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ub,urj inz - Z’man Cheiruteinu: The Season of our FreedomApril 2004From the Desk of Rabbi CohonOne year, back when I was a cantor in Los Angeles a couple of decades ago, I remember conducting something like nine Passover Seders. There were the model seders for the preschool, Religious School, and day school, a first night seder with family, the 2nd night congregational seder, two interfaith seders with clergy of other faiths, a Russian immigrant seder with refusenik songs, and a Workmen’s Circle Socialist seder that included no mention of God but lots about oppressed workers and the solidarity of labor. By the time Passover was over, liberation seemed to come from not having to celebrate liberation anymore, and I was fervently praying to be free of parsley and hardboiled eggs, let alone matzah… But all of that focus on freedom forced me to look at just what the true meaning of Passover really is. We all know that Passover is the ultimate festival of freedom, celebrating our people’s liberation from bondage over three thousand years ago, and that it is the most observed Jewish holiday in the world today, slightly ahead of Chanukah. We all should know that matzah is the bread of affliction, that maror is the bitter herbs symbolic of slavery, and that salt water symbolizes the tears of our tyrannized ancestors. But if freedom is truly valued, what exactly does it mean on Pesach? First, it is clear that more than just a Jewish celebration, Passover is a holiday that carries with it the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the downtrodden in every society. The references to Moses and Pharaoh are nearly ubiquitous in liberation struggles world-wide, from the American Civil War to the 1960’s civil rights movement, and from Liberia to South America. There is a chord of absolute clarity that makes this tale a universal one, and quickens the pulse of every people subjugated by another. But in spite of the universalism of its message Pesach has a particular understanding of what freedom really means that is uniquely Jewish. You see, for Jews freedom is much more than an absence of slavery. Certainly slaves are not free; without liberation from servitude we would not have had the ability to become free. First, the shackles must be broken. But freedom doesn’t end there. In the Passover story freedom is the conscious, committed decision to serve God. You cannot understand Pesach if you stop at the Exodus, or even on the shores of the Sea of Reeds, for the festival only has full meaning with the great events at Mt. Sinai when our people chose to serve God. In essence, freedom is the ability to choose which master to serve, to dedicate our lives to a cause that is greater and more holy than ourselves. Freedom is not simply an absence of coercion; it is a personal and communal statement that we believe in an ethical ideal, and that we will choose to serve a moral God of righteousness, justice, and love. Passover is designed to teach not just freedom from slavery, but also the commitment to God, Judaism, education, and justice that is central to a free people’s embrace of ethics. On this Pesach, this z’man cheitruteinu, this season of our freedom, may we each learn to serve God in ways that give meaning to the great blessing of being able to freely choose whom we will serve. Rhody, Boaz, Gabriel, and Cipora join me in wishing you a good, healthy Passover of blessing. L'shalom v'rei'ut, in peace and friendship, Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon |
