Pesach (Passover) – April 26, 2024 / 19 Nisan, 5784
As we celebrate Pesach, we find ourselves at a time in our history that can be seen as frightening, isolative, and odd. We either read the news, or experience directly (or both), the situation that seems to be consistently unfolding in our dear Israel. We see turmoil on our University campuses. We are still directly in the wake of a plague that has shaken the world. This Pesach, we talk about freedom from enslavement in Egypt during a time when many of us feel confined by world events, and some of our brethren truly are trapped– but this, I would argue, is not simply a time to despair– but a time to be aware, to be smart, to hope, and to take time to look back. Yes, this Passover might feel different than most. While we talked of the 10 plagues during our respective Pesach Seders, we find ourselves in the wake of a recent COVID plague, and the most current but oldest plague of antisemitism. We have so many unknowns on the horizon. The unknown is as scary as darkness, locusts, boils, or many of the other afflictions described in the Torah. Perhaps we can find some comfort in the age-old Jewish response to the unknown: resilience and courage.
While thinking back to being isolated at home, I also look at the current situation with hostages in Gaza. People who are unable to go out. Who are unable to be free. I also hear in my mind, the sirens in the land of Israel. Sirens that tell the people to find shelter…to hide. To stay inside. It has become difficult not to think about solitude. If we look back to the story of Pesach in the Book of Exodus, or Shemot, we can find an interesting bit of text:
“…and none of you shall go out of the door of your house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you” (Exodus 12:22-23).
According to Rashi’s commentary, G-d said to the people of Israel, “I will direct my eye to see whether you are occupied in obeying my precepts, and then I will spare you.”
Directly in the Torah, G-d tells the Israelites to stay in their houses. If they do not follow some very specific instructions, they will become victims of a sudden and mysterious demise. Just ponder the phrase, “And none of you shall go out of your house until the morning.” Are we, in our modern world, experiencing an extended version of this night? We were told to remain in our homes, lest we be afflicted with the terror of the modern plague. Now, we have students leaving college campuses for fear of physical harm. Our Israeli brethren must hide in their homes from barrages of missiles…potential destroyers one can only hope mercifully pass over.
What can we do right now? It can feel easy to talk about the nights of the past–but experiencing a night is vastly different than reading about those gone by with the light of midday sun illuminating our reflection. As the people of Israel were given instructions as to how to remain safe when the angel of destruction was passing through, we have been given instructions in a different way, and through different channels. We have been instructed to stay ready. To be prepared for the journey ahead. In reality, as Jews, we are always prepared for the next part of our story. This ability to survive and adapt is coded into our DNA. The night, the Choshech, the darkness can seem overwhelming. Light can feel hard to come by.
The darkness will, however, end. According to Rabbi Akiva, G-d brought the people of Israel out of Egypt during the month of Nisan because the weather was right. It was not too hot or too cold. G-d intended for the people to have proper conditions for their upcoming journey. While a Divine plan might not always be clear, clarity does seem to eventually illuminate the darkness.
When the night ended in Egypt, G-d told the people Israel not to forget about what had occurred. “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever” (Exodus 12:14). When this long and uneasy night inevitably forms ino the next chapter of our story, we can look to the past in order to face the future. We can remember never to let the lessons we have learned, and will continue to learn, vanish in the sun. When our children and grandchildren ask us about this night, we will tell them how we were frightened, how we felt alone, and then how we stepped out of the darkness with our trademark resilience and courage intact. And with even a bit of faith in G-d, we can tell anyone who asks that God brought us out as God did from Egypt, when the time and “weather” was just right to begin our newest journey.
Chag Pesach Sameach.
– Rabbi Josh Gray