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Federation Star
COMMENTARY
March 2021
Passover deconstructed Rabbi Howard S. Herman DD
I
t is interesting to hear the reactions of Jews to the celebration of Passover in this third decade of the 21st century. For some, it is their favorite Jewish holiday of the year. If you ask them why, they might tell you it is a holiday that gathers the entire family together to celebrate; it’s a reminder that the long, cold winter is over; a time to do spring cleaning and everything smells so good after that; or they kvell at seeing their kids doing the same thing they did when they were kids. It is the kind of holiday where they pass the torch, so to speak, in the hope that their children will continue those same traditions and pass them onto the next generation as well. Then there are those who tell me that of all the Jewish holidays in the cycle of celebrations, Passover is their least favorite. Why? Too much work to organize and execute a seder, they simply can’t abide the food restrictions, or eight days is just too long to remove themselves from the comfort zone of their daily routine. I am here to tell you that no matter what your reasons for liking or disliking the Passover holiday, your focus is on the wrong place. Passover is not really a holiday to like or distain; it is the holiday that
gave rise to our glorification of the ethic of “justice,” as well as “righteousness” and “moral compassion.” It is a holiday where the rituals, if you read into their meaning a bit, enliven the meaning and bring it up to date in real time. It is only when the rituals of the seder are simply done by rote, devoid of any substance or connection to the present, that seders and the Passover rituals become perfunctory. The Exodus that was undertaken under the leadership of Moses is a consistent refrain in the seder of today. It is done so with the admonition to treat others with compassion and justice, to help the strangers (foreigners) among us because we were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. We are also reminded that the quest remains ongoing for those who seek a better life of safety, security and prosperity. The idea here, is that we have the compassion to recognize that we were once strangers, too; that there are those who seek freedom and are a part of the foundation of our community and strengthen our resolve. We also open our doors during our Passover celebrations with the idea of letting all who are hungry come and eat. This reflects the mandate that we invite everyone, not just Jews, to come and eat. Commenting on this line, Rabbi Isaiah diTrani (13th-century Italy) said, “It is the obligation of every person to eat the first night of Passover, so we invite anyone who doesn’t have the means.” The encompassing idea is that no
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one in our midst should go hungry. Our Jewish sources make very clear the importance of the blessings of food. Passover is teaching us that it is our responsibility to see to it that no one goes without; that no one starves and no one suffers the indignity of hunger. Once again, this is what justice looks like in our society. It is “just” that everyone has nutrition in order to live healthily.
If there was ever a Jewish holiday that oozed the theme of social justice, it is Passover. Hopefully, some of these ideas will spark meaningful conversations at your seder and connect you to our shared story of liberation, fighting for the dignity and redemption of all human beings. A Zissen Pesach to you. Rabbi Howard S. Herman DD serves at Naples Jewish Congregation.
The small things count Rabbi Mendy Greenberg
O
ne frequently voiced challenge to Judaism is its obsession with trivial details. Does G-d really care about the small things? Nowhere is this preoccupation with details more pronounced than in the holiday of Passover, when we refrain from eating, deriving benefit from and even possessing Chometz (any grain mixed with water that was allowed to rise). In fact, if even one miniscule crumb falls into a huge pot of food, the entire mixture is not kosher! It is incredulous that one small crumb can make the difference between observing the Festival of Freedom properly or not! How is that freedom? It sounds so stifling and confining. Indeed, most of the Torah is filled with G-dly commands that dictate to us how we should think, talk and act. And here is the question — why would an omnipotent G-d be concerned with minutia, such as the minor details concerning the food we eat, the words we speak, etc.? Wouldn’t G-d get more out of the more spiritually glamorous experiences than with the minute details of our everyday lives? Doesn’t G-d care about the big things in life rather than some minor detail of a ritual? In truth, the answer is, precisely because G-d is absolutely infinite, He can relate to anything without it affecting His greatness. Humans are limited. Simple people can handle small things and great people can relate to the big, sophisticated things, but not to the small. G-d, by contrast, has no such limitations. The more trivial the action that we do for G-d, the more it demonstrates that G-d is truly infinite, before whom the most insignificant act can be endowed with cosmic importance. If we need support for this premise, G-d has given us a powerful lesson from
the COVID-19 pandemic. One microscopic virus from a remote part of the world has wreaked havoc on the entire world. This miniscule creation of G-d has captured the attention of all of humanity in unprecedented ways. If there is a silver lining to this horrible, catastrophic pandemic, it is that each and every small, and apparently insignificant, action, word or even thought, counts, and it counts significantly. One kind word can save the life of a person contemplating suicide, G-d forbid. We can now understand why Chometz is so objectionable and even the tiniest crumb cannot be tolerated. Chometz represents an inflated ego. That inflated ego can be the root cause of so many conflicts, which can degenerate into something catastrophic. Frequently, it begins with but one person allowing his or her ego to inflate. With this in mind, we can better appreciate Maimonides’ statement, based on the Talmud, that even one positive action can save the entire world. To ensure the future of the world, the ultimate age of redemption, one does not have to necessarily perform some earth-shattering gesture. One minor act of kindness and goodness, one more Mezuzah on our doorposts, one more dollar to tzedakah, just one Shabbat observed, can be the one act that brings salvation and transforms the entire world. The recognition that every mitzvah counts will usher in the future redemption through the coming of Moshiach. Moreover, when we show our reverence for even one small mitzvah, we demonstrate that we are aware of the true infinite nature of G-d. Just as G-d is not limited by human standards, so too G-d is not limited by His greatness; He can relate to and appreciate the small things in life. That recognition itself is the beginning of the process of redemption when G-d’s true infinite nature will be fully revealed within our finite world. Wishing you all a kosher and happy Passover. Rabbi Greenberg serves at Chabad of Bonita Springs and Estero.
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