This Passover, when we say “Mah nishtanah halaylah hazeh” (best translated as “Wow! This night is different!”), we know that the four questions that follow are not only about the organization of the Seder. They are challenges that come to us from life, from events that we see on You Tube and read in the newspaper. As we watch the revolutions that are rupturing, restructuring and rearranging the Middle East, we know that we are witnessing, in a convulsive, convoluted and confusing way, a contemporary version of the ancient Exodus.
This is a time of anticipation and apprehension, of hope and horror, of enthusiasm and anxiety. My colleague Rabbi Herb Schwartz writes, “Dip twice for Tunisia. Suddenly the afikomen is revealed in Egypt. Open the door for Libya. And so it goes: If you want to recapture the shame of slavery and the breathless awareness of freedom’s new possibilities and terror, just turn on your television.”
The special shabbatot that anticipate Passover and the prophetic haftarah readings that are chanted during the holiday encapsulate the wisdom of our ancient tradition about the Festival of Freedom. They are germane to the political tectonic shifts of the current year. The cycle begins with Shabbat Shekalim, the Sabbath which triggered the annual census and collection of funds for the upkeep of the community. This signals us that individuals matter and that public money must be carefully monitored. The uprisings of the Arab Spring have often been about the misuse of funds and the lack of opportunity for individuals.
Shabbat Zakhor recalls Amalek, the tribe that attacked the people of Israel when they were weak during the initial period following the Exodus. In contrast, Yitro, the priest of Midian, met the people of Israel with advice and good counsel about self-governance. In 2011, we are reminded that some revolutions lead to positive change and others become destructive. Israel has to be watchful to ensure its security is not compromised. Western democracies have to protect the weak that are under attack from their dictatorial leadership. The development of a consultative structure of governance is critical to the formation of democratic institutions.
Shabbat Parah reminds us of the purification (via the red heifer/parah adumah ritual) that was required each year before participation in the Passover meal. One can’t simply rush into freedom. It takes purification from past practices and preparation for the future. Some of the countries in the midst of revolutionary change are better prepared to develop democratic institutions than others. The ancient sacrifice paradoxically rendered those who conducted it impure, even while cleansing those who had previously been in contact with the impurity of death. We should be prepared to see paradoxical developments in different countries. It won’t be a linear set of changes.
Shabbat Hahodesh marked the moment when the people of Israel accepted their own destiny. “This month shall be for you the beginning of all months”. The Israelites had to accept responsibility for the moment and for the calendar that would guide them for the future. In each country, we are witnessing people who are claiming a role of self-responsibility. Often they don’t really know what that will involve. But clearly, there is a desire for a country “of one’s own”. It took many years after leaving Egypt, with a caring God, a thoughtful leader (Moshe), and a clear set of rules (the mitzvot) for the people to properly govern themselves. What we have seen this winter and spring is only the beginning of self-responsibility. The columnists who are giddy about these developments are prematurely enthusiastic.
April16 will be Shabbat Hagadol, the Great Sabbath. Just prior to Pesah, this Shabbat articulates a hope for reconciliation after a “great and fearful day”. Whatever will take place in the future of the various countries of the Middle East will require a hopeful vision and the possibility of “turning the parents to their children and the children to their parents”. One of the issues that each country will have to manage is how to treat its past leadership.
On the first day of Passover, the haftarah recounts the first observance of Pesah in the Land of Israel during the days of Joshua. This was a clear marker of success. One part of liberation was fulfilled with the Giving of Torah and the commitment to the Covenant. According to the Torah, this took three months. Another part of the Exodus led from slavery to our own land. That required forty years of wandering and nation-building. Even after those accomplishments, learning to live with those obligations and maintaining our national existence has been a struggle of thousands of years. Whether in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Bahrain, the transformation process will require noting partial successes along the way and recognizing that consolidating the changes in North Africa and the Middle East will take many years.
The Shabbat of Pesah features the reading from Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones. “Shall these bones live? ...They are the whole House of Israel.” Ezekiel’s words teach us that rebirth, restoration and redemption is not only in the past and not just for Jews. Our past experience was to offer hope for Pesah l’atid—Passover of the future. There are lessons in it for all people. We experienced our own rebirth after many years of exile. We have rehearsed liberation every spring with the hope that we could share this dream with others and guide others who would be free.
I love the words of the Song of Songs which are chanted during Passover. This spring I feel it in the air of the Jerusalem and in the countryside of Israel. “For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing is come, and the voice of doves is heard in our land”. Passover, with its message of hope, is just around the corner. As we tell our story and celebrate our history, let’s also look around at the world. Turn on your TV. Boot up your computer. And open up your haggadah. The news of the present is part of our narrative from the past.
-Jerusalem Nisan 5771 – April 2011
