SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER: A PASSOVER MESSAGE 5777
The story of Passover is well-known. It is the quintessential Jewish story, one of redemption by God who saved us from the hand of the oppressor. It is a narrative that has informed our very existence as a people filled with numerous themes, not the least of which is the imperative of freedom for every individual.
It is then not surprising that the story of the Exodus is monumental as an ethos for many peoples. Indeed, it has inspired and helped to shape many liberation movements throughout the world. It is a source of hope telling those who are oppressed, there is still that glimmer, however small it may seem, that liberation will come, never soon enough, but at some point freedom will come. Injustice cannot and will not endure forever.
Martin Luther King had a dream. It was a dream inspired by our Passover narrative. In his speech, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, he imagined other freedom movements he would have liked to witness equating the American struggle for freedom for all its citizens with the Biblical Exodus: I would watch God’s children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness or toward the Promised Land (April 3, 1968). As Heinrich Heine, the 18th century German poet and journalist once observed, Since the Exodus, freedom has spoken with a Hebrew accent.
It is then not surprising that the story of the Exodus is monumental as an ethos for many peoples. Indeed, it has inspired and helped to shape many liberation movements throughout the world. It is a source of hope telling those who are oppressed, there is still that glimmer, however small it may seem, that liberation will come, never soon enough, but at some point freedom will come. Injustice cannot and will not endure forever.
Martin Luther King had a dream. It was a dream inspired by our Passover narrative. In his speech, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, he imagined other freedom movements he would have liked to witness equating the American struggle for freedom for all its citizens with the Biblical Exodus: I would watch God’s children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness or toward the Promised Land (April 3, 1968). As Heinrich Heine, the 18th century German poet and journalist once observed, Since the Exodus, freedom has spoken with a Hebrew accent.
Freedom is a responsibility. It is the opposite of anarchy. Freedom is never about just running wild in the woods. It is never about doing whatever we want regardless of the consequences for others. But, freedom is at the same time more than a simple responsibility; it is a sacred responsibility given to us by God. It is the model God requires to ensure the dignity of each human being and to maximize our ability to choose to be in relationship to God. It is something we must actively strive for continually because as history demonstrates, power, without a citizenry that requires accountability ensuring such individual dignity, loves a vacuum.
Passover is certainly a time to celebrate freedom but it also asks us to look closely within and ask ourselves what have I done to ensure that our freedoms are not eroding, not being taken from us? This is part of our calling and transcends whoever is in power—Democrat or Republican.
Passover is certainly a time to celebrate freedom but it also asks us to look closely within and ask ourselves what have I done to ensure that our freedoms are not eroding, not being taken from us? This is part of our calling and transcends whoever is in power—Democrat or Republican.
Emmanuel Levinas, the great Talmudist and philosopher, once taught that the kind of freedom we commemorate during Pesach is a difficult one because it demands much from us both individually and collectively. When we elect individuals to represent us in governmental affairs they are working for all of us and even if the winner of an election was not our choice, our elected officials should represent us all and we should likewise find a way to be supportive of those efforts. Governing well is difficult work requiring from us the sacred responsibility to question, to dissent when we feel it is necessary. This too, is how we support those in elected office. It assists them as they navigate their way through difficult issues and it propels us to become part of an active citizenry.
As a people, our history has shaped us into individuals who question everything. It can be exhausting, but questioning, participating, supporting, dissenting and compromising is the very basis of our freedom. It is so foundational to our existence that it was given to us by God. It saved us, we were redeemed--what could be more holy than that? And, it is a struggle which has continued ever since.
As a people, our history has shaped us into individuals who question everything. It can be exhausting, but questioning, participating, supporting, dissenting and compromising is the very basis of our freedom. It is so foundational to our existence that it was given to us by God. It saved us, we were redeemed--what could be more holy than that? And, it is a struggle which has continued ever since.
So, as we sit around our Seder tables, giving thanks to God for our redemption, it is our sacred obligation first to warm-up by asking the Four Questions and then to continue questioning by looking at what is going on in our world and in our country and figure out ways both individually and collectively to make them better.