St. Charles Borromeo remembered the Passover with a community meal during Holy Week
An article published in the El Paso Times, a Texas daily newspaper.
Passover remains the most popularly observed festival in Jewish life: By Rabbi Levi Greenberg
Millions of Jews around the world gather with family, friends and community to celebrate the Israelite exodus from Egyptian slavery which occurred 3,331 years ago. The traditional festive dinner is called a Seder and the centerpiece of the evening is a flat, crunchy cracker bread called matzah.
The trouble with tradition is the fact that it's often a struggle to relate to. As time moves on it is increasingly difficult to retain a real connection to past events. Passover has had three millennia to disappear into the abyss, yet it remains the most popularly observed festival in Jewish life.
Even those who are distant from observance throughout the year search out a Seder or at least obtain some matzah.
I propose the secret to Passover’s popularity lies in the profound message it conveys through matzah.
Prior to the miraculous exodus, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 210 years enslaved to a malicious tyrant, with no hope of redemption in sight. Never had a slave managed to escape that terrible place, and even after Moses arrived and started wreaking havoc on Egyptian life with the famous 10 plagues, Pharaoh's refusal to free the Israelites made it impossible to leave.
However, when the moment of redemption arrived, Pharaoh insisted the Israelites leave so swiftly they were unable to prepare proper provisions for the journey. With no time to allow dough to rise, they baked unleavened cakes, giving birth to the tradition of eating unleavened matzah every year on that day, emblematic of the instantaneous transformation from slavery to freedom.
Many are unaware of the fact that only twenty percent of the Israelites left Egypt. Eighty percent of the population wanted to stay in Egypt and perished several weeks before the exodus.
Why did so many slaves resist freedom? Because they were wary of the unknown. Despite their horrifying situation, they were comfortable in their routine and journeying into the wilderness was terrifying. The 20 percent who ultimately merited redemption were willing to venture into uncharted territory, with a few unleavened crackers in hand.
Because freedom is not the ability to do whatever you want, rather the ability to do what you should but do not want to do. To no longer be stuck in familiar negative behavioral cycles or to be beholden to old vices. With some faith and trust in G-d and the willpower to subscribe to a higher purpose we can transcend all of our real and perceived problems and live meaningful lives.
Matzah represents the instantaneous transformation that occurs when we are willing to leave our comfort zone, and eating it on Passover eve allows us to absorb this idea until it becomes second nature. This is true freedom.
Best wishes for a kosher and Happy Passover.
Passover 2019 began on April 19, at sundown and was celebrated through Saturday, April 27.
To learn more please visit chabadelpaso.com/passover.
Levi Greenberg is a rabbi at Chabad Lubavitch in West El Paso.
Passover remains the most popularly observed festival in Jewish life: By Rabbi Levi Greenberg
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| Rabbi Levi Greenberg, associate Rabbi at Chabad Lubavitch, takes a freshly baked Matzah out of the oven for children enrolled in the Chabad Education Center’s spring camp. (Photo: RUDY GUTIERREZ/EL PASO TIMES FILE) |
The trouble with tradition is the fact that it's often a struggle to relate to. As time moves on it is increasingly difficult to retain a real connection to past events. Passover has had three millennia to disappear into the abyss, yet it remains the most popularly observed festival in Jewish life.
Even those who are distant from observance throughout the year search out a Seder or at least obtain some matzah.
I propose the secret to Passover’s popularity lies in the profound message it conveys through matzah.
Prior to the miraculous exodus, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 210 years enslaved to a malicious tyrant, with no hope of redemption in sight. Never had a slave managed to escape that terrible place, and even after Moses arrived and started wreaking havoc on Egyptian life with the famous 10 plagues, Pharaoh's refusal to free the Israelites made it impossible to leave.
However, when the moment of redemption arrived, Pharaoh insisted the Israelites leave so swiftly they were unable to prepare proper provisions for the journey. With no time to allow dough to rise, they baked unleavened cakes, giving birth to the tradition of eating unleavened matzah every year on that day, emblematic of the instantaneous transformation from slavery to freedom.
Many are unaware of the fact that only twenty percent of the Israelites left Egypt. Eighty percent of the population wanted to stay in Egypt and perished several weeks before the exodus.
Why did so many slaves resist freedom? Because they were wary of the unknown. Despite their horrifying situation, they were comfortable in their routine and journeying into the wilderness was terrifying. The 20 percent who ultimately merited redemption were willing to venture into uncharted territory, with a few unleavened crackers in hand.
Because freedom is not the ability to do whatever you want, rather the ability to do what you should but do not want to do. To no longer be stuck in familiar negative behavioral cycles or to be beholden to old vices. With some faith and trust in G-d and the willpower to subscribe to a higher purpose we can transcend all of our real and perceived problems and live meaningful lives.
Matzah represents the instantaneous transformation that occurs when we are willing to leave our comfort zone, and eating it on Passover eve allows us to absorb this idea until it becomes second nature. This is true freedom.
Best wishes for a kosher and Happy Passover.
Passover 2019 began on April 19, at sundown and was celebrated through Saturday, April 27.
To learn more please visit chabadelpaso.com/passover.
Levi Greenberg is a rabbi at Chabad Lubavitch in West El Paso.
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