With Passover on the horizon, we soon will ask our questions, eat our matza, and drink our cups of wine, celebrating our people’s journey from slavery to freedom. But why? Why do we do this year after year? The haggadah answers this with: Every generation is obligated to see themselves as if THEY were freed from slavery.” But why? Why is it so important for us to remember this period of Jewish history again and again?
It is not enough to conduct a Seder, solely to say, “Well, that is what we did when we were kids.” It is not enough to remember our slavery, only to say, “Remembering our heritage is a value, unto itself.” It is not enough to utter Mah nishtanah only to return to our lives, while so many are feeling the oppressions and injustices of this world.
I strongly believe our tradition obligates us to remember our past in order to call us to action. The Seder calls us to see the injustices of our world. When we taste the salt water, we must remember the tears of our ancestors as well as the tears of those still abused. When we eat the maror (bitter herbs), we must remember the bitterness of our ancestors, as well as the bitterness of individuals still under tyranny. When we note Elijah’s and Miriam’s cups, we must remember not only the hope of our ancestors, but the hope we must have in our hearts that someday all people, regardless of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation, will be truly free.
Until that freedom for all happens, the Seder will serve as a torch that lights our past journey as well as lighting the dark places of our current world. May each of us take into our hearts the messages of the Seder night and put them into practice in our daily lives.
