RESISTING OPPRESSION
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. Edmund Burke
Our escape from Egypt by the redemptive hand of God is a harrowing story for the ages. All peoples who have ever been oppressed can relate to it offering them a glimmer of hope that their fate is not forever fixed. All nations which have resisted the persecution of its citizenry as Bulgaria and Denmark did during the Holocaust prove that action and organized outcry is essential to stop the forces of evil. Silence is often the enemy of good; it can be a sin of omission. Elie Wiesel once said, “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Passover teaches that it is possible to change the status quo, to resist when we become aware of discriminatory practices and policies. When we listen to bigoted words, when we witness the actions of governments engaged in oppressive behavior, we must not turn a blind eye or ear or mouth by minding our own business and turning inward. Discrimination and oppression are always our business. Passover reminds us of this annually.
Passover teaches that it is possible to change the status quo, to resist when we become aware of discriminatory practices and policies. When we listen to bigoted words, when we witness the actions of governments engaged in oppressive behavior, we must not turn a blind eye or ear or mouth by minding our own business and turning inward. Discrimination and oppression are always our business. Passover reminds us of this annually.
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It is important for us to be educated about the society in which we live; to take note of the fact that many manifestations of prejudice are rising in our country including anti-Semitism and to speak out against all its nefarious forms. God certainly did not redeem us in order to remain silent in the face of injustice. As a people oppressed for too many centuries, we should inherently understand that it is incumbent upon each of us to pay our redemption forward, to resist when necessary not only on our own behalf but on behalf of others. This fulfills the promise of our redemption.
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It is also necessary for us to be aware of what is going on in the world beyond our shores, to be aware that anti-Semitism is rising once again in Europe. How can this be? And, beyond Europe, how many of us are cognizant of the fact that there are a number of genocides taking place presently, right now, in the world in places such as Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, Myanmar and Nigeria against minority populations? Are we familiar with the peoples being massacred such as the Rohingya in Myanmar and the Yazidis in Iraq? We may feel helpless but there are organizations engaged in their rescue that need our help.
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There is still so much work to be done. This year as we try to experience what it must have felt like to be enslaved and then redeemed, we should also consider that many more Exoduses need to happen. Without that understanding, our observance of Passover is incomplete. Let us experience this Pesach with the profound understanding that it is possible to change what seems impossible and that the outcry of an engaged world can alter the course of history. May we be filled with hope and dedication to help move the world in the direction of righteousness and freedom as we express our gratitude to God for our own redemption
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Keyn Yehi Ratzon.
So may this be God’s will. So may this be our will. Amen. Warmly, Rabbi Debra Nesselson Passover, 2018 |
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