In loving memory of Malca, z”l
“Great and mighty, as it is written” (Exodus 1.7)
“And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, waxed exceedingly, and the land was filled with them”
(The Passover Haggadah)
The Seder ceremony is not only an act of pious recollection, but also a unique and inspired tradition for blending the past, present and future into a simple comprehensive and transcendent experience.
The actors in this story are not only the Israelites, led out of bondage by their leader, Moses, but all generations of Israelis through all of time. In an ideal sense all Israel went forth out of Egypt, and all Israel stood at Sinai, before the presence of God.
When the trumpet sounded in history, it sounded for all ages, and its echo lives on forever.
“Every person in every generation” says a passage in the Mishna, must look upon himself as if he has personally come forth out of Egypt. It was not only our forbears alone that the Holy One redeemed, but also ourselves.
The Passover, as told in the Haggadah book, recounts how Israel moved from darkness into light, from the ignorance and shame of idolatry to the glory of the Jewish People’s high monotheistic calling.
The Passover story is a continuing experience. The event possesses a story and a history, involving the children of all generations. It is equally true that this particular historical occasion, the Exodus, is not confined to a single moment in time. The journey through the wilderness in the wake of a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night, is at the center of the eternal progress of Israel toward the kingdom of God on earth.
The festival of Passover has two basic messages, whose significance holds true even in modern times. The first is that deliverance from slavery and misery, from suffering and insult, and the decision to do away with ignorance and dependence, lies as much in our hands as in God’s.
The second Passover message is that deliverance is continual. The festival of Passover is celebrated – according to the Haggadah – as an answer to the “wise son”, “because of that which the lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt”. And the “wise son”, represented by all the People of Israel, understands.
Hag Pesach Sameach, a Happy Passover holiday, to all CIJR members, friends and the entire House of Israel.
(Baruch Cohen is Research Chairman of CIJR,
and a member of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Center)