A series of inspirational messages on the weekly Torah portion by members of the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet

UJC Rabbinic Cabinet Chair: Rabbi Bennett F. Miller, D.Min.
Vice Chair: Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg
President: Rabbi Harold J. Berman
Director: Rabbi Eric M. Lankin, D.Min.
Mekor Chaim Editor: Lisa Kleinman
Coordinator: Rachel Ain

Pesach
By Rabbi David M. Weis

The festival of Pesach is one of the most widely celebrated times in the Jewish year. Many Jews who may not find themselves in a synagogue on a regular basis manage to attend a Seder. The concept of redemption, as portrayed by the Torah's description of the Exodus, is our people's most powerful story. It is our vision for the world.

It is certainly possible that in God's infinite power, the Israelites could have been quickly relocated from Egypt to the Promised Land. Why all the drama? As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that freedom comes with a price. Freedom is not easy; liberty and vision require human participation. We are not supposed to sit about and wait for God to save the world; God has placed redemption into our hands. The rabbis tell that when Moses raised his hands to part the sea, the waters did not move. According to the Midrash, only when one Israelite leader, Nachshon ben Aminadav, took upon himself and courageously walked into the sea, did the waters recede. It was a statement of faith; it was a determination to act. Both are required.

We reenact the Exodus in the Seder each year. The promise of redemption still eludes us, but the dream remains, and the determination is still at the core of the Jewish journey. In some ways, Pesach is our paradigm of redemption. Its annual retelling is not only about the past, it is also about the future. With great ceremony, replete with wonderful symbols and awesome imagery, we reenergize ourselves for the task yet at hand. The Exodus is not complete; we are completing it. The Israelites did not sing the Song at the Sea (Exodus 15) with its "Mi Chamocha," "Who is like our Eternal God," when the first person walked through the sea on to dry ground. No, they sang it when the last of them was free and safe.

This is our goal even today. We are still journeying: from Mitzrayim to the Promised Land, from slavery to freedom, from crisis to resolution, from despair to hope. And, like the ancient Israelites, before we can enter our Promised Land, we must make a stop at Mount Sinai. There we recognize that revelation is possible, that God can share a map with us to help us find our way to Jerusalem.

The Haggadah's concluding phrase, "Next year in Jerusalem," refers not only to the place but also to a vision of the world perfected. The rabbis teach that there is a "Yerushalayim shel mata," a physical Jerusalem, and a "Yerushalayim shel mala," a spiritual, heavenly Jerusalem. The phrase in the Seder that refers to Jerusalem suggests that one day both the physical and spiritual Yerushalayims will merge. When the promise of Pesach comes true, redemption will come. Let us work for the day when this dream is achieved. This year there are still slaves, next year may all be free.

Rabbi David M. Weis, a member of the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet Executive Committee, is rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, Northfield, New Jersey.