Passover (Pesach) celebrates our ancestors’ freedom from slavery. How can we celebrate being free while 130+ Jews are held hostage in Gaza? I’ve received this question in various forms over the last few days. This year is different from all other years because, this year, we commemorate Pesach with the knowledge that we are not all free. Just as Pharaoh sought the annihilation of our people, so too do evil rulers seek our demise today. However, like our ancestors, we will prevail over our enemies. We will celebrate together again in full joy.
This year, we marked Chanukah, Tu b’Shvat, and Purim with mixed emotions. We celebrated the significance of these days and held the pain of the hostages and their families in our hearts and minds. We will do the same for Pesach. The irony is not lost on any of us that we will mark the day our ancestors gained their freedom while 130+ Jews are not free. The Pesach seder is the right time to talk about this conflicted day. When you eat the Hillel sandwich, bitter herbs, and charoset on matzah, ask your fellow seder participants how they have held bitter news and sweet moments since October 7th. How else have you experienced joy and sorrow at the same time? Most importantly, ask one another what gives you hope for the future. More than anything, hope has held together the Jewish people for millennia.
Together, we will hope for a day when all Jews are free, and all are able to live peacefully in the Land of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Max
