From Our Rabbinic Intern’s Desk
The Changing Focus of Passover in Our Day: From Pandemic to Ukraine
Another year has come and gone, and Passover/Pesach will soon be upon us once again. Nisan, the month of Passover, and not Tishrei, the month of Rosh HaShanah, is referred to in the Torah as the first month of the Jewish calendar. And so now, on the cusp of a new year, it is time once again to do what we Jews are so often asked to do: reflect.
What is Passover truly about? There are multiple answers, but the one that comes up most of all is often freedom (חֵרוּת). Fittingly, freedom is a theme that can easily lend itself to current events, and so the context of Passover can be different each year.
COVID-19 was running wild last spring, but people were beginning to get vaccinated. And so many of us prayed last Passover: בַּשָּׁנָה הַבָּאָה נֵשֶׁב בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת (“Next year, may we sit in our synagogue”). That prayer has come to fruition. In that sense, we have been freed. But it is also important to remember the Passover tradition of removing 10 drops of wine from our cups, to acknowledge the suffering of the Egyptians.
While we have been given the pandemic-related freedom we asked for (at least for now), there are still plenty of people who do not live in freedom, not just in America, but also globally. This year in particular, our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. We cannot ignore the situation even if we wanted to, for the world is putting the issue front and center, and rightfully so.
On Passover, we celebrate our own freedom as Jews. But what do we do with that freedom now that we have it? It is up to us to make every moment count. What is the duty of a free person? To fight for the freedom of others.
Are we honor-bound as Jews to buy a ticket to Ukraine and pick up a rifle? This sounds like a lot to ask. We do not necessarily have to “fight on the beaches.” There are other ways to fight. As Vladimir Putin needs to learn, fighting does not always have to mean going to war. Oftentimes, fighting is as simple as making your voice heard.
עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד
עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים
Our Tradition teaches: The world stands on 3 things: On Torah, service, and acts of kindness. We can do all of those right here in America. Now is the time to make our voices heard. The Torah is our moral compass and our light. It helps reinforce our direction and decisions. May we use it to inspire us to serve HaShem, and through HaShem, HaShem’s constituents (all human beings). And as for acts of kindness, humanity has proven time and time again that even a simple act of kindness can go a long way.
We cannot forget our time in Egypt. The name for Egypt, מִצְרַיִם, literally means “a narrow place.” As such, מִצְרַיִם can truly be anywhere. Today, מִצְרַיִם is located in Ukraine.
As we eat our matzah, our bread of affliction, let us remember that there are those in Ukraine who do not have the ability to cook leavened bread right now even if they wanted to.
As we dip our vegetables in salt water, let us acknowledge the tears of those in Ukraine, as well as those of the countless Ukrainians who are currently refugees.
As we eat our מָרוֹר, our bitter herbs, let us remember the bitterness of the situation in eastern Europe. It is happening right before our eyes.
And as we dip our finger in our wine in remembrance of the 10th plague, the death of the firstborn, let us bring to the forefront the deaths that are currently taking place.
Passover is often labeled as a joyous holiday, and it is. It is a festival. But it has never been 100% joyous. Unlike on Purim, if Passover tradition tells us to drink, we must still drink responsibly. We cannot be so joyous that we forget to acknowledge the true origins of this holiday: slavery and freedom.
בַּשָּׁנָה הַבָּאָה בְּקִיֶב!
Next year in Kyiv!
Maayan Lev