradation of idolatry, as Rav holds. Our Haggadah, in its wisdom, says yes, it was both. We remember them by declaring, "My father was a wandering Aramean" and "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt."
Why is immersing ourselves in the pain and suffering of our ancestors a central part of the Passover Seder? Why must we return each year to the lowest point in our biblical narrative?
Our rabbis believed that a true celebration of freedom cannot happen without understanding and confronting the pain and despair that came before. Redemption requires reclaiming one's dignity. Freedom requires consciousness. Transformation requires both.
It can be difficult in our modern world to see ourselves as having been slaves in Egypt or as having been idolators. But we have our own Mitzrayim, our own narrow places, our own Egypt.
There are times when we have been subject to the will of others. There are times when we imprison ourselves with our own thoughts and beliefs. There are times when we experience both, in succession or at the same time.
Most of us can easily point to these moments. The question is, will we leave them behind? Will we move toward praise, toward redemption, toward a life of freedom beyond the narrow places that confine us?
Just as our ancestors took the risk of stepping forward into the great unknown, trusting that they could journey toward the land and the life promised to their ancestors, so too can we.
May this be the year that we each move from degradation to dignity.
May this be the year that we each move from limitations to abundance.
May this be the year that we each move from narrow places to expansiveness.
May this be the year that we each move from slavery and idolatry to freedom and praise.
Kol Tuv v' Chag Pesach Sameach v'Kasher!
All the best… and a Happy and Kosher Passover!
Rabbi Adrienne :)
Rabbi@bnaishalomeaston.org
Cell Phone: 609-577-6842
SERVING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF EASTON SINCE 1839