Art by Karin Foreman
The message of Pesach is a journey towards a place where Jews are valued, not for anything other than for who they are.
As we sit around the Seder table, rethinking history that has a meaning and its rituals which dates back 3.300 years ago. But it is more than rituals, we are remembering the story and adding something of our own to it.
Who am I ? Remains a question throughout the ages and for much of our history. We always have been a minority in the lands of other nations.
"Who am I to stand before the Pharao? " Moshe was asking HaShem. The question was not about his identity, but if he was worthy of such a mission. Moshe was not convinced, he did not seek leadership and kept refusing it " They will not believe me, please send someone else " - Shemos 4: 10.
But what Moshe discovered-- alone with his flocks on the mountain-- that there are some choices to be made from which he could not hide.
The first words HaShem said to Moshe were:
" I am HaShem, the G-d of your fathers, the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov."
HaShem was telling Moshe that he was not a prince of Mitzrayim, but part of his people who were living through the bitterness of slavery. Their cry to HaShem, became Moshe responsibilty. In the deepest part of his being Moshe knew this.
To be a Jew is to know that we cannot be indifferent when our people are suffering. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says " Jews are like a single body with one soul, when one is injured, we all feel the pain." Jewish identity is something we carry from birth within us, and not only in our genes, but in our tears, the pain, commitment and in our hopes and dreams.
HaShem, the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and their descendants. We are their children, and that is what our children discover at Pesach. We are part of a story that began long before we were born and will continue into the ultimate and final redemption.
Being Jewish is not an identity we choose, it is something that chooses us. To be a Jew is to hear the voice from the past.
The exodus came as a tidal wave in history - the revelation and the covenant at Har Sinai begins with:
" I am HaShem, your G-d who brought you out of Mitzrayim, out of slavery "
It did not serve to explain why the most loyal to HaShem, whom He had rescued and given freedom, but it is not less important as a reminder what the world would become when they forget about HaShem, and instead worship man made structures, such as power.
The Jewish people through reflection and experience as slaves knows what it feels like being on the receiving end, the reason why we built a community on the principle of tzedakah, mishpatim, chesed and rachanim.
We are a story within time, all our wisdom comes from that story. Nothing else we do-- not our mitzvahs, our Torah learning, or our davening cannot be understood outside the context. We were slaves and then HaShem gave us freedom-- a story which is not complete, yet. It is the story of golus ( exile ) as we always knew who we are, where we are coming from and where we are returning to.
Our Story is not just about survival, in reality there is nothing more real than this story that HaShem had in mind when He created the world. As long as we hold on to that story in our ongoing journey, we have emes but when we abandon it, all we are left with is emptiness.
Today we are everyone's obsession. We cannot hide not even when we try, we cannot run away, nothing is a coincident, everything comes from HaShem. Many times I wonder if this is testing our emunah, or a call from HaShem to return to Him. Without this story there are only meaningless events upon events.
Our Story, the story of Pesach tells us, that evil can be cured, oppression is temporary, and that every mitzvah we do transforms darkness into light.
We are a small nation in a big world, small in numbers, but big in strength and resillience. Without this story we would be still slaves. As Jews we have a beautiful tradition, we can choose to stay in this story and be like Moshe who took on Pharaoh.
When we cry out to HaShem, just like our ancestors did 3.300 years ago, HaShem will listen and be at our side, holding our hand.
The message of Pesach is to trust HaShem.